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European Rural Parliament: Rural people’s Declaration of Kielce

Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski attended the European Rural Parliament conference in Poland’s Kielce last month, where he drew attention to the possibilities offered by the EU Rural Action Plan and the forthcoming EU Rural Observatory as part of the Long-term vision for rural areas.

CAP’s rural development toolkit was also praised by the conference participants, especially funding for interventions supporting LEADER/CLLD and smart villages.

As part of the conference, a study tour to the Bobrza River Basin LAG provided a case study in how peri-urban, multi-fund Local Action Groups (LAGs) can deliver silo-busting one-stop-shop assistance for locally-led community development projects. Other LAGs also showcased their success stories during the three-day event, which brought together around 350 participants from 39 European countries and concluded with an agreement on the Rural People’s Declaration of Kielce. Its advocates call for better rural resilience through commitments such as improving the integrated EU funding of rural developments.

European Rural Parliament: Rural people’s Declaration of Kielce