The Future of LEADER
– An inside view by Robert Lukesch –
From 27 – 29 April 2011, the second conference of LINC (LEADER Inspired Network Community) took place in Bad Schandau (Sachsen, Germany). At the LINC conference, representatives of Local Action Groups (LAGs), stakeholders in rural development and for the first time also representatives from the European Network for Rural Development and the European Commissionwere present in this vibrant cooperation and networking event.
ARC Core Group member Robert Lukesch (ÖAR Regional Consulting, Austria) attended the conference and summarised for us the main ideas of the European Commission’s plans for the future LEADER programme which were presented by Rob Peters, Head of the European Commission’s Unit “European Network for Rural Development and Monitoring of Rural Development”. The Commission expects initiatives and projects at sub-regional level to be crucial in achieving smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. [read more]
Update on the European Parliament’s ‘Dess’ Report
The European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development is currently working on an own-initiative report “CAP towards 2020: meeting the food, natural resources and territorial challenges of the future” and the different political groups are now trying to find a common ground. This is done by agreeing on compromise amendments to the draft report which are meant to reduce the large number of amendments tabled by the committee members.
The current draft compromise amendments, proposed by the rapporteur Albert Dess, are expected to reduce the number of amendments to be voted from 1300 to around 1000. [read more]
