Highlights report - 5th National Networks meeting

The 5th meeting of the National Networks (NNs), jointly organised by the EU CAP Network and the Greek National Network, opened with an acknowledgement of the importance of EU and national networking in addressing key agricultural challenges, such as ongoing crises, climate change, international competition, and changing consumer demands. The European Commission (EC) - DG AGRI highlighted the recently published Vision for Agriculture and Food.

The key topic of the meeting was the work of the NNs on good practices (GPs), defined as successful and inspirational CAP-funded projects. Different approaches and common challenges were outlined and explained through presentations from various NNs. The session continued with an original 'board game' (now available on the event page) that gathered the participants for a playful and insightful 'gamified' discussion. Key points emerged: each NN addresses GPs differently, the approach varies depending on the NN’s structure, available resources, and the stakeholders involved, and - importantly - collecting GPs is rarely a linear journey.

Some NNs also shared their experiences organising national GP competitions (which was also the topic of recent web articles looking at experiences in Poland and Lithuania). The EU CAP Network shared its experiences with EU-level competitions - the EIP-AGRI Innovation Awards 2024 and the various editions of the Agricultural and Rural Inspiration Awards (ARIA).

Another important topic of the meeting was the organisational structures and functioning models of National Support Units (NSUs). The EU CAP Network shared the results of the survey carried out before the NN meeting and highlighted interesting outcomes.

The event continued with a match-making session and a follow-up on the hackathon organised during the 4th NN meeting (September 2024), with NNs gathering in groups to further develop some of the creative proposals generated during the latter (including digital platforms for networking and 'rural ambassadors').

The second day of the event included field visits to CAP-funded projects in rural Greece.