Rural Europe on the move English_chapt1_6 | Page 9

initiatives and movements who dare
to act. When I was Commissioner for
Agriculture and Rural Development
in the European Commission I had
the privilege of being backed up
“This travel guide to rural Europe, with its very
personal stories of people from across the
continent, is a highlight of the potential of local
rural initiatives and movements who dare to act.”
in my work by people like that and
networks like Forum Synergies and and governments, to create a climate PREPARE. I was happy to support of trust. Farmers, entrepreneurs, European Parliament in the legislative
a travelling workshop through EU NGOs, village communities need to period 2019-2024. The new Parliament
neighbourhood countries and in be involved, to participate, allowing will have to deal with the future of
the Western Balkans. The method decision makers to have a clear rural regions, the Common Agricultural
of bringing people from all levels of view of realities and needs on the Policy and many other challenges the
responsibilities together in a travelling ground. For this to happen we must European Union and its Institutions
workshop had been organised find better ways to listen, we need must solve. I recommend you to
much earlier by Forum Synergies to be more inclusive in our dialogue read the stories of European citizens
during the CAP reform process of with society, and to continue long and their projects gathered in this
Agenda 2000, and PREPARE had term investments in our agriculture book. They show that it is worth and
made it their golden tool of creating and rural areas. Moreover, citizens contagious to feel European at home,
partnerships between civil society understand that food and rural even in sometimes remote places,
and government. areas are public goods and that for because they are connected through
preserving and developing these their will to make change happen. I
policies - and rural development is public goods we are all responsible. In believe that this is where everything
one of them – we need to develop this regard, most often, solutions and starts: The spirit of a more democratic
further the methods, ideas, and tools ideas come from the field and less and sustainable Europe grows with
to empower citizens, stakeholders from policy laboratories. connecting people.
When it comes to designing EU
I am now a new Member of the
5