This year’s BRDN General Assembly was organized in Novi Sad, Serbia. From November 22nd to 25th, representatives of BRDN Assembly members gathered to exchange information about their work on country level, further opportunities for joint cooperation, as well as to define priority areas of work for the new strategic period 2023-2027.

Strategy for communication, promotion and visibility of BRDN

BRDN implemented activities 2022

ERP 2024

Overview of planned activities

A fair of Local Action Groups, named LAG Expo, was organized for the first time in the Western Balkan countries, in North Macedonia in Radovish. Today and yesterday, representatives of LAGs and LAG initiatives of N. Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, gathered to discuss and exchange experience related to implementation of the LEADER, as an approach for inclusive local rural development. Besides the frutitfull discussions and interesting presentations of the Macedonian LAGs (Bojmija, Malesh-Pijanec, Belasica-Ograzden, Aber 2015 and Plachkovica), the Serbian LAG Srce Bachke and the Croatian LAGs Izvor and Cetinska Krajina, the fair was enriched with many local products, exhibited by the members of the Macedonian LAGs.

The event was jointly organized by BRDN, RDN of NM and the 5 above mentioned LAGs from N . Macedonia, while it was financially supported by the Swedish development organization We Effect and the USAID Program for Community Development

 

 

The 2^nd Balkan Rural Parliament organized by BRDN, during June 2021, in Ohrid, N. Macedonia, was short-listed by the Emerging Europe Awards for the People-first Economy Initiative category. At the Future of Emerging Europe Summit, organized in Brussels, on June 23^rd, BRDN received a certificate of recognition (third place award) as an acknowledgment for strengthening regional cooperation and contributing to the representation of communities in policymaking for rural development.

For BRDN member countries, rural development and agriculture (as a major part of rural development) are important priorities in the European Union accession process. This also applies to Croatia, which as a member country is a step ahead. So, being able to use the support measures designed with the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is a topic of high relevance and importance for the work of BRDN in the rural development processes in the Western Balkan countries.

To elevate BRDN members’ understanding and knowledge of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), an online training was recently organized, with the financial support of the Swedish development organization – We Effect Europe.

The training provided information and explanation on specific topics such as the history of the European Union; the processes of enlargement with special emphasis on the necessary preparations for the Western Balkan countries for their full membership; the basics and reasons behind the EU CAP, as well as the five major reforms of CAP; and the measures (types of interventions) supported under pillar I and pillar II as defined in the recently adopted CAP regulations.

In addition, the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance for Rural Development was described as a tool to support the enlargement process, improve competitiveness and living conditions in rural regions, align food safety and environmental standards with the EU, and overall prepare the Western Balkan countries for CAP implementation.

More than 60 various stakeholders from rural areas of the Western Balkan countries, including representatives of the civil society, Managing Authorities from the WB countries, national governments and relevant donors, gathered in Ohrid, N. Macedonia, on June 15 and 16, for the 2^nd Balkan Rural Parliament, organized by the Balkan Rural Development Network (BRDN), with financial support of SWG – Regional Rural Development Standing Working Group in South Eastern Europe.

Despite the presence of the Western Balkan stakeholders, the 2^nd Balkan Rural Parliament was virtually attended by many important actors in the rural development sector among which representatives of the European Commission and relevant EU organizations, who joined the discussions on the challenges and actions which can be taken for improvement of the well-being of the WB rural communities.

Inspired by the national rural parliaments, which have been implemented in Europe for more than a decade, the Balkan Rural Parliament is already taking its place in the policy-making process for rural development of the Western Balkans as one of the basic tools for representing rural communities, through national networks and the Balkan Rural Development Network.

“The Western Balkan countries are in the process of EU integration and the rural development plays a significant role in the EU accession and it’s one of the major driving forces that can accelerate this process. We need to invest in strengthening of the mutual trust on every level among people, institutions at national level, but also impowering the trust between the Western Balkans and European Union to build equal partnerships.

The Western Balkan values can only enrich the values of the European Union. We urge the European Union to give active support to governments in making the reforms and to provide an effective support in strengthening the capacities of the civil society organizations and networks at national and regional level in the rural development processes.

Today and in the future, BRP is to sustain as a tool for advocacy and lobbying for the rural communities, as well as media for promotion, visibility and communication of the common rural development issues, and exchange of experience and knowhow.”, said Petar Gjorgievski, the President of BRDN, in his welcoming speech.

The two-days program was enriched with field trips organized in the surrounding area of Ohrid and Struga, where the participants had the opportunity to visit some interesting sights, see the potentials for rural tourism in the region and hear some inspiring stories from local entrepreneurs.

The final output of the Balkan Rural Parliament is to develop a set of strong stand points regarding the concerns and aspirations of the rural people and what these imply for action by the rural communities, for the policies of the governments, in the form of Declaration.

Following are the presentations delivered at the 2^nd Balkan Rural Parliament:

 

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35 representatives from rural areas in the Western Balkans took with themselves the impressions of the beautiful scenery in Mojkovac, Montenegro, new friendships, as well as knowledge and experience that would help them to become the driving force in the development of the rural areas in the region. The rural youth who participated at the LEADER /CLLD Youth Camp, had the opportunity to learn about the LEADER approach, the process of creation of Local Action Groups and the implementation of LEADER in the Western Balkans and the EU.
BRDN and the Network for Rural Development of Montenegro organized this event to strengthen the participation of rural youth as part of the LAGs in the WB countries.
The LEADER/CLLD Youth Camp was organised with financial support of GIZ – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.