Ministries of Agriculture (MOAs) in the EU’s new member states, as well as those at different stages in the current pre-accession process, have had to restructure, in order to be able to meet the changing needs of farmers and rural communities, as well as the obligations of EU membership. Ministries in these states have generally changed their focus of operation from production orientation policies (supply-driven) to those with a market focus (demand-driven). Agro-environmental issues are of increasing importance.

The reorganisation of MOAs has led to a demand for different types of skilled manpower that has driven the need to formulate a human resource development strategy. Staff are required who are trained in the principles of strategic management and budgeting/programming, as well as have skills in English language, IT and project cycle management. These skills are required to understand and implement efficiently the pre-accession programme, as well as improve Kosovo’s dialogue with the European Commission and individual member states.

The present structure of Kosovo’s MAFRD is complicated both vertically and horizontally. It has agencies and offices under the direct supervision of the Minister e.g. Kosovo Forestry Agency/Kosovo Forestry Institute and Kosovo Veterinary and Food Agency. The Permanent Secretary is responsible for various departments - Legal and Public Relation, Procurement, Information, EU integration and Human Rights. The Permanent Secretary also manages all technical departments (i.e. Policy/Statistics, Plant Production/Protection, Rural Development and Advisory Services, Livestock Production and Forestry, including the Department of Administrative Central Services and the Kosovo Institute of Agriculture.

MOA structures in new member states such as Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia are simpler than this, and focus on implementing the EU’s agri-enviro-rural development policy. For example, in Slovenia, the Minister of Agriculture controls directly the Internal Audit Service, the EU Coordination Office and the International Affairs Service, as well as the Public Relations and Promotion Service. The ministry has four separate Directorates:

1. Directorate for Agriculture (Agricultural Markets Section, Structural Policy and Rural Development Section, Sustainable Agriculture Section, Education Non-Governmental and FADN Section, and Nature Disaster Section).
2. Directorate for Food Safety (Food and Feed Safety and Quality Section, Zootechnics Section, Animal Identification and Registration Section)
3. Directorate for Forestry, Hunting and Fisheries (Forestry Section, Hunting and Fisheries Section)
4. Secretariat (Legal affairs service, Budget and finance service, Information technology service, Investment and general affairs service, and Human resource service)

Bodies affiliated to Slovenia’s MOA include:

• Agency for Agricultural Markets and Rural Development (the National Paying Agency)
• Veterinary Administration
• Inspectorate for Agriculture, Forestry and Food
• Phyto-sanitary Administration

The ISMAFRD project is helping Kosovo’s MAFRD to streamline its structure, and identify a human resource development strategy that is consistent with the revised organization.

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