ENRD Newsletter - October 2015

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	LEADER/CLLD events at Expo Milano
	Special NRNs’ Meeting, 24 September A special National Rural Networks’ (NRNs’) Meeting on 24 September stressed the key role that NRNs have in supporting improved LEADER delivery. NRN attention is particularly needed on capacity building of LEADER Local Action Groups (LAGs), supporting transnational cooperation and to ensure learning is shared on how to effectively implement multi-funded LEADER/CLLD. See more information on the Milan NRNs meeting web page. LEADER/CLLD conference, 25 September A conference on Strengthening Local Development through Cooperation highlighted the potential to support more transnational cooperation (TNC) involving LAGs in the new period – including with non-EU partners. The event stressed the need for greater harmonisation between Member States’ procedures and sharing information and ideas across Europe in real time. See several examples of transnational cooperation projects, key note presentations and the outcomes of workshops on the Milan LEADER Conference web page

ENRD call for good practice

The ENRD Contact Point is looking for examples of good practice in the use of modern information and communication technologies (ICT) in rural areas, particularly where initiatives have been supported under the Rural Development Programme (RDP).

Whether it is taking broadband to rural areas, providing new digital services or, for example, supporting rural tourism or short-supply chains with ICT, send your examples to david.lamb@enrd.eu. Selected projects and initiatives will feed into ENRD thematic work on ‘smart and competitive rural areas’ over the next nine months.

RDP summaries now online

The ENRD Contact Point has produced summaries of 38 of the 118 national and regional Rural Development Programmes (RDPs) for the 2014-2020 period.

The summaries provide general information on the territory covered by the RDP and an overview of the planned expenditure, measures and 2023 targets per rural development priority and focus area. Summaries of the remaining RDPs will be uploaded on the ENRD website on an ongoing basis.

How to improve stakeholder involvement?

The final report of ENRD’s Thematic Group on ‘Stakeholder Involvement’ is now available on the ENRD website.

The report highlights the enhanced mandate of National Rural Networks (NRNs) to bring various stakeholder groups together on a common platform and link it to policy-making. To achieve this, both European and national networks should make better use of their existing tools and of exchange and peer learning between Member States.

New EU projects database

The European Commission has recently launched an online database of over 500 projects funded by the EU budget showcasing results-focused and efficient practices.

The projects database is searchable by country and funding area and currently contains 78 good practices related to agriculture and rural development. See also a new DG AGRI publication “EU agriculture spending focused on results”.

New guide on Financial Instruments

A new short guide on how to develop an action plan for Financial Instruments (FIs) relevant for all European Structural and Investment Funds has been launched on the advisory platform fi-compass.

The guide overviews the life cycle of FIs, including their design, set-up, implementation and winding-up. It summarises the main activities around each of these four phases and aims to guide Managing Authorities in efficiently using FIs to invest in growth and development.

Last call for Schärding 2015!

Final places are being allocated for the European Rural Parliament to be held in Schärding, Austria 4-6 November 2015. If you are interested to attend, you can register here.

The European Rural Parliament will mark the culmination of an upward cascade of ideas from rural communities across Europe. The three-day event will see study tours, workshops and plenary sessions all leading to a European Rural Manifesto aimed at guiding future rural action.

Call for a White Paper on Rurality

The European Countryside Movement, an association of 14 international organisations, has called on the European Commission to produce a White Paper on Rural Realities in the EU.

The call is based on the need to fully exploit the potential of rural areas to contribute to territorial cohesion and inclusive, sustainable and smart growth. Issues such as rural-urban balance, access to public services and quality infrastructure are to be taken account of in the paper.

Factsheets on Partnership Agreements 2014-2020

The ENRD Contact Point has published factsheets providing key information from the 28 Partnership Agreements (PAs) signed between the Member States and European Commission in the new programming period.

The factsheets overview the interaction between different EU policies and funds with a special focus on the EAFRD in each Member State. In particular, the factsheets demonstrate how the EAFRD budget is distributed among thematic objectives such as research & innovation, environment & resource efficiency, employment, and social inclusion.

Cooperation projects of Italian LAGs

A new study examines territorial cooperation projects carried out by Italian Local Action Groups (LAGs) both within and outside the framework of the LEADER approach. It is available in Italian and English .

The study analyses challenges throughout the planning and operational phases, key results and lessons learned from over 330 cooperation projects. It further provides a detailed overview of the challenges and opportunities in the new programming period.

