Inspiring programming for living European mountains by 2020

The Italian Rural Network and Euromontana co-organised in Rome (6th -7th June) a conference to debate and find solutions for ensuring, through innovative policies, the defense of the territory, the quality of the social and economic context and management of the landscape in mountain areas.

Agriculture plays today a vital role for the proper management of the landscape, biodiversity conservation, contrast to abandonment and especially support to the local economy in mountain areas. In these areas agriculture is often a triggering factor for the local development, able to integrate other sectors of the economy, ensuring the vitality of the European mountain areas.

In the proposed Rural Development Regulation for 2014-2020, there is a reference to the activation of Thematic sub-programmes within the RDPs, including the one for Mountain areas, in order to address the Union priorities and respond to specific needs identified in areas of particular importance. During the conference a specific overview was dedicated to territorial cohesion policy and territorial governance among European Regional Development Fund, European Social Fund, European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and national funds in Mountain areas.

• Objectifs :

The objective of the event was to inspire the elaboration of 2014-2020 development programmes impacting mountain areas, with an overall view on Common Strategic Framework (CSF) funds and a more specific focus on rural development fund as the event was organised by Italian National Rural Network. In that sense, the event was a follow-up to the ENRD event “Successful programming” on 6-7 December 2012.

The first day (6^th June) counted with the participation of representatives of European and National Institutions to discuss the future strategies to plan effective interventions in favor of mountain areas, promoting sustainable development, economic growth and the creation of new jobs. The following session was very operative with examples of integrated policies for mountain areas across Europe: at Regional, Interregional and Municipality level.

The second day (7^th June) was entirely dedicated to relevant project examples implemented by stakeholders in Europe and Italy. During two parallel workshops a total of 10 European projects examples were presented by these stakeholders.

Target audience:

The event was targeted at Managing Authorities and people involved in formulation of rural development programmes in general, mountain stakeholders and organisations, people involved in regional policy and design of operational programmes which needed to be coordinated with rural development programmes.

• Programme:

6th of June: Policy context, legislation and tools: what is new?

13.00 Registration of participants and welcome cocktail.

13.30‐15.40 Opening and key note speeches. Chairman: Francesco Mantino ‐ Italian Rural Network “La vitalità delle montagne europee nella programmazione 2014-2020”.

13.30 Opening speech by Giuseppe Blasi. Head of the Department for the European and International Policies and for the Rural Development ‐ Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies ‐ Italy.

13.45 Speech by Sabina De Luca. Head of Department for Development and Economic Cohesion. Ministry of Economic Development.

14.00 Speech by Juanan Gutierrez Lazpita, Euromontana President :“Towards mountains 2020: capitalizing our knowledge to inspire programming”.

14.20 Thomas Dax. Federal Institute for less‐favoured and mountainous areas ‐ Austria: “Overview on the mountain policies in OECD Countries: governance solutions, innovative approaches”.

14.40 Lukas Visek, DG AGRI ‐ European Commission, “How to reap full benefit of new integrated policy tools offered by the policy package for 2014‐2020?”.

15.00 Wrap‐up of the first session by Francesco Mantino (Italian Rural Network).

15.15 Questions and debate

15.40 Coffee break

16.00‐18.30 Integrated approach in practice:examples of mountain policies across Europe

This part of the event aims to review relevant experiences of currently used models of governance in order to feed proposals for the future policies. We will look, at different governance levels, at how integrated approach has been implemented in practice in the past, in different contexts. We will look especially at experiences where several measures or action lines are combined, from one or different funds, to achieve strategic development goals and investigate the issue of delegation of management of EU funds. Four presentations from regional, interregional and local level.

Chairman: Paolo Ammassari ‐ Head of Unit DISR III ‐ Irrigation, agriculture and environment. Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies ‐ Italy.

4 presentations at regional, inter-regional and local level:

Regional perspectives: how to approach integrated mountain development at regional level?

Robin Clarke ‐ Head of Policy at Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scotland.“A more integrated approach of territorial development in the next period? On‐going reflections for the Highlands of Scotland”.

Gianluca Cadeddu ‐ General Director of the Regional Centre of programming. Sardinia Region, Italy.“Integrated approach for the development of mountain areas in Sardinia”.

Macro‐regional and inter‐regional perspective: how to organise mountain development at massif scale across administrative borders

Geneviève Borodine ‐ Regional Council of Rhône‐Alpes, Tourism Management, Mountain and Parks ‐ France. “Comment organiser le développement des montagnes à l’échelle d’un massif à cheval sur plusieurs frontières administratives?”.

