P. GANDALOVIC 113 W hen the European Union’s six founding members signed the Treaty of Rome in 1957, few could have imagined that five decades later the club would span the length of the continent, home to almost half a billion people living in lasting peace and prosperity. Deep divisions and mistrust are forever history; countries that were once involuntary Soviet satellites rank among the most progressive EU members. Czech presidency - «Europe without Barriers» December 2008 - January 2009 ELO Perspectives on the Czech Presidency’s Priorities and Chal- lenges in the Area of Agriculture are that Europe must firstly agree on the upcoming challenges faced by European agriculture, farmers, land managers and the rural environment, and the tools necessary to meet those challenges, only then should the size and distribution of the Budget be decided. Whilst we welcome strong regional funds where they fulfil the objective of balancing rich and Less Favoured Areas (we realise that evolution of this Scheme is necessary to deliver public goods where farming is dif- ficult), it cannot be denied that in order to achieve food and environ- mental security – arguably the most important challenge faced by Europe and the world - there is a significant cost attached. Europe has a moral responsibility to contribute to these challenges, commensurate with its ability to do so. The likely trend of transferring CAP funds from Pillar I to II is not contrary to these priorities, as long as those funds are accessible to indi- viduals, and not just for improving public delivery. However, an overall cut to the CAP budget before any discussion of the policy objectives and purpose of these payments, is deeply misguided, especially against a background of stricter environmen- tal considerations for land managers, biodiversity conservation goals and continuing expectations for the provi- sion of public goods.
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P. G
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When the European Union’s six founding members signed the Treaty of Rome in 1957, few could have imagined that
five decades later the club would span the length of the continent, home to almost half a billion people living in lasting peace and prosperity. Deep divisions and mistrust are forever history; countries that were once involuntary Soviet satellites rank among the most progressive EU members.
Czech presidency - «Europe without
Barriers»
December 2008 - January 2009
ELO Perspectives on the Czech Presidency’s Priorities and Chal-lenges in the Area of Agriculture are that Europe must firstly agree on the upcoming challenges faced by European agriculture, farmers, land managers and the rural environment, and the tools necessary to meet those challenges, only then should the size and distribution of the Budget be decided.
Whilst we welcome strong regional funds where they fulfil the objective of balancing rich and Less Favoured Areas (we realise that evolution of this Scheme is necessary to deliver public goods where farming is dif-ficult), it cannot be denied that in order to achieve food and environ-mental security – arguably the most important challenge faced by Europe and the world - there is a significant cost attached. Europe has a moral responsibility to contribute to these challenges, commensurate with its ability to do so.
The likely trend of transferring CAP funds from Pillar I to II is not contrary to these priorities, as long as those funds are accessible to indi-viduals, and not just for improving public delivery. However, an overall cut to the CAP budget before any discussion of the policy objectives and purpose of these payments, is deeply misguided, especially against a background of stricter environmen-tal considerations for land managers, biodiversity conservation goals and continuing expectations for the provi-sion of public goods.
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czech presidency - «Europe without Barriers» 1
Solution for biological treatment of water bodies, lakes and ponds 4
in brief 6
Soil award: call for application 7
Elo and UEHHa conference in croatia 8
YFcS: stimulating entrepreneurship 10
Young Friends of the countryside’s private online platform 11
Staghunting on Exmoor 1940-1998 12
diary dates 12
it is with a sense of pride and purpose that the czech Republic takes the helm of the EU. We are keen to present ourselves as a self- confident, competent, and construc-tive dealmaker, a consensual player that our partners can rely on.
Running the EU 27 will be an
enormous challenge and opportu-nity. a challenge because the global financial crisis has not stopped at Europe’s door; to remedy its prob-lems the bloc needs unity, firm lead-ership, but also a good deal of com-mon sense.opportunity, because for the first time in history the czech Republic has a chance to take a lead in shap-ing pan-European policies.
