ENRD Newsletter February 2017
NEWS:
A three-month public consultation on modernising and simplifying the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was launched on 2 February by the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan.
The consultation will run between 2 February and 2 May 2017 and is available in 23 EU languages. Input from the consultation will contribute to the drafting of an EU Commission Communication that will address the current performance of the CAP and potential policy options for the future. For additional information, see the related Q&As.
Two recent events, the fourth meeting of the LEADER Sub-group (21 February) and a workshop on LEADER innovation (22 February) stressed the importance of exchange and networking in support of more effective and innovative LEADER/CLLD implementation.
The workshop discussed ways of strengthening and expanding rural innovation through both Local Development Strategies and a broader range of initiatives such as EIP-AGRI Operational Groups and Agricultural Knowledge and Information Systems (AKIS).
The Sub-group highlighted its role and that of rural networks in supporting local actors to deliver improved results on the ground building on the messages from events such as Cork 2.0, LEADER/CLLD 2020+, and Achieving results the CLLD way.
Join the ENRD Seminar on ‘Revitalising Rural Areas through Business Innovation’ on 30 March 2017 in Brussels – register to attend here before 8 March.
The event will explore how EU policies and tools for business support and innovation can be used in rural areas. It will examine the opportunities for rural businesses from digitisation, smart specialisation, and social innovation, using inspiring examples. The Seminar is part of the broader ENRD thematic work on 'Smart and Competitive Rural Businesses'.
Two recent ENRD workshops have focused on major social and demographic challenges in rural Europe.
A first workshop - jointly organised by the ENRD Contact Point and the European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA) on 25 January – was on ‘Generational renewal through rural development’. It looked at how to overcome the main challenges facing young farmers, such as access to land, finance, training and knowledge.
A second workshop on ‘Social hubs in rural Europe’ was structured around existing ‘hubs of activity’ on specific social and demographic topics: migrants and refugees; Roma; youth; and women in rural areas. It also considered the role of arts and culture in promoting social inclusion.
See more information on the ENRD web page
