scholarly journals Local Communities Participation in Rural Development: the Experience of the European Union

2021 ◽  
Vol 212 (09) ◽  
pp. 80-92
Author(s):  
S. Golovina ◽  
Aleksey Ruchkin ◽  
I. Mikolaychik ◽  
L. Smirnova

Abstract. The use of the experience of implementing the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the member states of the European Union (EU) is relevant both for Russia and for other countries of the world interested in the successful development of the agrarian sector of the economy and rural areas. The role of rural areas in achieving national security of countries and regions (food, biological, environmental and other) is increasing significantly due to the current challenges and threats (climate change, COVID-19 pandemic, aggravation of the international situation). The purpose of the study, the results of which are presented in this article, is to scrutinise the special approach implemented under the CAP. This approach is referred to in European law as LEADER/CLLD and refers to a close combination of comprehensive cross-sector interaction with active involvement of local communities in rural development. In the work, analytical and review research methods were used, with the help of which (1) the current (relevant to the research topic) legislation, (2) programs implemented in the EU member states, (3) significant scientific publications were subject to scrupulous study. The result of the work is a review and analysis of the findings and practical recommendations for the future use of the various aspects of LEADER/CLLD in domestic political and economic practice. The application of this approach takes into account the fact that the experience of local residents, combined with the opinions of other stakeholders, can help to better adapt rural development policy to real needs and opportunities, and to form a specific (unique) human capital within the boundaries of rural communities. Human capital includes, in addition to specific skills, (1) the ability to take constructive initiatives, (2) a sense of local identity and ownership, (3) the ability to participate as equals with other partners in defining local development strategies, (4) trust between people, private enterprises, public institutions and sectoral communities interested in successful rural development, formed through constant interaction. Theoretical and practical conclusions regarding the content of LEADER/CLLD initiatives, as well as findings related to the possibilities of introducing tools and mechanisms to support rural areas, implemented directly with the involvement of local communities with financial support from the state, are of scientific novelty.

Author(s):  
Florina Răzvanţă Puie

AbstractWith the integration into the European Union (EU) in 2007, growth opportunities have arisen for Romania. In terms of rural area and agriculture, National Rural Development Programs (NRDPs) are implemented, through which funds are granted from the European Union and the Government of Romania, for the economic and social development of the rural area. In this context, entrepreneurial initiatives for rural development have been encouraged, and many SMEs were given the opportunity to be eligible for European funding. The NRDP 2014-2020 continues the efforts for rural development, through strategic objectives, allowing entrepreneurs to implement their business ideas and sustain the development of the rural communities. The paper aims to analyze how the European funding influences the development of rural entrepreneurship in Romania. The study will comprise an analysis of the existing results of the NRDP 2014-2020, referring to annual evaluation indicators of the project implementation (number of jobs created in supported projects, percentage of rural population targeted by local development strategies, etc.). The methodology focuses on interpretation of the latest statistical data from trusted sources, as well as analysis of the official documents and reports (e.g. NRDP 2014-2020 annual report). This paper will contribute with accurate results and discussions concerning the role of EU funds for the rural communities. Also, the study will describe some of the challenges that Romanian rural entrepreneurship still faces after implementation of European funding programs and unresolved issues.


