Only a month after its establishment, the Rural Development Network in Bosnia and Herzegovina (MRR BiH) has become a member of one of the most important organizations in Europe that promotes and implements the LEADER approach in rural development in its efforts to connect with other similar organizations. At the regular session of the Assembly of the European LEADER Association for Rural Development (ELARD), held on May 29 in Brussels, MRR BiH was unanimously accepted into the membership of this umbrella European network.
By joining ELARD, the BiH MRR will reap multiple benefits of importance for sustainable rural development in BiH.
Membership in ELARD will enable MRR BiH to:
– improve the understanding, promotion and implementation of the LEADER approach;
– provide support for innovative rural development projects;
– exchanges experiences and knowledge with a wide range of organizations and LAGs throughout the EU;
– protects the interests and needs of the rural population before the EU institutions;
– connects with other networks and institutions that work in accordance with the principles of sustainable rural development;
– organizes events between different organizations and local action groups at EU level;
– finds suitable partners for EU projects, both for the MRR BiH itself and for its members;
– uses the base of innovative projects implemented in the EU, in order to find development models that can be applied in BiH;
– receive in a timely manner all information and support regarding all relevant issues in the field of rural development at the EU level.
ELARD was founded in Belgium in 1999, as an international non-profit organization, by national LEADER networks and Local Action Groups (LAGs) from France, Greece, Ireland, Italy and Spain. It currently brings together members from 22 countries, mostly members of the European Union. More than 1070 Local Action Groups are involved in the work of ELARD, either through their national or regional networks or as independent members. ELARD is continuously working to expand its membership, especially among the new EU members and pre-accession countries, in order to create a diverse cultural and national front united with the goal of sustainability and development of rural Europe.
You can find out more about ELARD by following the link: http://www.elard.eu/
