Better rural development is possible, and local people are willing to deliver, but they need a support. EU and national authorities need to empower villages and small towns with new programmes that are flexible enough to be adapted to the diverse needs of Europe's rural areas. Positive examples should be...

Brief overview of the region (Europe and Central Asia), a breef introduction to the FAO Regional Initiative on Smallholders and Family Farms and the need to develop further approaches to community development planning.

This report provides information regarding the state of implementation of the current CAP young farmers’ mechanism. The different implementation styles of the Members States are described and the currently implemented policy tools are evaluated. Based on the secondary analysis and case studies, several policy recommendations are formulated, aimed at improving...

To encourage ways of boosting rural development, the European Commission has launched a call for tender for a pilot project on smart eco-social villages. What are the characteristics, drivers and factors of success for smart eco-social villages? How do we work towards  achieving  villages with a viable economy, attractive living conditions...

Recently, the Farm-Success project partners have been gathering case studies from their countries as examples of best practices related to succession processes in European family farms.

Discover how to influence the decision-making process and how the Low Impact Fishers of Europe can help you reach your goals! 

This report provides an overview of the main characteristics and structure of the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and its developments in the last 25 years. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is the primary agricultural policy instrument of the European Union. This report focuses on the new features and institutional context...

Legislative discussions around the new regulation on organic farming have been going on for almost two and a half years. A record in the history of the European Union. The 18th and very long trilogue of 28 June 2017 ended the negotiations between the European institutions, in a context of...

The yearly review of Copa Cogeca Secretariat work for 2017. You can scroll through the document and check the various topics that interest you. For all the main position papers, events etc we have included links to various documents and websites.  

Agriculture in European mountain areas plays a key role for society. Farming activities protect landscapes and provide society with vital ecosystem services and agriculture is an integrated part of the livelihood of mountain communities. However, mountain farming is not sufficiently competitive and resilient in the current socio-economic context. Mountain food...

Mlekarna Planika (Planika dairy) implemented a step by step technical and technological modernisation that effectively transformed it from a milk powder producer to one of the leading producers of high quality fresh milk and cheese in Slovenia. The modernisation was carried out on a step by step approach as in...

Discover the set of rules established to manage European fisheries and how LIFE can make your voice heard!

The EU fruit and vegetable regime supports operational programmes implemented by recognised producer organisations (POs), by making a funding contribution to the programmes' operational funds.Recognition of interbranch organisations (IBOs) is favoured where they proof to be sufficiently representative of the various occupational categories of the fruit and vegetables sector and they carry out practical...

The place to be to provide a real and concrete input to european and national policies, with the support of LIFE!

Spots-vidéos reçus lors du concours national de vidéo "Cuisine et Interdépendance" organisé dans le cadre du projet EAThink, par le Réseau International Urgenci. Action réalisée avec le soutien de l'Union européenne, la Région Normandie, l'Académie de Caen et la Fondation Charles Léopold Mayer.

A short movie about angus organic farm - Full Story

With the looming context of the fourth Greek bailout, the European Rural Sustainability Gathering 2017 kicked off in in Karditsa, Greece. The event saw the social economy, cooperatives and grassroots initiatives take centre stage, as tools and approaches to address the crisis. The location displayed the best of progressive rural...

Funding opportunities, EMFF, CLLD: transform your ideas into projets, LIFE will support you throughout the whole process!

The sixteenth meeting of the Stakeholder Group for the cross-border region of “Drina-Sava” was organized on the 2nd March in the City Hall Nijemci in Nijemci, Croatia. 

As every year, the prospects for LIFE’s members, and the fate of the resources they depend on, hang on the discussions, negotiations, and decisions on setting catch levels and accompanying measures for Baltic fisheries in 2018. Our position, based on numerous discussions with our Members, is outlined below, a position...