2008 ◽  
Vol 47 (4II) ◽  
pp. 565-580
Author(s):  
Laura Giurca Vasilescu

Globalisation of world trade, consumer-led quality requirements and EU enlargement are the new realities and challenges facing European agriculture today. The changes will affect not only agricultural markets, but also local economies in rural areas. The future of the agricultural sector is closely linked to a balanced development of rural areas. The Community dimension in this relationship is therefore clear: agricultural and rural policy have an important role to play in the cohesion of EU territorial, economic and social policy. With over 56 percent of the population in the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU) living in rural areas, which cover 91 percent of the territory, rural development is a vitally important policy area. Farming and forestry remain crucial for land use and the management of natural resources in the EU’s rural areas, and as a platform for economic diversification in rural communities. The strengthening of EU rural development policy is, therefore, an overall EU priority. The European Union has an active rural development policy because this helps to achieve valuable goals for the country sides and for the people who live and work there. The policy is funded partly from the central EU budget and partly from individual Member States' national or regional budgets. Theoretically, individual EU Member States could decide and operate completely independent rural development policies. However, this approach would work poorly in practice. Not all countries in the EU would be able to afford the policy which they needed and many of the issues addressed through rural development policy do not divide up neatly at national or regional boundaries. Also, rural development policy has links to a number of other policies set at EU level. Therefore, the EU has a common rural development policy, which nonetheless places considerable control in the hands of individual Member States and regions. The EU’s rural development policy is all about meeting the challenges faced by our rural areas, and unlocking their potential.


2010 ◽  
pp. 57-62
Author(s):  
Péter Micskei

The development of rural areas is a key role for the European Union and its member states as well. The rural development primarily achieved through the development of agriculture, because the main beneficiaries of the grant are the farmers. Hungary today is close to 1 million units in agriculture, but only 10% are competitive. Agriculture as an industry according to its economic characteristics needs closely managed decentralization, where the autonomy of the units remain, but there is a central governing body, which constitutes a proffesional manager function. This is a superorganization, which stay above agricultural units, called cluster.


2022 ◽  
pp. 249-265
Author(s):  
İbrahim Tanju Akyol

The European Union (EU) provides financial assistance to the countries that are the current candidates and the potential candidates for the development of rural areas. These countries are supported by rural development (RD), one of the five components of the instrument for pre-accession assistance (IPA). Turkey is also a candidate country to benefit from the financial assistance provided by the EU. This research aims to reveal the situation of the projects carried out with IPARD in Çanakkale province within the country. As a matter of fact, Çanakkale takes place at the lower ranks in terms of the number of projects and the number of grants. Despite its potential, the reasons for not achieving the desired results in this province are the lack of qualified consultants, insufficient access to beneficiaries, and problems in licensing of lands. This research, thus, has also put forward various solution suggestions in order to minimize these problems.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-174
Author(s):  
Lucian Paul

AbstractThe ‘Agenda 2000’ introduces the Rural Development Policy, as part of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), as a complex policy that can ensure a stable income and a reasonable standard of living for the rural population. Rural development is a major CAP objective since over 50% of the population lives in rural areas and accounts for 80% of E.U. Territories. As a concept, the ‘rural area’ is defined both at a national and European level following specific criteria; however, these criteria differ from one country to another. A complete definition can be found in the European Charter of Rural Areas. Between 2014-2020, the development of rural areas in Romania is supported by the National Rural Development Program. It provides non-reimbursable funds from the European Union and funding from the Government of Romania. Convergence with the Europe 2020 Strategy is ensured through the Partnership Agreement with the European Union, which covers a number of challenges and thematic objectives. In order to achieve them, well-founded investment programs are needed. These programs must have a direct impact on increasing the living standards of the population residing within rural areas. Over 19 billion euros were allocated to Romania for the 2014-2020 period; these funds were used for agricultural policy and rural development. The total budget of the NRDP (2014-2020) is 9.4 billion euros, of which 1.3 billion euros comes from national funding. We believe the achievements recorded in rural areas, up to 2020, are modest and do not reflect the proposed objectives. Thus, projects were drawn up at national and local levels seldom support rural development and do not reflect development needs; sadly, these projects are often drawn up without focusing on efficiency.