The motto of the czech presi-
dency is «Europe without Barriers». in 2009 we will celebrate 20 years from the fall of the iron curtain and 5 years from the biggest wave of EU enlargement. Yet obstacles to unhindered trade and labour mobil-ity make it impossible to fully exploit the potential of the Union as a whole. We will therefore strive to promote liberal trading policies and improve the EU´s competitiveness and func-tioning of its internal market.common agricultural Policy (caP) is one of the key themes of the czech presidency. The motto, Europe with-out Barriers applies to the czech vision of agricultural policy across the EU 27. czech presidency would like to stress four main priorities for agriculture.
1. Reform of the Common Agricultural Policy and the Future of Direct Payment
The reform in 2003 was a very progressive one and gave the chance for farmers to respond to market sig-nals. Beyond this, the composition of direct payments, paid to farmers
directly, as a support of incomes to farmers is evolved from different forms of historical calculation based upon production.Therefore, an issue related to this debate is the future of direct pay-ments after 2013. The council and commission dec-laration in the Health check said: in the framework of the discussion that started during the French presidency on the future of the caP after 2013 and without prejudice to the new financial perspective for that period the council and the commission are thoroughly examine the possibilities for development of the direct pay-ment system in the community and addressing the differing level of the direct payments between Member states.in this respect, one of the czech priorities during the presidency is to open the discussion on the different models for future payment in Pillar one.
2. Quality of Agricultural Products and Food Policy
The czech Republic will seek to develop a debate on revising the EU Quality Policy which will make the long-term perspective for high-quality agricultural and food products secure, especially those with registered names of Protected Geographical indication (PGi) and Protected designation of origin (Pdo). The czech Republic will also promote a debate on promoting these products on the EU internal market as well as strengthening their position against third countries. With regard to the strengthening of the competitiveness of EU products and taking into account the long-term czech initiative of protecting quality products and the largest number of Pdi and Pdo applications of all new member countries, it is in the best interest of the czech Republic to promote such a policy and actively
countrySide is a publication of Elo in English, French, German,
participate in its further development. The czech Republic will particularly promote initiatives leading to simplify-ing, straightening, and shortening of the inappropriately long assessment procedures.
other topics which the czech
Republic intends to further develop during its presidency are: the scope of protection of PGi and Pdo, the status of Traditional Specialties Guaranteed (TSG), the registration procedure, changes in PGi and Pdo definitions, promotion, establishing the respec-tive agency, the range of protected products, and the community logo.
The «Green Paper» on the Quality
Policy has already been presented by the commission during the French presidency. The «Green Paper» is besides PGi, Pdo, and TSG also dedicated to certifying quality food or geographical indication. The czech Republic will organize a high-profile conference aimed at developing the discussion at the council level.
3. Simplification of the Common Agricultural Policy
Simplification of the common
agricultural Policy is the priority theme from the point of view of the czech Republic (and most member states) due to future functioning of the caP with its many aspects (repeal of unnecessary legislation, novelisation of rules with the aim of more effec-tiveness, sharing of best practices during implementation, unification of implementation /cross compliance, GaEc, administration of payments/,… - see below). Many member states, including the czech Republic often critically evaluate the approach of the European commission in new pro-posals (for example reform of sugar, vines, Health check - when compli-cated political compromises between members states caused suppression of a simplification ambition).
Simplification of the agricultur-al legislation is based on the wider programmatic task of the European commission for the years 2004 – 2009, that involves the simplification process, in particular the repeal of obsolete and unnecessary legislation and better regulation (updating of the legislation with the aim of augmenta-tion of effectiveness). With regard to the forthcoming end of mandate of the European commission, the commissioner for agriculture and rural development asked dG aGRi to prepare the Simplification Report on fulfilment of set targets in the area of simplification and better regu-lation of the agricultural legislation since 2005 until now. commissioner Mariann FiScHER BoEl also has the ambition to provide, on basis of cur-rent reflection, some proposals and evaluation of future activities for the next European commission.
There is an indication, according
to internal sources from the European commission, that the commissioner FiScHER BoEl is currently prepared to present the Report to the council of the EU in March 2009 at the earliest. She is also open to discussion with the czech Presidency in the council of the EU about the extent of discussions in the council of the EU, including the eventual ambition on formulation of the conclusions (of the council / of the Presidency) to the published communication during the czech Presidency of the council of the EU.
