Six months after the Cork 2.0 event and the publication of the Declaration “A better life in rural areas”, Copa and Cogeca (farmers and agri-cooperatives), CEJA (young farmers) and CEPF (forest owners) organised a joint event in Brussels, on March 22nd, 2017. The event, entitled “Cork 2.0 Declaration – Acting BIG for rural development” aimed at showing the contribution of rural stakeholders to the bio economy and green growth.

The organisers of the event reaffirmed the role of rural stakeholders in rural areas whether it be in farming especially with the younger generation interested in modernizing and innovating in agriculture, the forestry sector enabling sustainable delivery of biomaterial and energy, or the agri-food sector both competitive and guarantor of cultural identities.