As the first MAP cycle has come to an end, members of the EU MAP met online on 8 July 2021, to take stock of the achievements of the project and prepare for the second cycle.
For the past year, the EU MAP was actively involved in the development of the two SHERPA Position Papers on the Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas and on Biodiversity and Landscape features (pilot exercise).
The meeting was attended by the following experts from civil society, policy and research fields: Alexia Rouby (DG AGRI, European Commission), Hélène Moraut (European Committee of the Regions – CoR), Tom Jones and Vanessa Halhead (European Rural Community Alliance – ERCA), Goran Šoster (Partnership for Rural Europe – PREPARE), Paul Soto (European Network for Rural Development – ENRD), David Miller and Katerine Irvine (The James Hutton Institute), Dominique Barjolle (ETH Zurich), Olivier Chartier, Elodie Salle and Brigit Zomer (Ecorys), and Enrique Nieto and Roxana Vilcu (AEIDL).
The group benefited from an excellent presentation by María Gafo Gómez-Zamalloa of DG AGRI on the main elements of the recently published Communication on the Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas (LTVRA). In this respect, members exchanged on how SHERPA can continue contributing to the work of the European Commission on rural areas, alongside different ways of engaging with the actions outlined in the Rural Pact of the LTVRA.
Since January 2021, the work on the second MAP cycle started with the preparation of three SHERPA Discussion Papers: (i) Change in production and diversification of the rural economy, (ii) Climate change and environmental sustainability and (iii) Second phase of the vision (foresight exercise). MAPs have chosen their foreseen topic and have kick-started discussions with their members. Their position papers are expected later this year.
EU MAP members are set to meet on three occasions over the coming period to work on the SHERPA Position Papers foreseen for the three topics abovementioned.
Background
The EU Multi-Actor Platform (MAP) is SHERPA’s rural interface established at the European level aiming to engage a mix of key actors from the three target communities (science, society and policy). The EU MAP provides space for debating issues and priorities for the future development of rural areas and formulate key policy recommendations.
During the first cycle, the project delivered two SHERPA Discussion Papers, 17 MAP Discussion Papers, 21 Position Papers and two SHERPA Position Papers. All MAPs worked on the long-term vision for rural areas and main results were presented and discussed during the first Annual Conference of SHERPA on 30 November and 1 December which was followed by the publication of the SHERPA Position Paper. A pilot exercise was also carried out among three MAPs on the topic of biodiversity and landscape features.
Browse through all the SHERPA publications.