4. Rural Development and the definition of Less Favoured areas (LFA)
With regard to rural development,
the czech Republic will promote a balanced development in order to pro-mote employment and entrepreneur-ship focused on supporting young people in rural areas, enhancement of education, research, and diversifica-tion in non-agricultural activities, in
general on improving the quality of rural life. one of the key strategic tar-gets of rural development is to build the technical infrastructure for the use of renewable energy sources.
during the czech presidency, the
focus will primarily be on the new def-inition of so called «other lFa». The czech Republic understands that this issue is very sensitive, particularly in relation to the criteria proposed by the commission to unify the indicators based on local natural disadvantages. The czech Republic is promoting a new definition of «other lFa» unified by the commission and based on their biophysical criteria (climate and soil), and promoting extensive areas while strictly complying with environment-friendly methods. at the same time, taking into account national specifics, the czech Republic believes that all member states should be guaranteed a certain degree of flexibility within the limits of the proposed criteria. defining the rules should therefore be the responsibility of all member states, in accordance with the sub-sidiary principle. it is in the best interest of the czech Republic that proposed and approved solutions are generally acceptable and will not lead to any dramatic changes in the area of lFa.
n ing. Michal PoSPiSil
association of private farming of the czech Republic, Elo member
Those points were discussed with Minister Gandalovic during the Elo General assembly in Prague in beginning of december. The results of this meeting will be presented in the February issue.
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The contributing factors may be classified as follows:
- The producers – macrophyte or microphyte plants.
- The consumers – animals : zoo-plankton, crustaceans, fish and birds.
- The decomposers – micro-organ-isms, small animals.
These protagonists have a close relationship with the aquatic and air environment and the mineral and/organic sediments.
in a lacustrine system each ele-ment is in equilibrium; the imbalance of one of the links in the biological chain can lead to a dysfunction causing smells, silt build-up, inva-sion by algae or aquatic plants and the deterioration of water quality by the dystrophisation of the water body.
The imbalances can have several causes - an excess of micro-algae (phytoplankton) causes a reduction in oxygen and an increase in organic matter, the water begins to stagnate and causes dystrophisation. The result is usually excessive silt and a deterioration of water quality.
Moreover the growth of too much aquatic plant life can be harmful both to the appearance of the water but also biologically; the conse-quence is often a lack of dissolved oxygen in the water, which leads to odours and problems with the proc-ess of plant decomposition.
it is now possible to treat and cure environmental ailments with natural bacteria, without mutation and tolerated by man, fauna and flora, thanks to the aquakalgon pro-cedure. This causes biodegradation by creating and installing the right equilibrium for the substrate being treated, which it continuously colo-nises.
aquakalgon is a product created by the c.o.R process which uses saprophyte bacteria (class 1 – harm-less to man and the environment) fixed on selected mineral vectors. its chemical and ionic action sub-stantially modifies precipitate mat-ter (viscosity of the silt in rivers and ponds) and its silicic and calcium formula rapidly transforms ammo-niac nitrogen and phosphates.
in a minimal amount of time aquakalgon reestablishes the aquatic equilibrium and reduces
eutrophisation by transforming phytoplankton into zooplankton, through intense activity by micro-organisms.
Rapid transformation of organ-ic matter into mineral matter will cause:- a major reduction of silt.- better plant community activity
through transfer of mineral salts.- the appearance of small animals
and chlorophycea- the influence of photosynthesis
which will increase dissolved oxy-gen, thus causing a second aero-bic phase which is beneficial to purification, degradation and the activity of aquatic fauna.
Successful treatmentafter a few weeks the water
becomes clearer. during the next phase the pH stabilizes and the amount of ammonia and phosphate decreases along with the silt. The first consequence is a progressive return of the aquatic flora and fauna and a return of the biological and physical equilibrium.
aquakalgon has been success-fully used for over ten years and con-vincing results have been obtained in France: the Museum of african
Solution for biological treatment of water bodies, lakes and ponds
The enhancement of a water body involves regular maintenance since lakes and ponds are living systems
with an internal biological cycle subject to interaction with the external environment.
