The launch of the EU CAP Network took place on October 6th, 2022 in Brussels. This new network aims to achieve the objective of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), by implementing the new strategic plans, innovating agriculture, forestry and rural areas, as well as monitoring and evaluating the new CAP.
In fact, the EU CAP Network will bring under one single EU-level network current stakeholders covering innovation, implementation and evaluation, and also involve new ones. It will serve as a platform for knowledge and information exchange, for peer-to-peer learning, and for sharing experiences and good practices in the implementation of the CAP.
The launch event was built around interactive sessions and other activities, including the Rural Inspiration Awards (RIA) 2022 Ceremony.
To honor the European Year of Youth, the theme of this year’s RIA was ‘The Future is Youth‘, in order to promote the importance of European youth to build a better future. Head of Cabinet of Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Maciej Golubiewski, announced the winners, selected for the following thematic categories: Green Futures, Digital Futures, Resilient Futures, and Socially Inclusive & Innovative Futures.
“Red Cow Breed”, the winner of the “Resilient Futures” category, is particularly interesting from the point of view of MOVING’s activities. Located in a mountainous area in Northern Greece, the project sought to restore a local cow breed (Greek Red Kastoria-Kristallopigi) by establishing a pedigree certification to highlight the quality of the meat and build consumer demand. Do you want to know more about these inspiring projects? Consult the complete list of finalist projects here.
During the day, participants were invited to join different workshops on implementation, innovation, evaluation and communication. The MOVING’s partner Association of European Regions for Products of Origin (AREPO), joined the interactive sessions in order to contribute to the foundation of the new network, sharing experiences and best practices.
As highlighted in a previous blog article, MOVING results are expected to contributes to several aspects of the EU long-term vision for rural areas. The EU CAP network represents a huge opportunity to disseminate these results and to ensure their uptake at national and local level.
Finally, the event followed the last Assembly of the current Rural Networks, held on 5 October 2022. This was the occasion to update participants on the latest developments on the CAP Reform, approval of Member States’ CAP Strategic Plans, and other relevant EU Policy initiatives, including A long-term vision for EU’s rural areas, Horizon Europe and the outcomes of the Rural Pact Conference.
Interested in knowing more about next MOVING event? Don’t miss the next European Multi-Actor Platform (EU MAP) webinar on 8 November 2022, from 9.30 to 1.15 (CET), on European Quality schemes: the added value for mountain value chains. See Draft Agenda, here. In order to participate, you can complete the Registration form, here.
MOVING receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 862739
