1. 4.6.20161 xx.3.20101 Finnish Rural Policy and Rural Policy Committee YTR

2. 2 Content of the presentation 1.Broad and narrow rural policy 2.Development of rural policy in Finland 3.Network, tasks and forms of work of the Rural Policy Committee

3. 3 Broad and narrow rural policy Broad rural policy –Methodology which aims to take the rural areas and people living in these into account in the activities of the society in various administrative sectors. Narrow rural policy –Instruments of the society whose specific purpose is rural development. Rural Policy Committee reconciles broad and narrow rural policy, aiming at efficient utilisation of resources allocated to rural development.

6. 6 Development of rural policy 1/2 1.1960s  1970s: Origins –Focus on the countryside in regional policy –Acts on developing areas –Society for Rural Planning –Village action movement 2.1980s: Planning phase –First Government Resolutions on Rural Policy –Rural policy becomes a standard concept –More Village Committees set up

7. 7 Development of rural policy 2/2 3.1988  1994: Implementation phase –Campaign on rural areas of the Council of Europe  launch of the present rural policy construction –Rural Development Project 1988  1991 –Advisory Committee on Rural Policy 1992  1994 –1st Rural Policy Programme (1991) and 1st Government Report on Rural Policy (1993) 4.1995  : Europeanisation –Rural development programmes of the EU, local action groups –Rural Policy Committees 1995  –Rural Policy Programmes –Rural Policy Committee recognised in the legislation in 2000 –Broad and narrow rural policy defined (3rd Rural Policy Programme 2001  2004)

8. 8 What is the Rural Policy Committee? Cooperation body appointed by the Government and methodology based on networking, involving hundreds of people from different ministries and other organisations –31 members and alternates of the Committee from 27 organisations, 5th term 2008  2013 –Secretary General and Secretariat (about 60 members) –Members of theme and working groups and their regional groups –Implementers of national rural research and development projects In addition, the Finnish rural policy network comprises thousands of actors from the administration, research and education organisations and the private and third sectors from villages up to the international level.

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10. 10 Tasks of the Rural Policy Committee 1/2 Promoting diversified, multi-level and regionally oriented rural policy nationally and internationally Implementation of broad rural policy in cooperation founded on partnerships among administrative sectors Preparation and implementation of rural policy programmes Theme-specific development work Reinforcing rural research and expertise Promoting rural proofing (rural impact assessment)

11. 11 Tasks of the Rural Policy Committee 2/2 Reinforcing structures and methods of rural development work at all levels Reinforcing civic action aimed to develop the countryside Promoting rural enterprise, employment and equality Participation in developing the Regional Cohesion and Competitiveness Programme (KOKO), improving rural- urban interaction Preparing opinions and statements on rural policy Political influence Initiation and promotion of discussion on rural policy

12. 12 Forms of work 1. Programmes Rural Policy Programme is the action programme of the Rural Policy Committee –”Countryside for Vigorous Finland” 5th Rural Policy Programme 2009  2013 Government outlines for rural policy –Reports, special programmes, resolutions Rural Policy Committee prepares the programmes, participates in their implementation and follows their realisation –Negotiations, development projects, studies, work of theme and working groups, implementation reports

13. 13 Forms of work 2. Theme and working groups A total of 14  17 groups on different themes Themes include housing, food, tourism, enterprise, local action groups, well-being, culture, sparsely populated rural areas, civic action, natural products, special issues in Swedish-speaking countryside In most cases appointed for a term of 1  3 years, many groups have several consecutive terms with new tasks and composition Forms of work vary: development programmes and their implementation, statements, seminars, political influence, publications

14. 14 Forms of work 3. National rural research and development projects Rural Policy Committee is an important financer of national rural research and development About 2.5 million euros/year 50  70 projects funded/year, including –Co-financing of doctoral theses (max. 35 000 euros) –Establishment of nine Rural Professor's posts and their co- financing –Principal financer of the activity of most theme groups All research and development projects that are implemented are also evaluated and the evaluations are published in YTR’s publication series

15. 15 Forms of work 4. Rural proofing Creating an assessment tool for rural proofing to be used by the central and regional administration Making the proofing widely known and promoting its use at all levels Follow-up of the application of proofing and reporting on this in the surveys on rural areas

16. 16 Forms of work 5. International cooperation Producing value added through interaction –Disseminating information on good practices –Utilisation of information and expertise from other countries in Finnish rural policy Objective –Improving the visibility of rural issues and effectiveness of rural policy in national and international contexts –Internationalisation of rural areas –Establishment of rural policy as an independent policy sector in different countries

17. 17 Forms of work 6. Communication About 10 publications/year in YTR's own publication series Ruralpolicy.fi website Newsletter Liiteri (in Finnish and Swedish) Survey of the rural areas (every three years) Seminars, fairs Newspaper articles, supplements to newspapers and magazines, radio and TV programmes and documentaries Publications, news, statements and press releases of theme and working groups

18. 18 Further information: www.ruralpolicy.fi www.ruralpolicy.fi Jarmo Vaittinen Eero Uusitalo Permanent Secretary Rural Counsellor, Professor Chair of the Rural Policy Secretary General of the Rural Committee Policy Committee