Summary:

The principles of the European Union's programme for developing rural areas aim at: increasing the productivity of agriculture; providing agricultural people with a proper standard and level of living; stabilizing agricultural and food product markets. To achieve those targets and goals, special legal, marketing, supportive and financial tools are applied. The pro-ecological trend in the development of rural areas presses us into improving the conditions and state of our natural environment through the elimination of unfavourable phenomena. One of the measures is to support ecological (also known as organic) agriculture because its potential, as well as the continuously growing demand for organic food products are not sufficiently utilized so far; thus the promotion of ecological agriculture should absolutely be a priority. Poland's access to EU stimulated the realization of those basic principles of the UE programme, which refer to the development of agriculture. The principles in question assumed that measures and activities focused on some key objectives should be jointly financed. Those objectives are as follows: - improving natural environment through the elimination of unfavourable phenomena, protecting & preserving culture and nature-landscape values, as well as motivating & stimulating the development of retarded regions; - making the policy of economic development, accomplished by local communities, more flexible, i.e. decentralizing and localizing the policies of economic development according to the rule „thinking globally, but acting locally"; - elaborating a uniform regional development plan for each individual region, with local financial resources to be incorporated into such a plan, and evaluating the anticipated economic profits resulting from the implementation and the realization of such a plan. Presently, the sixth Plan of Activities is under realization; it refers to the protection of environment and covers a period from 2001 to 2010. This Plan is a continuation of a former plan that was based on and managed by the principle of sustainable development. The sustainable development. This former Plan provides and ensures "that all the developmental and consumption needs of societies are met, and it can be carried out without the functioning of natural environment, in which societies live, is deteriorated" [Nowak - Far 2002 s. 239]. This refers, in particular, to those sectors of the national economy, which have very specific and high impact such as industry including heavy power industry, transport, agriculture, and tourism. The execution of the assumptions as pointed out above, and the execution of the subsequent arrangements aim at achieving and securing stability and balance in the natural environment, as well as at ensuring durability of the key natural processes through the fully integrated political, social, and economic activities. The statements and arrangements provided in spatial management plans are designed for those objectives including their completion. In addition, the proecological policy of sustainable development of rural areas guarantees that all the vital needs of the contemporary and future generations be satisfied.