Elard

Elard
European LEADER Association for Rural Development

Long Term Vision for Rural Areas

Next steps: Take part in the week of the Vision 22nd-26th of March 2021!

Please save these dates and follow the ENRD website for further updates!

Whats new from the Thematic Workinggroup?

Mario Milouchev, Director of DG AGRI, took stock of the main message coming out of this consultation (speech available here) during the 3rd meeting of the ENRD Thematic Group on the Long Term Rural Vision, organised on 27th January 2021.  He underlined the challenges of demographic changes or green transition, such as the need to take into account the diversity of rural areas, the need to access to good quality and affordable services and the importance of well-being and the need of changing the narrative of rural, which ELARD has been pushing in its surveyreport “which future do you want in rural areas?”.

In addition, he reflected on “How to deliver truly holistic policy for rural” and raised 6 different approaches to this, out of which the need to develop rural-proofing was one, which includes the need of a adequate governance between EU, national, regional and local levels. Another point was to take into account the diversity of rural areas and as another point he also underlined the importance of CLLD, where he also mentioned the input from ELARD. “Leader/ CLLD remains the best-suited European instrument to address the diversity of rural areas in an integrated way at local level and no viable alternative is suggested”

During the same meeting, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) presented its foresight exercise and its 4 draft scenarios for 2040. These 4 scenarios have been developed to highlight possible futures and their opportunities and challenges, but they do not represent a forecast directly. They should have a decision-making utility and be building blocks to prepare the future Communication on the LTVRA. These 4 draft scenarios (rurbanities / rural renewal / rural connections and rural specialisation) are based on two distinct axes, based on networked /fragmented governance and on expanding / shrinking rural areas. More information on these draft scenarios can be found in the JRC presentation.

Long Term Vision for Rural Areas

The EU aims to create a debate on the future of rural areas and the role they have to play in our society.

This initiative will set out a vision for the future of rural areas by 2040 and gather views covering challenges such as:

  • demographic change
  • connectivity
  • low income levels
  • limited access to services.

It will also explore innovative, inclusive and sustainable solutions in the light of climate and digital transformation and the COVID-19 crisis.

How is ELARD active in the making of the Long Term Vision?
ELARD is active in these ongoing initiatives:

  • Thematic Workinggroup #rural40 for Long Term Vision of Rural Areas from ENRD(European Network for Rural Development).
  • EU Multi-Actor Platform (MAP) av SHERPA. Sustainable Hub to Engage into Rural Policies with Actors (SHERPA) is a four-year project (2019-2023) with 17 partners funded by the Horizon 2020 programme. It aims to gather knowledge that contributes to the formulation of recommendations for future policies relevant to EU rural areas, by creating a science-society-policy interface which provides a hub for knowledge and policy.

Where and how has ELARD given input so far?

  • Meeting with Mrs Dubravka Šuica and RUMRA Intergroup where ELARD is member organisation on 19th of November
  • Exclusive Meeting between Mrs Dubravka Šuica and Mrs Marion Eckardt, president of ELARD on the 17th of November
  • The report of the macro-survey “What future do you want in rural areas?from ELARD/REDR, that was answered from 3436 persons from 26 countries is published (publication-page) and has been distributed to various politicians, officials and other interested actors around EU and on national level, as well as in the public consultation
  • Took part in the public consultation (that was open until 30th of November)
  • Took part in the seminarA vision for rural Europe “Harnessing the potential of rural areas to contribute to a sustainable & prosperous Europe” from Renew in cooperation with ARC 2020. The conference was opened from Ursula von der Leyen and moderated  by Dacian Ciolos. Marion Eckardt, questionned the possibility to make reality of a future vision (at 1:49:20 minutes). The webinar was live-streamed from 12 000 people and has after that been seen more than 60 000 times.
  • Feedback on the roadmap:Until 9th ofSeptember, it was possible to give feedback on the roadmap of creating the Long Term Vision. Feedback from ELARD
  • The voice of rural Europe for the future of Europe-ELARD members gathered their opinions on the future of rural Europe on the 9th of May (Europeday) and has sent it to various politicians, officials and other interested actors around EU and on national level

 

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