outline of the speech (for more speech info,please feel free to contact us):

Urbanisation and development in the European Union
1. Background:
ELARD from 1999 to 2013
today, ELARD is representing interests of  2200 LAGs from all countries of the European Union and also LAGs behind borders
Most important aims of ELARD: 
campaign to spread the philosophy, principles and reach of the LEADER method grounded in the eight specific features in order to achieve sustainable rural development across Europe
represent the interests and needs of its members in front of other international, European, and national institutions to liaise with other stakeholders and institutions working towards an integrated rural development and to influence EU policies in favour of rural development
n  Why territorial dimension in the EU?
If you want to go fast , go alone ,
If you want to go far , go together …
(African proverb)
2. EUROPE 2020 Strategy
- Smart growth
- Sustainable growth
- Inclusive growth
- Disappearing regional disparities
- Importance of linkages between rural and urban areas
- Multilevel governance and subsidiarity
- Inclusion of all stakeholders in the process of planning and implementing integrated strategies of local development
3. Why territorial dimension ?
- Difference in GDP/pax between the most developed and poorest EU region is 13x
- The richest EU region is 3x above EU average, the poorest one 4x below
- Significant polarisation between rural and urban areas, esp. in SE Europe – Bratislava, Praha, Budapest
- Tematic interventions in the current programming period 2014 – 2020 proved to support and deepen the inequality between rural and urban areas
4. What are the instruments to face it ???
- ITI (Integrated Territorial Investments)
- Top-down approach
- Strategic integrated investments to the area specified in advance
- Combination of soft and hard instruments
- Combination of different EU funds + interventions = synergy effect
- Engaging all stakeholders = public-private partnership
- Delegation of in-advance planning, decision making and financing to the hands of regional players = „EU subsidiarity principle“
- What are the instruments to face it ???
- CLLD (Community-led local development)
- Area-based approach
- Bottom-up approach
- Local public-private partnerships: Local Action Groups
- Innovative approach
- Integrated and multi-sectoral approach
- Networking
- Cooperation
- De-centralised administration
- NOT LIKE THIS!
5. BUT…LIKE THIS!
Think globally……act locally