Catching up with the European Union - How to address the challenges of rural development

The European Stability Initiative (ESI) with the Delegation of the European Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration of Luxembourg co-organised a seminar on "Catching Up with the European Union - How to address the challenges of rural development".

The seminar brought together 30 key decision makers from the central government, parliament, municipalities, universities, agro-businesses, and NGOs to discuss rural development as a key policy area in the country. This discussion introduced Macedonian policy makers to the experience of Bulgaria over the past five years and sought to explore how EU assistance in this field has helped to develop Bulgarian policies and institutional capacity.

The key elements of the discussions during the seminar were presented at a public lecture given by Gerald Knaus, Director of the European Stability Initiative; Miroslava Georgieva, Director of the Rural Development Directorate, Ministry of Agriculture, Sofia; and Ross Bull, Director, "Rural Space & Infrastructure", UK.