Author: Carla Lostrangio, AEIDL
On January 30th, the European Rural Parliament took place in Brussels, Belgium. Organised by ERCA, PREPARE and ELARD, this event was an opportunity to engage with policy makers and present rural needs and recommendations just at the time the post-2027 EU budget and policies are being discussed. The EU Commissioner on Agriculture and Rural Development was a keynote speaker at this event.
Since 2013, the European Rural Parliament is an EU-wide platform raising the voice of rural people. It comprises 7 pan-European organisations, 17 national rural parliaments, 70 organisations in 40 countries working at national and regional levels.
The mid-term event of the European Rural Parliament was held at the end of January in Brussels at the EU Economic and Social Committee. The event was an opportunity to present the key challenges affecting rural areas and key demands rural communities have for the post-2027 programming period.
The recently appointed EU Commissioner Hansen on Agriculture and Rural Development delivered a keynote speech during the event. He stressed its commitment to address the needs of rural communities through a more ambitious Common Agricultural Policy, in close cooperation with the EU Commissioner on Regional and Urban Development. The EU’s Directorate General on Agricultural and Rural Development will continue to sustain the Rural Pact and Rural Action Plan, and they will reinforce competitiveness of rural areas in line with the EU Competitiveness Compass.
The event was also an opportunity to feature European initiatives and tools for rural areas, ranging from the EU CAP Network and the Rural Pact to EU-funded projects such as GRANULAR.
The 6th European Rural Parliament will be organised on 21-23 October in Scotland, and registrations will open soon.