Internationale conferentie legt klemtoon op plattelandsontwikkeling in regio Baltische Zee (en)

Met dank overgenomen van Litouws voorzitterschap Europese Unie 2e helft 2013 i, gepubliceerd op dinsdag 12 november 2013.

On 13 of November the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania will hold a conference in Vilnius “Cooperation around the Baltic Sea: European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and Rural Development”. The subject of rural development is currently very relevant for the Baltic Sea region countries and the entire EU because of the upcoming new Programming Period of 2014-2020.

Therefore the participants of the Presidency event - delegates of the European Commission, regional government institutions, NGOs and educational organizations - will discuss how to connect national rural development tools with the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region aims and priorities more efficiently during the next Programming Period of 2014-2020. It will also be discussed how to increase the prosperity of the farmers, rural entrepreneur, communities, stakeholders - not just in a single Member State but in the entire region at once - expanding macro-regional cooperation possibilities, recommendations regarding the new financial period will be provided as well.

The delegates in separate workshops will exchanged knowledge and discuss the most important ideas of agro-environmental issues in the Baltic Sea Region for the Programming Period of 2014-2020, innovations, innovation networks and cooperation, the role of national Rural Networks in the new rural development period after 2013, LEADER i Approach after 2013 (Community Led local Development in the Baltic Sea Region).

EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) and its goals - save the sea, connect the region, increase prosperity - is one of national priorities during Lithuanian Presidency i of the Council of European Union. The Ministry of Agriculture and its related institutions provide great attention for these issues and are very active in implementing the “Agriculture” priority area (PA AGRI) “Reinforcing sustainability of agriculture, forestry and fisheries” and coordinates the implementation of its action area “Enhance the combined effects of the rural development programmes”.