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and oceanic art in Paris – lac du vivier (Haute Savoie) – lac du Manoir de Fontenay Trésigny (Seine et Marne) – andré citroën park in Paris 15 etc… and in Belgium: partial treatment of an arm of the Escaut at oudenaarde.
The best time for this type of treatment is September to november and March to June. The first shock treatment can be applied during these two periods with the following doses:- autumn treatment 1
– 2 tons/hectare- spring treatment 0.5
– 1 ton/hectare
in June 2008 we treated a pond and canal at the château de Beerleghem in Flanders, Belgium, and saw a clear drop in the silt level in october. a second treatment was
administered in november after the last leaves had fallen.
it is probable that by spring the mass of silt will have decreased by about 70%, representing the organic part, leaving only the min-eral part, which of course cannot be destroyed by natural bacteria.
in conclusion it is clear that aquakalgon must be seen as com-plement to traditional sludge drain-age, which it cannot replace entirely since it cannot act on rocks or non-putrefied wood. However by using it before sludge clearance it considerably reduces the cleaning work and above all the destruction of the silt. it must be noted that aquakalgon must be used in small quantities annually after mechanical clearance, in order to keep water
bodies clean and healthy and avoid them silting up again. it is important to remember that this entirely natu-ral, organic product respects nature and harms neither fauna nor flora.
* The coR process is a combi-nation of biology, physics and chemistry. This is what is known as biofixation.
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On 4 and 5 November the international conference,
‘Biodiversity and agriculture’ was held in Montpellier. It focused on challenges
of today and the research of tomorrow into
sustainable agriculture.
coordinated by the French national institute of agronomic research (inRa) and sponsored by the
ministers in charge of research and agriculture, it provided an
opportunity to take stock of the way agriculture and biodiversity interact.
Four main topics were tackled: 1. Ecosystemic services
and agriculture, 2. agriculture, biodiversity
and society, 3. agriculture, biodiversity and landscapes: towards
a consistent policy, 4. Future pathways for science:
knowledge and information.
The organizers themselves explained why they chose these
topics: “according to the scientific community, biodiversity is moving into its sixth period of extinction in the history of the planet. The pace of species extinction has multiplied
by 200 over the last 2 centuries. 60% of ecosystems – on a global scale – have already deteriorated.
This grim scenario which is all too real needs addressing by the international community. There are many politic events
being organized in an attempt to reverse this erosion: the national strategy for biodiversity (French rural development programme),
the revision of the caP (common agricultural Policy), the international convention on biodiversity and the setting up of a scientific expertise
mechanism on biodiversity (iMoSEB) drawing on the example of the iPcc in the fight against the
greenhouse effect.”
The French agriculture and fisheries minister Michel BaRniER stated at the conference that, “agriculture
is facing several major challenges: feeding the world, being more economical in resources and
adjusting to climate change. The conservation and use of biodiversity will be an advantage to agriculture if it wishes to attain these objectives. Research and in-the-field innovation
have shown that this is possible. a new model of agriculture is
emerging and my policy is to make farmers the instigators.” valérie PEcRESSE, French minister of higher education and research added, “it is necessary to unite
our efforts to make research into agriculture and the protection of biodiversity an absolute priority
for European science. There is no point in working alone on subjects like this which involve the future of all our peoples and beyond them, the whole of humanity. The forms of our natural heritage may vary
but we have a common interest in understanding and preserving each
one.”
For more information on the Montpellier conference see:
This topic will also be featured at the conference co-organised by
Elo, the RiSE Foundation and SYGEnTa on 18 March 2009
in Brussels.
ZARAGOZA CHARTER 2008
The Zaragoza Exhibition 2008, which was held from June to September, was the first international exhibition
organised exclusively on the subject of Water and Sustainable
development. This major international event brought
together 104 countries, three international organizations and all of the autonomous
communities and cities of Spain. it was fully compatible with
the United nations approach to water issues. it also allowed millions of visitors to find out
more about the problems of water and sustainable
development on a planetary scale. The Water charter was
also adopted at the conference.
