Nordic-Baltic National Rural Networks

The Nordic-Baltic National Rural Networks (NRN) are NRNs from Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Germany.

It is an active cluster which meets regularly, plans its own joint activities and is plays an increasingly active role in relation to the rural development.

The National Rural Networks were established in each EU Member State in the programming period 2007-2013. NRNs provide an important link at the Member State level between the national administrations and organisations involved in rural development.

Their main role is to support the implementation and evaluation of rural development policy, help to bring together a variety of rural stakeholders and ensure communication both at regional, national and European level. Also, the main task is to organise events and produce a variety of communication tools, such as guides and event calendars, and have an important role in identifying and disseminating good practice.

Neighbours do communicate with each other more and therefore the neighbouring NRNs in Nordic-Baltic region should communicate with each other tightly. At the beginning, acquaintance was made with the different structures of the NRNs, RDP implementation; common and different regulations governing the LEADER measure, because each Member State has a lot of similarities, as well as differences.

The focus has always been on the establishment and development of LEADER LAGs. New topics, such as the role of NRNs in engaging the target groups of Axis 1 and 2 or LEADER transnational cooperation possibilities for new Member States have always been focused on. Several meetings focused on the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR).

Several mutual study tours were agreed upon at the meetings, invitations for events have been shared, ideas exchanged and partners or foreign lectors for their stakeholders have been searched for. Estonia and Finland have also organised joint study tours. An important theme has been the Baltic Sea Strategy and the implementation of its priorities, as well as many other rural development issues. Fisheries networks have also been included in many meetings. The hosting country of each meeting has also organised a study tour introducing its area with the RDP support for projects.

ENRD website about NRN clusters: enrd.ec.europa.eu/networks-and-networking/nrn-clusters/en/nordic-baltic-rural-networks_en.cfm

VIDEO:

The Nordic-Baltic Network meetings:

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