Two important events took a delegation of Luxembourg LEADER stakeholders to Poland last week: Firstly, they travelled to Nowy Tomyśl in western Poland on 8 May for the General Assembly of the European LEADER umbrella organisation ELARD, and then on to Poznań, where the European Congress on Rural Renewal and Development took place on 9 May - a high-profile meeting under the patronage of the Polish EU Council Presidency.
In Nowy Tomyśl, everything revolved around the question of how to proceed with the participatory funding programmes in the coming EU funding period. The delegates - including representatives from all over Europe - want to work together to secure the long-term future of these tried-and-tested rural development instruments. The European LEADER association ELARD is calling for more political and financial backing for local commitment.
The ELARD meeting was hosted by the KOLD Local Action Group, which had organised a programme of visits to the region for the afternoon of 8 May. The programme focused on traditional wickerwork, for which the area around Nowy Tomyśl is famous. The participants were given an insight into local craft traditions and their importance for regional identity and economic development.
Just a few hours later, the topics from Nowy Tomyśl were also on the agenda in Poznań - but on an even bigger stage. Around 1,500 participants gathered there for the Rural Development Congress, including several EU agriculture ministers.
One of the key speakers was Luxembourg's EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen. In his keynote speech, he presented the European Commission's "Vision for Agriculture and Food". The strategy paper, first presented in Brussels in February, outlines the direction in which Europe's agricultural policy could develop - and aims to initiate a broad debate on food security, sustainability and quality of life in rural areas. Hansen emphasised: "Rural areas are our culture, our heritage - and at the same time a strong economic sector. One of the aims of the Common Agricultural Policy is to support investment in rural areas. We want future generations to live in the countryside - but to make this possible, we need to create the right conditions."
The fact that the congress took place on 9 May of all days - Europe Day - lent additional weight to the meeting. According to the tenor, rural areas are far more than just places of production: they are living spaces, bearers of European identity - and full of potential. This was also demonstrated by the 50 or so exhibitors who showcased their products and offerings from the fields of food production, crafts and tourism on the fringes of the event.
