PRORURAL EUROPE -Networking to strengthen Civil Society in Rural Areas in Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

PRORURAL EUROPE -Networking to strengthen Civil Society in Rural Areas in Europe

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Rural development and urbanisation; Reaching the policy level/dialogue with decision makers

Project Summary

Context and objectives:
The aim of the Pro Rural EUROPE (PRORURE) project, designed as a strategic partnership, was to activate and to strengthen educational institutions and movements active in rural areas in Europe. This should be achieved through structured networking and exchange of good practices (inward), as well as to improve the representation of interests for the concerns of those living in rural areas and working in agriculture at the European level (externally). At the same time, the project should contribute to strengthening civic engagement in rural areas in Europe.

The project has created during it’s 2-years period important framework conditions for doing so:
– the organizations involved were able to exchange their experiences in rural education and action work (on methodology, access, difficulties, etc.) on a regular basis
– technical capacities in the sense of good practice (for example in questions of the current agricultural policy) could be communicated with one another
– At the end of the dialogue process, the project partners were able to emerge strengthened in both ways, as an individual actor and increasingly also active as part of a network
– justification contexts for a living European citizenship could be developed
– initial approaches for a sustainable network (in the sense of “Together for the Rural Area in Europe”) could be developed

Number and profile of the participating organizations:
Ten organizations from 9 European countries have taken part in the project, 4 from the MOL and 6 from Western Europe. All NGOs, These are non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with different backgrounds and historical characteristics (Eastern-Western). However, their common concern for rural areas and the future of Europe brings them together, for the Western organizations issues since decades, whereas such are more likely to be new for the ones from the MOL.

Description of the main activities carried out:
In order to achieve the goals of the project, the following instruments and strategies were been used:
– 6 transnational meetings for mutual exchange were been carried out
– on-the-spot partner activities on issues such as. sustainable agriculture, family farming, European agricultural policy, jobs in the village, self-initiative, active (European) citizenship, democracy, commitment to the land and culture of the countryside, cooperation with social services in rural areas, public relations in rural areas in Europe, producer / consumer dialogue, understanding among different groups in the village, rebuilding rural initiatives were been implemented
– an organizational development process, moderated by an external resource person, has been carried out
– a 5 days long closing / dialogue event with decision-makers (in Parliament and Commission) was launched in Brussels (designed as a teaching and learning event)

Achieved results and effects:
– All participating organizations know much more about each other, especially how and why they work and for what they stand
– The awareness to be together on the basis of a common European sense and that it is probably more effective to act as a European network has increased
– important cornerstones and factors for the further development of the organizations are internalized
– As a successful initiative, the project is well known within the participating organizations, also externally, which increases the common interest of others to participate as well. Thus, in the second half of the project implementation period, 2 further organizations with guest status and financed by project-external funds could be integrated
– “PRORURE”, the acronym of the project, has become a trademark
– local decision-makers, as well as those o European level (institutions, parliamentarians, etc.) are interested in a qualified dialogue with the “PRORURE network”.
– All participating organisations agree to continue to work together on the just starting process of network development and to involve other organizations from European countries

Long-term benefit:
Right from the beginning, the project was aimed at long-term benefits, in particular with regard to the specific regional design of rural areas and the development of a network-like European cooperation. For this purpose, decisive milestones have been set and, for example, by starting European campaigns in Begium and in Germany, as well as founding a first rural movement in Slovakia, concrete initiatives in this regard have been launched.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 165951,94 Eur

Project Coordinator

Internationaler Ländlicher Entwicklungsdienst e.V. & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Forum krestanskych institucii
• Katholische Landvolkbewegung Deutschland e.V.
• Ogolnopolskie Stowarzyszenie Chrzescijanskich Organizacji Wiejskich (Polish Association of Christian Rural Organisations – PACRO)
• ACRF -Femmes en milieu rural, asbl
• Associazione Rurali Reggiani
• Movimiento Rural Cristiano
• Association for democratic education FAR