Leipzig Conference – URP 2020

Sustainable and resilient rural – urban partnerships

Organised 17 years after a European meeting in the same city on the future of cohesion policy, this conference was held in the context of the German Presidency of the European Council, with the perspective of adopting the Territorial Agenda 2030. It brought together experts, researchers, institutional representatives and local development actors around the theme of “Sustainable and resilient rural-urban partnerships”. R.E.D. presented its position in two workshops: “Smart Villages – Catalysts of inclusion” and “Food chains in urban rural partnerships”.
In this framework, R.E.D. presented its recommendations for a recognition of the diversity of rural territories, but also for an integrated development to face the economic, social and environmental challenges. The proposal of a European Rural Agenda as a strategic framework, accompanied by a “Rural Territories” Interfund, was also introduced and welcomed. The context of the current health crisis has given a new dimension to these challenges, to which the citizens of rural territories have responded with resilience and solidarity.

RED Calls for a Territorial Agenda, supported by a European Rural Agenda, able to :

  • Convince and mobilise citizens and actors of rural territories in innovative inclusive local development processes
  • Organise intelligent cooperation between rural, urban and peri-urban territories
After the crisis management, a unitary European response in favour of a pro-active territorialised recovery is needed. This recovery, which is under way, as well as the policies and regulations under debate, will have to reflect these collaborative and solidarity-based territorial and interterritorial approaches.
Organised rural territories, of all configurations and geographical situations, are ready to respond to this challenge and to mobilise. Local and regional authorities are already interacting effectively with their stakeholders and other territories.

Please find here Gérard Peltre’s speech, President of R.E.D. and of the E.C.M. 

Our presentations :

Based on the contributions from R.E.D. and from the ECM.