CAP networking in 2023: new data and food for thought

The Common Network Statistics (CNS) is an exercise which was started in 2016 by the ENRD (European Network for Rural Development) Contact Point, and is continuing in this programming period by the EU CAP Network – CAP Implementation Contact Point, in collaboration with National Networks (NNs). The main objective of the CNS data collection is to collect basic qualitative and quantitative information on the activities of NNs across the EU.

Far from being a boring task “just to tick the box”, the CNS is a very useful exercise which provides an overall picture of 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 thanks to benchmarking. National Support Units (NSUs) provide their data on a regular basis, and have confirmed the usefulness of this activity for them while they co-designed the current CNS template.

The CNS report based on data from 2023 is now published, and includes data from all the 28 NSUs. The CNS uses a simplified template which was co-designed with NNs and is being applied for the period 2023-2027.

The data refer to six working areas: events, communication activities, project examples, thematic work, networking highlights, and other activities.

The first indicator readers can find in the CNS 2023 summary report is related to the events organised at local, regional and national levels. In 2023, the 28 NNs combined organised 3 513 events across different categories (e.g. promotion, knowledge exchange, training events and study visits / field trips). Overall, these were evenly spread among local (33%), regional (30%), and national (32%) events, with only a small fraction of the total (5%) having an international scope. Most events took place in person (82%).

The events overall covered all the CAP Specific Objectives (SOs), with SO1 – Viable farm income and SO8 – Rural areas being the thematic focus of most events. An analysis of the networking focus shows that most events aimed to involve stakeholders, inform the public, and improve CAP implementation.

The analysis of communication activities carried out during 2023 provides details about website usage and social media performance, online forums and the number of communication outputs. It also shows that the Networks use a wide variety of channels and formats to improve their outreach.

All the National Networks’ websites, combined, totalled over two million visits (2 103 195), while their social media reached 241 459 followers by the end of 2023. Among social media, Facebook is the channel with the most followers overall (144 857 followers - 60% of the total social media audience for all the NNs), followed by X/Twitter (36 485 followers, 15% share), LinkedIn (31 323, 13%), Instagram (15 704, 7%), and YouTube (13 090, 5%). This suggests that Facebook is the most effective platform to reach a national and local audience.

Another piece of information provided by the NNs was the total number of good practice examples (CAP-funded projects) shared through the NNs' activities (e.g. through a dedicated article, in a newsletter, etc.). A total of 1 683 projects were shared in 2023.

18 of the NNs reported that there was a total of 74 active thematic groups running in 2023. The main topics tackled through the thematic work included agricultural topics, local food and short food supply value chain, LEADER, environmental topics, eco-schemes and the CAP’s green architecture, AKIS, Operational Groups of the EIP-AGRI and Innovation, rural development, youth and generational renewal, and competitiveness.

The top 3 networking achievements of the year highlighted by the NNs include conferences, seminars, symposiums, and other activities of communication and dissemination of different topics of the new CAP. Overall, NNs are proud of networking – and this was highlighted by a social media campaign by the EU CAP Network.

Additional activities signalled by the NNs included collecting data for evaluation purposes, running/updating publicly available data collection tools such as databases, good practice competitions, campaigns, and the translation and dissemination of EU CAP Network products.

The added value of the CNS exercise

The activities of the NNs are invaluable to make stakeholders aware of the possibilities offered by the CAP and to apply the policy in practice. As networking and knowledge sharing are a key aspect of the CAP, information about the activities and achievements of all the National Networks adds value to each NN’s work and contributes to a better implementation of the policy across EU rural areas.

The results of the Common Networks Statistics 2023 will be communicated at networking events by the EU CAP Network, such as NN meetings and Governance meetings. The NNs can use the CNS information to identify other networks working on the same topics, connect and exchange with them, and benefit from collective experience and knowledge-sharing.

The EU CAP Network website gathers information about priorities, topics, and contact details of all the National Networks. It also offers useful country data and facts and figures on the CAP Strategic Plans in each Member State. Do not hesitate to reach out to your National Network to learn more about the situation in your country and how you can get involved.