Research & Innovation initiatives

EIP-AGRI has produced a new brochure overviewing various EU-supported Research & Innovation initiatives aiming to bring scientists, farmers, foresters and the industry together.

The initiatives cover areas such as: organic farming; environment and climate change; bioenergy; bioeconomy; and international cooperation. The publication distinguishes between initiatives focused on financing research activities and those on networking and identifying research needs.

Draft Horizon 2020 programme

The European Commission has published a draft Horizon 2020 work programme for 2016-2017 including particular funding opportunities on ‘sustainable food security and rural renaissance’.

After the programme is officially approved in mid-October 2015, EIP-AGRI is expected to publish a brochure overviewing Horizon 2020 calls relevant to agriculture stakeholders, including through cross-cutting themes such as ‘greening the economy’ and the ‘circular economy’. See also the calendar of events for an info event on calls related to agriculture.

EESC opinion on new RDPs

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has recently adopted an opinion on the Rural Development Programmes (RDPs) in the new period 2014-2020.

The Committee has welcomed the increased use of the LEADER/CLLD approach and emphasised the importance of technical support, mentoring and training for all stakeholders involved. The document commends the work of the European Rural Networks in disseminating good practices and building capacity.


		12-15 October 2015 Europe's Regions and Cities: Partners for Investment and Growth Brussels, Belgium The 13th edition of the European Week of Regions and Cities will hold numerous events on topics such as ‘regions in the energy Union and the single digital market;’ ‘SME development, innovation and job creation;’ and ‘urban and rural development and integration.’

		13 October 2015 Food Sovereignty and Urban-Rural Integration Brussels, Belgium This workshop will focus on learning from a new wave of food initiatives which are contributing to strong and lasting urban-rural links and are creating the foundations for a new generation of local development strategies and initiatives.

		13-16 October 2015 3rd World Forum on Local Economic Development Turin, Italy The event will discuss Local Economic Development as a tool to achieve a more comprehensive and equal development by including all territorial actors representing private, public and civil society sectors.

		14-17 October 2015 Bringing Innovations to Organic Farming Bratislava, Slovakia This international scientific conference will present and discuss cutting-edge organic agriculture research conducted in Central and Eastern Europe.

		15 October 2015 Fight Food Waste, Feed the Planet Milan, Italy

		The conference aims to contribute to the setting of EU and global directions for food waste prevention, focusing on the importance of effective inter-sector cooperation from farm to fork.

		15-16 October 2015 Exchange Schemes Young Farmers Brussels, Belgium This event will discuss the needs of young farmers across Europe, provide an overview of exchange schemes for young farmers in EU and OECD countries, and launch a guidance on how to set up and improve such schemes.

		18-20 October 2015 NATEXPO Trade Fair Paris, France This trade show for ecological and healthy food production will present the latest organic market trends and innovations.

		18-21 October 2015 The Central-eastern EU Model for Competitive and Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Zakopane, Poland The conference will bring together researchers working on various approaches to competitive and sustainable agribusiness and rural development to discuss the central-eastern model of rural systems’ transformation.

		19 October 2015 1st NRN Capacity Building Workshop on Self-assessment Brussels, Belgium The workshop will aim to develop the necessary elements for the self-assessment activities of the European and national rural networks, including evaluation questions and indicators, expected outcomes, and approaches to collect evidence.

		19-22 October 2015 Sustainable Rural Development: Organic Farming and Eco-agritourism Novi Sad, Serbia The first DANUBIO international conference and exhibition of organic products will present achievements in the area of innovation and patents in organic farming and development opportunities for eco-agritourism.

		20 October 2015 3rd European Rural Networks’ Steering Group Meeting Brussels, Belgium The meeting will take stock of networks’ activities up to now; debate and make proposals for ensuring networks’ governance structures are effective in responding to stakeholders’ needs; and propose priority activities for 2016.

		21 October 2015 Rural Sustainable Mobility and a Proactive Marketing Approach Thessaloniki, Greece This seminar will discuss a marketing approach to increase the use of public transport services in rural and peri-urban areas and present several campaigns from across Europe that have successfully implemented the approach.

		21-22 October 2015 The Future of Food - the Future of Biodiversity? London, UK This symposium will bring together experts and leading voices from farmers' groups, food suppliers, retailers, conservationists, scientists, NGOs and policy-makers to debate on sustainable solutions to the growing challenge of balancing food security and environmental protection.

