• The CAP Network is organizing a virtual promotional event to encourage stakeholders in the agricultural and rural sectors to present their achievements at the 2023 Agrarian and Rural Inspiration Awards (ARIA) organized by the European CAP Network.
• It brought together all the Spanish projects distinguished in previous editions of the "European Rural Inspiration Awards" (RIA).

June 22, 2023. The European CAP Network has launched the ARIA 2023 Agricultural and Rural Inspiration Awards , the successor to the Rural Inspiration Awards . These new awards—expanded under the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2023-2027 and bringing together the two pillars, agriculture and rural, for the first time—once again aim to identify and share good practices , but this time developed under the umbrella of the CAP. The goal is to inspire peer learning and encourage the replication of results among CAP stakeholders.

The CAP Network is the entity in charge of selecting the best projects submitted in each of the award categories in Spain (see rules below). To this end, it and its Regional Offices have organized a virtual event on June 22nd with a dual purpose: to inform and advise all companies and associations interested in submitting applications and to gather the best possible projects to submit to the European CAP Network.

Promotion day

Thanks to this information session , the PAC Network was able to bring together all the projects that have been recognized by the RIA Awards in any of its previous editions. The following participated in the meeting:

1. Circular Economy Pilot Project , winner of the RIA 2021 Resilient Futures category, for waste management in rural areas and organic farming. Lumbier, Navarra .
2. AGROBERRY , winner of the 2019 RIA in the Improving Competitiveness category, for the added value created in blackberry plantations. Almendra, Zamora .
3. Living Museums , a RIA 2022 finalist in the Digital Future category, for its use of SMART technology to develop the automation of closed rural cultural spaces. A LEADER project of transnational cooperation between Castile and León, Galicia, and the Czech Republic .
4. The Andalusian Shepherds' School , a 2021 RIA finalist in the Socially Inclusive Futures category, addresses the lack of generational renewal and knowledge transfer. Granada, Andalusia .
5. ENFOCC , a 2020 RIA finalist in the Climate Change Adaptation category, generating renewable energy opportunities through knowledge exchange. Catalonia.
6. Pueblos Vivos , a RIA finalist in the LEADER project category in 2019, aims to create the conditions to reverse the problem of depopulation in rural areas. Aragon.

The colloquium participants, drawing on their own experiences, explained and advised attendees on how to submit their applications and even offered some tips for completing the project presentation, which must be written in English.

Theme and categories

This year's theme is "Boosting skills for agriculture and rural areas" as 2023 is the "European Year of Skills" . Submitted projects must be supported by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and/or the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) , and must be in line with the values and objectives promoted by the European Union's Long -Term Vision for Rural Areas and the Rural Pact .

The 4 categories established for submission are:

1. Smart and competitive agriculture: CAP-funded projects that contribute to developing a smart, competitive, resilient, and diversified agricultural sector that guarantees long-term food security.
2. Environmental protection: projects that protect the environment: improving biodiversity, climate change, sustainability, green economy, etc.
3. Socioeconomic fabric of rural areas: CAP initiatives that strengthen European rural areas in innovative ways: digitalization, resilience, inclusion, and business development.
4. Rural Stakeholder Skills: For innovation actions that strengthen people and businesses in rural areas through green and digital transitions.

As in other years, a Popular Vote Award will be awarded alongside these categories, determined by an online voting system.

The deadline for submitting applications to the PAC Network is July 31. Any questions about the documentation required can be answered here .