06 de April de 2018
Held on April 4 in the city of Cuenca, Castilla la Mancha, and organized by the National Rural Network.
04/06/2018
The event was highly attended, welcoming GALs from various autonomous communities, their regional and national networks, the European and Italian rural development networks, and several Managing Authorities.
The event was opened and presented by Mr. Ángel Mariscal Estrada, Mayor of Cuenca, Mr. Benjamín Prieto Valencia, President of the Cuenca Provincial Council, Mr. Carlos Cabanas Godino, Secretary General of Agriculture and Food, and Ms. Esperanza Orellana Moraleda, Director General of Rural Development and Forestry Policy. The objectives of the 2018 LEADER Event were to jointly analyze the functioning of the LEADER measure in the current Rural Development Policy programming period, compile and discuss proposals, and propose improvements for the post-2020 CAP. The event also sought to share different experiences in inter-territorial and transnational cooperation between LAGs; present some tools; and explain and discuss the role that the National Rural Network is playing in this area.
The event also served to provide information on various policies being developed by the Directorate-General for Rural Development and Forestry Policy. The Rural Modernization and Diversification Strategy was presented as a tool to combat depopulation in rural areas, and information was disseminated on activities related to the digitalization of rural areas " Smart Rural Territories ." Participants were invited to participate in the development and drafting of these documents, reflecting the needs of the region . Finally, a summary of the information contained in the latest CAP Communication published by the European Commission was also provided, as well as the planned timeline for the development of the next CAP. This was aimed at jointly identifying the content with the greatest potential to influence the future implementation of LEADER.
During the course of the day, various debates took place, in which the opinions of the LAGs regarding the future of LEADER in the CAP, the possibilities of LEADER cooperation, the definition of Smart Rural Territories, and the role to be played by the LAGs in the incorporation of young people and women into rural areas to combat depopulation were highlighted.