Rural Development in Europe in the C21

The ECORYS Academy in partnership with Wageningen Business School,  Wageningen University and Research Centre are pleased to announce the launch of a comprehensive seminar series for 2009/10 investigating Rural Development across the expanded EU27.

The package will be a critical examination of policy and practice and asks the question, "to what extent is rural development in the Union today grounded in principles of sustainability?" With so many of the assets we value and need as a society in the Twenty First Century located in rural areas, we need to increasingly evaluate how we are managing these resources for the benefit of all society, and the extent to which rural areas and communities can and do contribute towards the success of regions, nations and the EU ultimately.

Towards a Sustainable Rural Europe will present a set of interlinked seminars and site based (case study) visits to uncover sustainability in rural development in action – where this aspiration currently falls short, and where solutions exist.

Aimed at policy makers from the EU level through to regional and local authorities, the programme will begin in Autumn 2009 and run through the following year. The programme will be delivered from Brussels with a minimum of two of the series delivered "in the field". Key topics to be covered include:

• The Connected COuntryside - how rural communities can benefit from the internet revolution
• The LEADER approach - the future success of rural area based initiatives
• Growing our Countryside in and around towns and cities - growing our green infrastructure
• Key Performance Indicators and rural areas - measuring success
• Countryside and Climate Change - drivers of change and strategic responses

More details to follow shortly. If you would like to be on the mailing list for more information regarding this package please  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .