Politika rozvoje venkova v rámci SZP EU: kritická analýza z hlediska územní soudržnosti na úrovni ČR

This dissertation thesis is a critical assessment of the relationship of rural development policy within the second pillar of the EU CAP framework to aspects of territorial cohesion. The main aim is to analyse if the tools of rural development policy applied within the Czech Republic are in accordance with EU territorial cohesion goals and to assess the importance of the differences in the extent of regional support in accordance to the problems in rural areas. Within the main aim four hypotheses are formulated which are analysed in detail. For the verification of the hypotheses, introductory theoretical-methodological analysis of approaches to agriculture and rural development were prepared and their critical assessment was focused on historical issues of the EU CAP. The next part of the thesis is aimed at the verification of the rural development policy within the framework of the second pillar of the EU CAP to aspects of territorial cohesion using the example of the implementation of the EU Territorial Agenda in the programming period of 2007 -- 2013 in the Czech Republic. These issues are further studied in more depth with an institutional analysis of the EU CAP rural development policy role and its importance in the realisation of the EU Territorial Agenda in the Czech Republic, especially within the framework of urban-rural relations. For defining the territorial cohesion goals a methodological approach from the research project conducted by Prof. Mark Shucksmith (project ESPON, Shucksmith et al., 2005) was used who dealt with an assessment of the second pillar of the EU CAP in relation to aspects of territorial cohesion. In his research project the territorial cohesion goals were assessed by levels of selected indicators and their relevance to support from the second pillar of the EU CAP. This approach was adjusted and studied in depth by the author of this thesis according to the conditions of the Czech Republic. For the verification of the hypotheses, statistical data of the Horizontal Rural Development Plan CR was used which represented 73 % of the total expenditure of the second pillar of the EU CAP in the Czech Republic during the period 2004 -- 2006. With regards to scientific contribution, the main benefit of this thesis is in delivering an analytical framework of the rural development policy in relation to aspects of territorial cohesion by way of the EU Territorial Agenda and its implementation in the Czech Republic. The analysis and assessment of the HRDP programme in the Czech Republic and its relationship to socio economic indicators presents a concrete verification of the implementation of the second pillar of the EU CAP in the period 2004 -- 2006 with aspects of territorial cohesion. The results of this thesis will contribute to current research projects also aimed at the analysis of this theme.