Leadership local: le rôle des municipalités dans la réalisation du développement intégré.

Micaela Fanelli ‐ Member of ANCI Office for Community policies and development plans. Delegate of the President of ANCI ‐ Mayor of Riccia (CB) ‐ wich will present some experiences of integrated approach in mountain areas.

Followed by questions and debate.

18.00 Wrap‐up and conclusions by Paolo Ammassari.

18.30 End of the first day.

7 Juin

9.00‐11.30 “FRESH IDEAS FOR FRUITFUL RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMING”. Two parallel workshops on relevant project examples implemented by stakeholders in Europe.

9.00 Introduction to the second day by Giuseppe Cacopardi, Director General for Rural Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies ‐ Italy.

PARALLEL WORKSHOPS

WORKSHOP 1:
Mountain supply chains: innovation and competitiveness for a sustainable economy (FR‐IT).

Alexia Rouby ‐ Euromontana

Riccardo Passero ‐ Italian Rural Network

9.15‐10.30 5 presentations: examples of initiatives aiming at developing new products ‐ food and tourism ‐ with a full value chain approach paying attention to economic and environmental sustainability.

• Pierre Poullain ‐ Association of chambers of agriculture of the Pyrenees (ACAP) ‐ France. “Integrated approach oy Pyrenean agr-pastoral economy : the inter-regional and multi fund programme PSEM and support to supply chains”.

• Elena Cuniberti ‐ GAL Mongioie ‐ Piémont ‐ Italie. “Project from the seed to the cookie and short supply chain for the quality of Piedmont meat”.

• Jone Fernandez ‐ HAZI ‐ Pays Basque ‐ Espagne. “Cheese processing in high pastures: how to ensure high quality, respect of hygiene rules and price premium? The example of the pilot project on mountain Idiazabal”.

• Dominik Holzer ‐ Répartition Agriculture Province Autonome de Bolzano Südtirol ‐ Italie. “Il Gallo Rosso ‐ not just agritourism. Tourism meets agriculture to preserve the farm as a workplace in Alto Adige / Südtirol“.

• Andrea Casile ‐ Président du GAL Area Grecanica ‐ Calabre ‐ Italie.“Ospitalità diffusa and trekking: innovation and development of tourism in the Aspromonte mountains“.

10.30‐11.30 Questions et débats

• Final report of workshop 1

WORKSHOP 2: Sustainable mountain environment and communities (EN‐IT)

Fabio Cossu ‐European Network for Rural Development (ENRD)

Giulio Cardini ‐ Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies ‐ Italy

9.15‐10.30 5 presentations: examples of initiatives aiming at preserving environment, landscapes and biodiversity in a specific innovative way; examples of projects aiming at improving infrastructure and services allowing mountain communities to remain lively and attractive to inhabitants.

• Pamela Giani ‐ Union of Municipalities Valle del Serchio ‐ Tuscany ‐ Italy
  “Conservation of the territory. The key role of farms in the hydraulic and hydrogeological protection of mountain areas”.
• Laura Gascón Herrero ‐ Provincial Government of Teruel ‐ Spain: “Commercial services and mobility in sparsely populated mountains: examples from Aragon”.
• Antonio Mortali ‐ Consorzio Comunalie Parmensi ‐ Emilia Romagna ‐ Italy: “Wood‐energy chain. The sustainable management of the Comunalie forests. Energy and Tourism in the Valtaro forests”.
• Flaminio Da Deppo ‐ Alto Bellunese LAG ‐ Veneto ‐ Italy: “Landscapes, settlements, architecture: the experience of Alto Bellunese LAG “.
• Américo Vicente Teixeira Leite ‐ Polytechnic Institute of Bragança ‐ Portugal “Investing in renewable energies at local level in inland areas: successful example from the municipality of Bragança”.

10.30‐11.30 Questions and debate.

11.30 Coffee break

12.00 Conclusion by rapporteurs of the workshops.

– Workshop 1: Riccardo Passero

– Workshop 2: Giulio Cardini

12.30 Final speech and debate by Graziella Romito, Head of unit DISR II ‐ Rural development programming. Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies ‐ Italy.

13.00 End of the seminar and light buffet.

• List of participants

• Venue :

ROMA EVENTI ‐ Fontana di Trevi ‐ Piazza della Pilotta, 4 ‐ 00187 ROME ‐ ITALIE

• Further information:

Disponible sur le site web du Réseau Rural Italien.

Organisers :