National Network cluster meetings: Nordic-Baltic focus
After the summer break, clusters of the National Networks have been organising new rounds of meetings to share their experiences, expertise, and ideas in both thematic and geographic clusters.
The Baltic-Nordic cluster met online in August, and in person in September, to share news and information about ongoing and upcoming activities in the different member countries (Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland).
This NN cluster members’ informal monthly ‘coffee time’ meeting is something that has been regular for many years as all the networks concerned find it a very useful exchange platform. This informal networking model is also successfully used by other geographic network clusters (Atlantic, Mediterranean, Central Eastern European) and NN driven thematic clusters.
The Nordic-Baltic cluster upgrades its regular coffee meetings to a face-to-face meeting once every year, and this was the reason behind Lithuania hosting the first face-to-face cluster meeting since the pandemic crisis earlier in September. Agri-food support, LEADER and communications were among the topics discussed during the cluster's recent meetings.
Poland raised awareness at the meeting in August among its neighbours about a series of new events being planned to support the implementation of CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) funding for Operational Groups and Polish short supply chains, as well as organic farming, LEADER and demonstration farms. LAGs and Open Farm Days organised by the Estonian NN were highlighted as mutual topics of interest for the Estonian and Finnish NNs during their August informal gathering.
Estonia’s NN reported that it is welcoming new stakeholders to participate in its programme of CSP support. These new stakeholders can be involved with outcomes from the latest Nordic-Baltic cluster meeting, which took place in Lithuania earlier during September and centred on sharing good practices in NN communication.
Keep an eye on our news for more information about the scope of network clusters and more examples illustrating the wide-ranging support for CSP implementation that is provided by the NNs.