		21-25 October 2015 Supporting High Nature Value Farming in Europe County Clare, Ireland The conference will gather farmers and members of the European Forum on Nature Conservation and Pastoralism to discuss ways to sustain ‘pastoral’ farming through policy, research, funding, innovation, empowerment and networking.

		22-23 October 2015 Common Agricultural Policy: New Developments after the Reform in the First Pillar Maastricht, the Netherlands The seminar will examine in detail the various implications of the CAP reform on the first pillar, including issues such as direct payments, market measures, repercussions on the second pillar (coherence and avoiding double financing), and specific issues of financial management.

		22-23 October 2015 Towards a Citizens’ Agricultural Policy Edinburgh, UK The event will focus on democratic food governance by identifying issues that the CAP must tackle and potential solutions, actors who should participate in shaping food policy, and ways to strengthen capacities for advocacy.

		22-25 October 2015 Rural Youth Workshop - More Space for Young People in Rural Europe! The Netherlands The workshop will discuss the participation of an active youth force in rural economies and local development.

		26-27 October 2015 Common Agricultural Policy: New Developments after the Reform in the Second Pillar Maastricht, the Netherlands This seminar will examine in detail the various implications of the second pillar reform, the changes requested, and the consequences for national administrations and other stakeholders. Specifically, it will cover the new risk management measures to be funded by the second pillar (i.e. insurances and funds) and the new European networks.

		26-28 October 2015 National LEADER Meeting Willingen, Germany The event will gather stakeholders to exchange on LEADER/CLLD implementation aspects, find out about LEADER-related news from across Europe, network and discuss cooperation opportunities.

		29 October 2015 fi-compass Seminar on EAFRD Financial Instruments Riga, Latvia This one-day seminar aims to increase participants’ understanding of how Financial Instruments for agriculture and rural development can help efforts to deliver the objectives of the EAFRD in 2014-2020. It is aimed at RDP implementation stakeholders.

		4-6 November 2015 2nd European Rural Parliament Schärding, Austria The event will gather around 300 delegates from over 40 European countries in the aim of strengthening the voice of rural communities and promoting exchange of good practice and cooperation among them.

		17 November 2015 3rd Innovation Sub-group Meeting Brussels, Belgium The meeting will discuss the state-of-play of EIP- AGRI in Rural Development Programmes and EIP priority work themes for 2016. It will further aim to facilitate links and information flows among partners and prepare for the European Rural Networks’ Assembly.

		17-18 November 2015 A Practical Guide to the Common Agricultural Policy London, UK This Agra-Europe seminar will provide valuable insights into various aspects of the new CAP, including the new rural development regulation and how it impacts on the EU agri-environmental policy and the rural economy.

		18 November 2015 1st Meeting of Thematic Group "Smart and competitive rural areas" Brussels, Belgium The Thematic Group will look at how to improve market access for rural producers, how to make rural areas competitive, and the tools required to support this, including ICT and advisory services

		18-19 November 2015 Rural Development 2015: Towards the Transfer of Knowledge, Innovations and Social Progress Kaunas, Lithuania The conference is the annual platform for international scientific interdisciplinary discussion on rural development and innovations.

		24 November 2015 RDP launch event Brussels, Belgium The conference will present an overview of Rural Development Programmes (RDPs) across the EU and discuss questions relating to implementation bottlenecks, scope for simplification and good practice on programming and result reporting, including the role of networks.

		24-27 November 2015 Info Week on Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2016-2017 Brussels, Belgium This three-day event will overview the European Commission’s calls for projects under ‘Societal Challenge 2: Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, maritime and maritime inland water research and bio-economy’.

		26 November 2015 2nd European Rural Networks’ Assembly Meeting Brussels, Belgium The Assembly will take stock of networks’ activities in the context of the strategic framework it set at its first meeting in January 2015 and make proposals for the Rural Networks’ priority activities in 2016.

		1-2 December 2015 EU Agricultural Outlook Conference Brussels, Belgium The event will discuss challenges facing the farm sector, including sustainable agriculture adapting to/mitigating the effects of climate change, the functioning of the food supply chain, and the latest projections on the outlook for EU dairy, meat and arable crop markets.

		2 December 2015 RETHINK Project Final Conference Brussels, Belgium The topic of the conference is “Rethinking the Links between Farm Modernisation, Rural Development and Resilience in a World of Increasing Demands and Finite Resources”.

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