Agricultural management plays a key role in the maintenance of valued cultural landscapes as well as biodiversity-rich farmlands all over Europe.

One of CEEweb’s Working Groups aims to make rural development sustainable in CEE countries with a view to maintain and increase biodiversity in rural areas, to promote the integration of environment conservation into agriculture, and to improve the conditions of living standards of the countryside.

Read about the activities of the Rural Development Working Group >>

From CEEweb’s point of view:

• Rural Development Programmes in Action post 2014: How can they contribute to a healthier environment? (Conference report), 2014
• Options and tools in reaching a greener Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), (Workshop report), 2014
• Gathering data and creating policy recommendations for a more biodiversity-friendly CAP and RDP (WG Meeting report), 2013
• Latest CAP reform proposals threaten CAP support for the environment, December, 2012 (pdf)
• Proposed Priorities for Cohesion Policy – Biodiversity, July, 2012 (pdf)
• Proposed Priorities for Cohesion Policy – Research, Development, Innovation, July, 2012 (pdf)
• Open letter to the European Commission on biofuels and carbon footprint, April, 2012 (pdf)
• Recommendations for a future CAP, October, 2011 (pdf)
• Letter to Barroso, President of the European Commission on the Roadmap for the reform of environmentally harmful subsidies, March 2011 (pdf)
• CEEweb response to the “Consultation for the Impact Assessment on the Common Agricultural Policy towards 2020” proposals, January 2011 (pdf)
• Proposals for the CAP post-2013 (contribution to the public debate launched by Commissioner Ciolo in 2010), 2010 (pdf)
• Environmental, Social and Economic Effects of Direct Marketing of Farm Products – An eye-opener for decision-maker, 2010s (PDF 620 KB in English, in Bulgarian, in Estonian)Study on implementation of the Cross compliance regulation in five CEE countries, 2010 (PDF 207 KB in English, in Hungarian)
• Study on implementation of the Cross compliance regulation in five CEE countries, 2010 (PDF 207 KB in English, in Hungarian)
• Briefing about the successful example of assessing and amending the legislation for direct marketing by national NGOs in Hungary, 2010 (PDF)
• Proposals for the CAP post-2013 (contribution to the public debate launched by Commissioner Ciolos in 2010), (PDF)
• Conclusions of the European NGO Seminar on the CAP (also supported by CEEweb for Biodiversity), aimed to influence the legal processes related to agriculture and environment during the EU’s French Presidency in the 2nd half of 2008 (PDF, 125 KB)
• Conclusions of the CEEweb Academy on Biomass, held in Hungary, May 2008 (PDF, 43 KB)
• CEEweb for Biodiversity position on the CAP Health Check sent to the EU Commission on 15 January 2008 (PDF, 34 KB)
• Integrated evaluation of Regional Development Plans with regards to sustainability, 2002. Report in English (PDF, 700 KB), full report including case studies in Hungarian (PDF, 2.4 MB)
• Biodiversity conservation in the Hungarian National Rural Development Plan, 2004 (PDF, 30 KB)

Projects of CEEweb related to sustainable rural development include:

• An Unavoidable Step After Paris: Cutting Emissions from Farming
• Visegrad experience for small-scale family farms in Serbia
• Sustainable Rural Development Model Project in the Carpathians
• Strategy for Sustainable Rural Development in CEE countries
• Promoting Sustainable Regional Rural Planning
• Developing a Strategy for Sustainable Rural Development in CEE Countries
• Promotion of Sustainable Rural Development in Hungary
• Training: “Planning Sustainable Rural Development Projects”
• Promoting Sustainable Local Development in Central and Eastern Europe
• NGO Co-operation in CEE to promote sustainable rural development