Fairs and other events

Summary

The ENRD Contact Point was invited by the European LEADER Association for Rural Development to contribute to the Annual Countryside Conference in Czech Republic by participating in the international workshop and assisting LAGs in their search for transnational cooperation (TNC) partners.

The conference was intended for representatives of the public and non-profit sector entities operating in the rural development area and also to the general public. The main organiser of the conference was the Association for Rural Renewal Czech Republic, the main partners being the National Network of Local Action Groups (LAGs) of the Czech Republic, Olomouc Region, the Ministry of Agriculture through the activities of National Rural Network and the European LEADER Association for Rural Development. The conference gathered some 450 participants, including LAGs from the Czech Republic as well as various European organisations. During the first day a number of workshops were organised covering topics, such as ‘agriculture and the countryside’; ‘what next for local government?’; ‘experience the countryside!’ and ‘services as a way to employment’. In addition, a workshop with international participation (and contributions among others from DG AGRI, FARNET, ENRD and LAG experts) was organised on the topic of ‘putting Community-Led Local Development into practice’. During the second day a debate was initiated on the future of rural areas in 2014-2020; and four thematic field trips were organised. The agenda and all relevant information from the event are available through this link

Outcomes

The conference gave the opportunity to meet rural stakeholders from different Member States, with a big representation of Czech LAGs. The ENRD promoted the services that are available to support cooperation among Local Action Groups and promoted the existing TNC project offers database. Many LAGs are already designing their strategy for next programming period and the ENRD used the occasion to continue its mapping of the topics of interest to LAGs.

The session on ‘putting CLLD into practice’ saw rural development experts and practitioners debate about CLLD as a tool for integrated local development. The ENRD reinforced the idea of the importance on building on past experience, as a lot has been accumulated through previous LEADER programmes, including many useful structures that are in place. Exchanging and sharing these practices is important and National Rural Networks can play an important role in this.