Networking explained

The EU CAP Network brings together stakeholders from across Europe interested in EU agriculture and rural development, facilitating exchanges among them.

Networking plays a strategic role within the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) as it fosters interactions among rural stakeholders, connects individuals both face-to-face and online, builds relationships, creates opportunities for knowledge exchange, informs about CAP objectives and raises awareness.

The objectives of the EU CAP Network and of the National CAP Networks (NNs) are defined by the Article 126 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 that sets out a new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for 2023-2027.

The work of the EU CAP Network feeds into, and is informed by, the policy work of the EU and its Member States by supporting networking and exchange activities, thematic work and analysis, and communications, namely through:

Networking is crucial for successfully implementing the CAP and its Strategic Plans (CSPs) as it fosters collaboration, knowledge exchange and innovation across the EU.

By connecting stakeholders – ranging from local farmers, foresters and rural communities to policymakers and researchers and evaluators – networking helps to share best practices, overcome common challenges and enhance the effectiveness of CAP initiatives. It enables the transfer of ideas and solutions that can drive sustainable agricultural practices, improve rural development and support the overall objectives of the CAP. Through networking, stakeholders can build stronger partnerships, access valuable resources and ensure that CAP policies are effectively implemented and adapted to local needs.

In a context where Member States have much more flexibility and subsidiarity in the design of CSP interventions, networking is a key tool to drive and steer policy and promote stakeholder engagement, knowledge sharing and capacity building for Member States and other actors.

As part of its analytical work, the EU CAP Network compiled a series of CSP Factsheets – user-friendly summaries of the CSP adopted in each Member State.

The CSP Factsheets are easy-to-use, visually attractive summaries of the different approaches adopted by Member States to address the CAP objectives. They enable stakeholders to gain an overview of the CSP intervention logic from different angles, and the information presented in the documents can be used for comparative or analytical purposes. The factsheets also support the involvement of stakeholders in the implementation of CSP and the design of interventions.

Find out more about the CAP Strategic Plan Factsheets

The latest Network Mapping executive summary provides an overview of the key findings of two Network Mapping activities conducted by the CAP Implementation Contact Point of the EU CAP Network in February 2022.

These included a summary of the emerging institutional and operational landscape of the NNs and the policy priorities and networking requirements of the most important stakeholder groups.

The main objective of the Common Network Statistics (CNS) data collection is to collect basic qualitative and quantitative information on the activities of the NNs across the EU. The CNS provides an overall picture of the NNs’ achievements every year, as well as useful EU level data for benchmarking and promoting EU-wide networking activities. Importantly, the regular collection of data allows the EU CAP Network to identify trends and track progress so that NNs can continuously improve their work with the use of benchmarking.