The Swedish Rural Network and The European Rural Development

Network, ERDN

Presentation at the Leader Networking EventLEADER: A Collective Perspective

17th and 18th September 2008SNH Battleby, Perth

by Hans-Olof Stålgren

Short presentation

Hans-Olof Stålgren

• Manager for the Swedish Leader+ Network

• Was working for the Leader+ Contact Point

• Starting to work for the new Rural Network

• Background as agronomist

• Working in Stockholm

• Living in Örebro

From Leader+ to the new RDP

• From 12 to 65 Leader areas

• From 20% to 85% of rural population

• From just a few municipalities to all Swedish municipalities except four

Different kinds of networks

• Formal or informal

• Just for Leader or for the whole Rural Development Program

• Within Managing Authority or outsourced

• Partially or totally outsourced

A formal network for all national actors

Swedish Rural Network• All actors for rural development, at national

level, can be members

• Network Unit at the Managing Authority

• A special budget line for member activities

• A Steering Committee of 11 members

Axis 1Axis 2

Axis 3The Rural Development Program

The Network action plan Improve the implementation

Strengthen its potential for rural development

Exchange of information, excperience and methods

Broad dialogue between local, regional,

national and inter-national level

Exchanges of experience between

rural development policy, regional development

policy and environ-mental policy

The purpose of the Swedish Rural Network

Axis 4 Leader

Steeringgroup

Today 100 national actors involved

Leadersub-

network

Thematicworking groups

Cooperationcouncil withresearchers

Almost 65 LAGs to be started25 of them are already operational

NetworkUnit

Gender equalityIntegrationCommunity planning and local develop.

Some of 100 Members of the SE Rural Network

• The Breeding Association for Race Horses• The National Federation of County Halls• Centre for Biodiversity• Farmers Union, LRF• The Swedish Board of Housing• Ecological Farmers• National Association for Nature Conservation• The Swedish Board of Fishery• The National Association All Sweden Shall Live• The Swedish Federation of Rural Economy and Agricultural Societies, HUSH• The Leader LAG:s• The Swedish University of Agriculture• The County Administrations• Many more

Example of ongoing animation activities

Target groups for animation• Youth focus in Leader (U-land) • Community halls as a hub for local development

(National Federation of Community Halls)• Local groups in Rural Economy and Agricultural

Societies (HUSH)• Farmers Union local groups (LRF) • Regional councils of village development groups (All

Sweden Shall Live)• Local Nature Conservation Associations (Swedish

Assocation for Nature Conservation) • Secondary upper schools for agriculture (HUSH)• Business associations• Cooperative enterprises (Coompanion)• Coordinating local services (FLF)

• Starts with simple information– Newsletter – Program information – Network activities)

• Building more interactive tools– Project database– Partner search– Webb tools to support the LAGs

www.landsbygdsnatverket.se

Network tools to support the Leader process

• Sub Network meetings • Mentor program• Animation cheques to inspire members to

participate in Leader• The Leader Of The Year – Good practice• Training courses• Cheques for international exchange • Activities to promote transnational cooperation

European Network of Rural Development, ENRD

• One permanent Coordination Committee – A Leader sub-committee– Thematical working groups

• Evaluation committee

• Contact Point, a “Service office” in Brussels

Evaluation committeeReports to CC

Contact PointPermanent staffTechnical Assistance (TA)

Coordinating Committee, CC

EU CommissionDG AGRI

External expertsThematical working groupsReports, surveys, Good examples

Leader Sub CommitteeContributes to CC Transnational coop.

Contact Point has started

• A call for tender in January

• The decission was taken June 19:th

• The Kantor Group Consortium won(They also had the Leader+ Contact Point)

• The Brussel office started last week

Kantor Group Consortium• Kantor Qwentes, Greek consulting company, GR• Swedish Federation of Rural Economy and Agricultural

Societies, SE (HUSH)• IEEP, Institute of European Environmental Policy, UK• CIHEAM, Agricultural Institute of Montpellier, FR• AESA, Agriconsulting, Consultancy Company, IT• Hungarian University and rural development institute, HU

Organisation of Contact Point

Organisation of Contact Point

Team leadarIstvan Fehrer, HU

Unit for AnalysisSupport for ENRD structures

Thematical experts

Service unitWebb, Newsletters,

Events

Cooperation unitTransnational projects,

Nationella nätverk,Förvaltningsmyndigheter

EU-expertElena Saraceno, UK, IT

SecretariatSophie Peppes, GR

Sophia Spiliotopoulou, GRVinciane Gandibleux, B

Transnational Cooperation

• Big emphasis on transnational cooperation– Coaching– Partner search– Databases– ”Intervention”– Conferences