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 25-43
Author(s):  
Janusz Balicki

This article focuses on the solidarity of EU member states with the so-called “front” country, Greece, which found itself during the migration crisis in 2015 and in the following years on the most burdened East-Mediterranean route, i.e. the route by sea from Turkey to Greece and onwards to various European Union countries. Refugees from Syria but also from Iraq and Afghanistan continue to arrive along this route. The destinations for boats carrying immigrants and refugees via Turkey to Greece are the islands in the Aegean Sea including the island of Lesbos whereon the infamous Moria camp still plays a special role. The island which hosts Moria is the subject of European solidarity research with Greece. The structure of this article consists of three parts. The first discusses the principle of solidarity which, like any community, lies at the heart of the European Union. Part Two deals with the migration crisis and its challenges regarding the solidarity of EU Member States from Greece. The third part focuses on the humanitarian consequences of the lack of solidarity between EU member states and Greece. The source material is scientific publications on the EU, information from EU portals and press agencies and their recordings of developments in Greece related to the infl ux of immigrants along the Eastern Mediterranean route along with the author’s own observations of the Moria camp during a visit at the end of November 2019. This article also partly refers to the new humanitarian challenges arising in the context of the situation of immigrants on their way to Europe during the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-36
Author(s):  
Victoria Folea

Abstract The concepts of "digital skills" and "digital competences" are key terms in the discussion related to the type of skills people need nowadays not only in terms of digital inclusion in the society but also in terms of employability. According to the latest definition by the European Union, digital skills “can be broadly understood as the ability to locate, organise, understand, evaluate, create and share information using digital technology, at different levels of competence” (European Commission, 2017). The rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICT) bring major transformations with respect to the individual’s integration in society and employability. The paper analyses the 28 member states of the European Union (EU) from the perspective of the pesons’ digital skills and employability in the science, technology (including the ICT) sectors over the period 2015 - 2017. The paper covers the following areas of research: (1) Overall digital skills, computer skills, internet skills of individuals in the EU 28; (2) Human capital with advanced and specialist digital skills in ICT in the EU 28; (3) Evolution of the digital competitiveness of the EU 28 member states from the perspective of human capital over the period 2015-2017. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were employed for data collection and analysis: database research and analysis; statistical analysis; content and thematic research and analysis from policy papers and reports.


Author(s):  
Mieczysław Adamowicz

The objective of the study, on the basis of problem literature, is the presentation of theoretical concepts referring to rural development and practical support programmes of these areas available in Poland and the European Union (EU). In this context, rural areas are presented as the reference area for development policies, with particular consideration for the Cohesion Policy (CP), the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), including the EU Rural Area Development Programme (RADP). Among the theoretical rural development concepts, particular attention was devoted to sustainable and balanced development forming the basis for shaping practical development programmes and identifying new theoretical approaches. The latter encompassed the smart rural areas concept, the resilience concept, local development programming, bottom-up endogenous development and the neo-endogenous concept of open development. It was concluded that the LEADER and LEADER+ neo-endogenous concept is an effective form of supporting rural area development, especially after the fifth extension of the EU with Central and Eastern European countries.


2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (No. 2) ◽  
pp. 58-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Sadowski ◽  
W. Czubak

The diversified level of agricultural development and directions of evolution of rural areas in the individual EU countries results in complex and diversified problems for the agricultural policy. That was a basic reason of giving a relatively great freedom to the individual member states to choose measures within the individual axes of the Rural Development Programmes. The allocation of expenses to the individual measures Member States should ensure that synergies among the economic, environmental and social aspects and, by assumption, it is supposed to reflect the priorities of rural development. The analysis of the allocation of expenses within the national rural development programmes will indicate similarities and differences of the use of the CAP support in the regional aspect. The main goal of the paper was to determine the priorities of rural development in the individual EU member states. As results from the analysis the specific character of the individual programmes corresponded to the level of development of the individual countries and the needs of the agribusiness and rural areas resulting from that level. The diversification concerning the directions of use of the assets from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development resulted from the different wealth of the societies and rural communities in the individual countries.  


2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 211-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasmina Djordjevic ◽  
Marina Todorovic

Within the preparations for joining the European Union, Serbia and its rural development are faced with considerable re-orientation of agrarian policy within the EU accession requirements. In that sense, the overview of the LEADER program concepts may facilitate the preparations of Serbia and its rural areas for all the issues that will follow in the forthcoming years. The aim of this paper is to help in the decision "what kind of approach will we choose?" and to offer the information on experiences of other countries.


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