PREPARE - Partnership for Rural Europe

Wednesday 13th December an ERP-delegation was given the opportunity to meet and have fruitful dialogue with the cabinets (i.e. the private offices of the Commissioners) of three Directorates-General, namely Agriculture, Regional Development and Digital Economy and Society plus senior officials of both the present Estonian presidency and the coming Bulgarian Presidency.
The delegation brought to the meeting an ERP “Message to the European institutions, governments and rural citizens of Europe” expressing the voice of rural Europe, advocating for the needs of the more than 200 million people, who live in the rural regions of Europe.
The delegation consisted of the three Co-Chairs of ERP, the ELARD (European Rural Development of Rural Development) president Kristiina Tammets, PREPARE (Partnership for Rural Europe) president Goran Soster, ERCA (European Rural Communities Alliance) president Staffan Nilsson together with ERP coordinators Vanessa Halhead and Kim Smedslund and ELARD Council member Kirsten Birke Lund. At two of the meetings the delegation was also joined by Hannes (Hans Martin) Lorenzen, who together with Pedro Brosei had been very helpful in setting up the meetings.
ERP representatives have also brought the Venhorst Declaration and/or the ERP Message to the Structural Dialogue group, the Civil Dialogue Group and the Rural Networks Assembly