• Some of the new features include support for knowledge within AKIS (Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems), the integration of the first pillar, and cooperation with third countries.

The Assembly is a multidisciplinary forum made up of more than 150 members , representing various public administrations and other entities working in rural areas. Isabel Bombal, Director General of Rural Development, Innovation, and Agri-Food Training and President of the National Rural Network, emphasizes the importance of the Assembly, "as a meeting place, information point, and space for debate where information can be gathered on the needs of different territories, allowing for the most appropriate decision-making."

Recovery Plan

Since May 2019, the date on which the last Assembly was held, the National Rural Network has made changes, betting on a more dynamic, participatory and local activity, focused on the priorities and themes already identified in the process of diagnosis and strategic definition of the NRN, such as the fight against depopulation , innovation , revitalization and entrepreneurship including LEADER, climate change , women and youth , with special attention to generational change.

At this meeting, the general lines of Spain's Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, the European Recovery Mechanism and the EAFRD (Euri) funds were presented, to address, with additional funding, the effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The allocation for Spain from these funds is more than €176 billion, approximately 13% of Spain's GDP at pre-pandemic levels, aimed at ecological and digital transformation, gender equality and territorial cohesion .

Regarding the EAFRD EURI funds, channeled through the Rural Development Programs , some of their characteristics were presented:

• 100% co-financing and the possibility of implementation until 2025.
• The funds are focused on the ecological, digital, and resilient transformation of sectors affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
• 55% of these funds must be allocated to supporting the development of young farmers' businesses and investments in farms that contribute to the recovery of the agri-food sector and rural areas.

The Regional Antennas of the RRN

Another new feature included in the Assembly was the presentation of the NRN's Regional Network of Experts program, a team of nine experts whose goal is to achieve greater proximity with local areas. The Network of Experts' work focuses primarily on understanding different realities, identifying best-practice projects, organizing activities, and improving the dissemination of the National Rural Network's content throughout the region. The projects they have been working on since December 2020, the date the program was launched, have focused on the long-term vision of rural areas (the Rural Europe 2040 project) and the 2021 Rural Inspiration Awards, organized by the European Network for Rural Development. Starting next week, meetings between rural entrepreneurs by Autonomous Community will begin.

Future PAC Network 23-27

This meeting also served to exchange views on the future CAP Network, whose mission is to promote networking within both the first and second pillars of the Common Agricultural Policy.

Through participatory dynamics, proposals were generated on how to promote innovation through AKIS (Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems) , improve governance, connect with new stakeholders, and how to integrate the first pillar into the future Network .

The objective is for Assembly members, as active members, to provide their input so that it can be incorporated into the final design of the CAP Network in the future CAP Strategic Plan for Spain.

More information can be found on the RRN's social media channels, Twitter and Facebook .