The event on a Long-term Vision for the EU’s Rural Areas held in Croatia
The event “A long-term Vision for the EU’s Rural Areas – Towards stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas” and a panel discussion “Holistic approach for sustainable and just rural/urban development” was held on October 7, 2022, in Osijek, a town in Eastern, mainly rural part of Croatia. The event was organized by ODRAZ-Sustainable Community Development, in cooperation with the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). Some 60 participants were present in person and more than 30 remotely.
In the opening greeting Lidija Pavić-Rogošić, EESC member and director of ODRAZ presented the goals of the event. This was followed by the following presentations:
Sustainable development of rural communities in Slavonia – Mirna Šmit, Slagalica Foundation
Slagalica Foundation implements various projects and activities in the area of five Slavonian counties, mostly in rural communities. While organising communities to act, they identify problems, map resources and plan solutions through forming local development groups that involve all stakeholders – schools, youth, civil society organisations, local entrepreneurs, public institutions, local self-governments, etc. Building social capital in communities is a prerequisite for investments and raising the quality of life of all community members. To achieve sustainable development of (rural) communities, besides holistic local policies and inter-sectoral cooperation, active and continuous support to civil society organizations, informal groups and individuals is needed, as well as funding for their projects and community initiatives.
A long-term Vision for the EU’s Rural Areas and the Rural Pact – Lidija Pavić-Rogošić, ODRAZ/EESC
She reminded participants that European Commission published in June 2021 Communication on a Long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas until 2040. Vision identifies areas of actions towards stronger, connected, more resilient and more prosperous rural areas and communities. She noted that the Vision is based on foresights and extensive consultations with citizens and other stakeholders from rural areas. Rural Pact and Action Plan for Rural Areas are proposed, as well as some other mechanisms. The concept of Rural pact and activities till now were explained, as well.
EESC’s opinions on the Long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas and Holistic development of rural-urban areas / Rural Pact – expectations and role of the EESC – Piroska Kallay, EESC
For years, EESC has been intensively engaged in promoting a holistic approach to sustainable rural/urban development. Recent EESC opinions: ‘Towards a comprehensive strategy for sustainable urban and rural development’ (NAT/820) and ‘A long-term vision for EU rural areas’ (NAT/839) were presented. It was emphasized that a good quality of life in rural areas and prosperity must be guaranteed to ensure that no area or citizen is “left behind”. A comprehensive and holistic strategy for balanced, cohesive, equitable and sustainable rural and urban development should be implemented. Ms. Kallay also explained the role of EESC in creating Rural pact.
ERCA’s view on the implementation of the Vision for Rural Areas / Messages from the European Rural Parliament – Tom Jones, ERCA-European Alliance of Rural Communities
ERCA welcomes the European Commission’s initiative on a Long-term vision for rural areas. ERCA encourages the Commission to promote and support the recognition and implementation of the Vision at the level of Member states, regional and local authorities, always ensuring the full involvement of all social partners and other civil society organizations. ERCA commits, depending on its resources, to engage its membership in national rural movements to reach agreements, within and between communities, building on and promoting good practices, such as the Smart Villages Concept. Mr. Jones also briefly presented the messages of the European Rural Parliament (ERP), held in September 2022 in Kielce, Poland.
Contribution of Croatian Strategic CAP plan 2023 – 2027 to the development of rural areas – Ivan Ciprijan, Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Croatia
Mr. Ciprijan presented how implementation of CAP SP interventions will contribute to stopping negative demographic trends and the revitalization of rural areas. The synergic effect of the implemented interventions should contribute to ensuring better living conditions and sustainable development of rural areas and the creation of a desirable environment for work and life.
Vision for rural areas and Rural pact – the view of civil society – Verica Mušić, HMRR-Croatian Network for Rural Development
Ms. Mušić presented the most important changes for LEADER/CLLD in the new programming period till 2027 – the flexibility offered to member states in designing interventions, enabling the definition of a special LEADER/CLLD implementation system to achieve goals and principles of the LEADER approach. “Building trust is very important if we would like to create the conditions for sustainable and integrated development through joint activities of all sectors.” she added.
Presentation of the research “The impact of LAGs on sustainable local development” – Danijel Baturina, Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb
The methodology and results of research on the possibilities and limitations of LAGs in Croatia conducted through a focus group, a survey and a case study were presented. The research was done as part of the SUSTINEO project, funded by EU funds.
Panel discussion “Holistic approach for sustainable and just rural/urban development”
Piroska Kallay, Tom Jones, Ivan Ciprijan and Verica Mušić, as well as Gojko Bežovan from Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb, participated in the panel discussion, moderated by Lidija Pavić-Rogošić. The necessary measures and actions to achieve a holistic strategy for urban/rural development, the recommendations of the EESC and ERCA and the possibilities for cooperation between different stakeholders at the national and EU level were discussed, among others issues.
During the panel discussion, the participants joined in with their thoughts and messages, with valuable intervention of prof. Lukić from the Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb.
Good example visit
After the event, the participants visited Čepin Oil Factory as an example of good practice. The factory employs local people and uses local resources for production.
A photo gallery from the conference is available at https://www.odraz.hr/multimedija/galerija-slika/skup-dugorocna-vizija-za-ruralna-podrucja-eu-a-osijek-7-listopada-2022/.
A recording of the conference is also available.
An overview of the most important documents related to the topic of the rural vision and the Rural Pact was made available in advance at the following link:
All presentations in Croatian language are available at following link: https://www.odraz.hr/novosti/odraz-ove-vijesti/u-osijeku-odrzan-skup-dugorocna-vizija-za-ruralna-podrucja-eu-a/
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