24 de June de 2020
June 24, 2020 The economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has had significant repercussions across the entire region, with a significant impact on urban and rural areas. Since the beginning of the state of emergency, Local Action Groups have also had to adapt to the new situation. It has been necessary to adopt remote work while maintaining contact with project beneficiaries through alternative means, and to reorganize the monitoring and management procedures for grants to respond to the new needs arising from COVID-19.
- Local Action Groups become key rural agents in the post-COVID-19 scenario. The Rural Network organizes the conference "The role of Local Action Groups in the reactivation of rural territories in the face of the Covid-19 crisis ."
- The objective is to create a space for dialogue and reflection among Local Action Groups, Management Authorities, and the Ministry in which to share the effects of COVID-19 on the region, the measures taken to offset it, and proposals for the future.
Isabel Bombal, Director General of Rural Development, Innovation, and Agri-Food Training, opened the event, taking the opportunity to emphasize the importance of Local Action Groups, "as they are the most knowledgeable about the needs of the region and agents that achieve economic diversification in rural areas." She also highlighted the adaptability and resilience of our rural areas to the new situation, which has made it possible to highlight the opportunities offered by rural areas, presenting them as a way of life with a future. She also spoke about the status of negotiations within the EU regarding the future CAP regulation (2021-2027).
Objects of debate
The three sections addressed during the day sought to address, on the one hand, the regulatory and administrative fit of LEADER in the RDPs and the COVID crisis, as well as the flexibility measures proposed in recent weeks; on the other, the views of the Local Action Groups and the actions implemented to manage the crisis; and, finally, the perspective of LEADER managers in the regional RDPs .
The results of the questionnaire that the National Rural Network launched prior to this event among the Groups, regional and national networks, and managing authorities were also presented, regarding the resources available to LAGs in the new context generated by the COVID-19 crisis.
The attendees requested the following measures:
- The launch of specific working groups on the new CAP
- Training courses for Groups
- The continuity of the LEADER Subgroup's actions
All materials used and information generated will be published in the coming days on the RRN website, as well as on the RRN Social Networks ( Facebook and Twitter ).