Some Governments have started developing their own RD support systems, to answer and solve problems with own national support to rural development (Serbia) or also to respond to EU demands (Croatia) and have established RD networks. Other, like Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania has launched initiatives to establish networks with NGO sector. Bosnia and Herzegovina joined the initiative also recently. Kosovo got the idea introduced through EC funded project on LAGs establishment and local strategies developed (27). However all need more help to make these initiatives really work. In a mean time main channels for information flow remain ad-hoc use of media, round-table discussions, consultations, professional events, fairs, meetings and lectures…advisory services are involved but with limited success … SITUATION ANALYSIS IN WB

Project should assist rural development stakeholders in the WB region to provide systematic and territorially balanced decentralised support to rural areas and help fostering their economic development. Enabling the rural communities to benefit from the rural development support programmes provided in the future by the EU, but also provide dissemination of good practices on capacity building of rural developments stakeholders such as development of local partnerships, strategic local planning, cultivation of ideas for rural development to high quality programs, measures and projects collective or individual. This should be done through capacity building activities at local and regional levels in synergy with development of RD knowledge extension on academic level for establishing formal education and non-formal education BASIC GOAL DEFINED

BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION Although potential candidate countries, beside first two components, are not eligible yet for other components (including IPARD), they are intensively involved with preparation and capacity building of their institutions to be in charge of managing IPARD funds. The opportunities are, however followed with widespread lack of understanding on how the EU works and how EU funding could be accessed for improving the economic situation in rural areas. This problem should be prevailed so that capacity is built on the national level as much as down from the top to the level of beneficiaries. While works on national management and payment levels is ongoing in all countries, assistance to the local level is still limited to pilots, and those rarely disseminated once projects have been finished.

Example of the existing Rural Development Support Network in WB - Serbia –The network for rural development 11 regional centers and 129 local centers in 2007, well equipped (computers, presentation equipment, information, but not necessarily sufficient knowledge) and not sufficiently financially supported by the MAFWM - doing disseminating information about available support from the MAFWM and other sources available for rural areas –The interactivity is provided through participatory assessments of needs with rural communities and continuous mappings of resources in villages through participative process for providing info from reality for rural development policy making –Also designed to initiate local partnerships to prepare local rural communities to start doing local rural development strategies and creation of initiatives of communal interest. The network has different municipalities made of mainly NGOs

National network for RD Support Partners Chambers of commerce Reg. econom. dev. agencies Areal RD network nodes Regional network nodes Function: Information disemination about RD and agriculture support program 1.Data collection about rural areas, ID village cards production and facilitating local RD strategies design 2.Assistance in LAG formation and PPP establishment 3.Assistance to beneficiaries to fund source of financial assistance to RD 4.Assistance in project design and implementation and capacity building projects implementation Mission - revitalization of rural areas NGOs Local Authorities Districts Advisory Services Projects

Foreseen future TAIEX IPA-TA IPA-TWINNING… WB-STAR FAO TCP UNDP CBC… TEMPUS YPP

There are no instant solutions, neither copy paste of other experiences is possible; shaping RD policy and support following the territorial approach is needed, but exchange of information and good practices between diverse regions and countries is crucial for speeding up the search for appropriate solutions It is necessary to get clear picture of rural reality, create policy and start implementing it with continuous provision of feedbacks from the field and reality checks (information flow provided though interactive links with RD stakeholders) to be able to constantly upgrade chosen policies! To be able to do that, highly trained and educated stakeholders within the national RD support systems are needed It is necessary to mobilize all available national capacities for rural development (GO, NGO, economy sector, urban and rural population to get results), meaning networking (national and regional) for RD support is must! Using rationally and responsibly available foreign support to RD system development as much as future RD support though IPARD is not just a question of being fair… Conclusions about capacity building needs for RD support in SWG RRD countries

Overall Objective for Individuals working in RD stakeholders/Networks/support systems The overall objective is to enable rural development stakeholders – individuals working in RD support system to provide nation wide support to rural communities through: –playing the role of facilitator for exchanging experiences with RD projects and actions in the region and EU wide providing expertise and support to building local partnerships and local participative strategic planning processes –providing link with academia and other sources of knowledge and information needed for launching various rural development actions (including also agriculture advisory and extension service, chambers of commerce, tourist organisations and regional development agencies for diversification activities, agriculture and forestry extension for development of these basic rural economy activities etc.)

Overall Objective For the National RD Networks of stakeholders – target group of beneficiaries of WBREN developed curricula providing interactive link to the Government for distributing information about needs and available national and IPARD measures exchanging experiences with other networks in the region and European network for rural development for providing to potential beneficiaries successful models, good practices, lessons learned and best projects examples training on PCM, coaching for identification of ideas and project design to make rural communities benefit from rural development support programmes of their national Governments and assistance provided by the EU through IPARD program, thus supporting the countries’ efforts towards further integration with the EU and, ultimately, fostering agriculture and rural development.

Areas of expertise expected to be developed within the rural development stakeholders throughout the region –Local partnerships (LAG formation, local strategic planning, LEADER type programs) –Rural economy diversification –Rural environment –Increase of competitiveness of agriculture, forestry and processing –Rural infrastructure and improvement of life conditions in rural areas –Education and capacity building for rural social capital Rural extension centres should be able to provide sustainability for this and all other RD project through continuing providing formal and non-formal education for future RD stakeholders.