The processes occurring in Polish rural areas undeniably reflect the evolution of the concept of their functioning. However, their performance of modern functions depends on the solid support of the activities undertaken both on the local and the regional level. The aim of this study is to analyze and evaluate the opportunities for subsidizing Polish rural areas’ activities other than agricultural production, as well the scale of the funds earmarked for these aims. Two EU programmes were analysed: The Rural Development Programme 2007–2013 and The Rural Development Programme 2014–2020. The comparative analysis of the programmes was conducted from the perspective of macroeconomics i.e. on a national scale. The subsequent programming periods indicate the limited extent of the changes occurring in the structure of the ways in which subsidies are used. What seems to be clear is the lack of a modern view on the functioning of rural areas and the directions for their development. The evaluated programme is dedicated to rural areas, but it focuses mainly on agriculture, whereas The Rural Development Programme does not include the problem of public goods and the benefits related to them.