The conclusions which present a new integrated vision of water
and the text of the charter are accessible on the
exhibition website www.expozaragoza2008.es
coordination: François de RadiGUèS Tel: +32 (0)2 234 30 00
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Call for applications Environment and Soil Management Award
The Environment and Soil Management Award has been created by ELO, under the patronage of Commissioner DIMAS, with the cooperation of DG Environment, the Universities of Vienna and
Ljubljana, the EU Joint Research Centre of Ispra and Syngenta International.
With a prize of 2500 euro and a diploma of recognition, the Environment and Soil Management award recognizes outstanding tools and management practices contribu-ting to the protection of soil and land, and improving environmental quality.
The project: • Must be a contribution to the increase in land sustainability, land protection and the improvement of soil quality and particularly to the mitigation of the threats above • Shall be environmentally, socially and
economically sustainable • and must be innovative, original and
transferable as a model.
For more information : http://www.elo.org/soil.php
as the deadline for this award is approaching, the Elo is strongly encou-raging members and partners to submit their numerous applications as soon as possible. The application form can be downloaded from the website. all appli-cations should be sent in English to:European landowners’ organization Rue de Trèves 67, BE – 1040 Bruxelles and by e-mail : [email protected]
DEADLINE : 31st of January 2009
Edito - Follow upin addition to secure food and
feed, the Energy Package places a further challenge at the door of agriculture and forestry, for which access to the appropriate technol-ogy is essential. Policies within Budget Heading 2 offer the essen-tial vehicles through which the Union can address food and envi-ronmental challenges. at present this averages €53 billion p.a. or less than 0.5% of current EU GdP (3% comes from agriculture). But it deals with 80% of EU territory and 40% of its population. in address-ing these concerns, we call for an appropriate restructuring of the budget.
The commission’s Green Paper on agricultural product quality also calls for a response. European agricultural policy must support
farmers to deliver the highest qual-ity products without creating addi-tional costs or burdens. Baseline measures reassure consumers, quality and certification schemes offer transparent choices, meeting consumer demands. However, not only do these measures need to be communicated efficiently, allowing consumers to recognise the strin-gent standards adhered to in the
production of the food (not always the case for imported food), but also – critically - producers must still be able to deliver that food at competitive prices, otherwise quality guarantees become mean-ingless.
To sum up, we call for new pol-icy objectives and actions allowing for safe, affordable food supply and environmental improvements. Widening expectations cannot be met with shrinking budgetary means and burdensome regula-tion. We will be addressing these issues at our 2nd Forum for the Future of agriculture on the 18th March 2009 at the Bibliothèque Solvay, Brussels.
n Thierry de l'EScaillE
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croatia, the country that along with Slovenia recovered best after the break up of the former Yugoslavian Republic, has entered into the final run of negotiations before its EU acces-sion. The EU membership is foreseen in 2010, despite the doubt cast by the negative irish vote on the Treaty of lisbon. in the past years, croatia has had among the highest GdP growth annual rate of 4 to 6 % across candi-date countries but also EU Members with one of the main sources of rev-enue being tourism, linked to the rich Heritage in croatian land.
croatia is now a famous tourism destination with its coastline said to be among the most stunning in the Mediterranean. Yet, off the beaten paths, some somewhat forgotten treasures remain unexploited in the inner regions of croatia despite their closeness to developed urban cen-tres such as Zagreb, the capital. Thanks to its rich History, croatia’s countryside is full of castles, manors,
historic villas and their parks and gar-dens which have too often been left in bad shape or even abandoned. The earliest manors and stately homes originate from the 17th century, in the last decades of the ottoman rul-ing, with a variety of stylistic fea-tures ranging from the late Gothic style, mid-European Renaissance to Baroque classicism, Romanticism and Historicism. Saving this wealth of cultural heritage has become press-ing in the past years.
But the issue of the revitalization of castles and manors of croatia goes far beyond the sole issue of heritage restoration and cultural preservation. Revitalization bears also important economic aspects by bringing positive effects to the regional/local communities, as a key driver for regional development, tourism and prosperity. This can help re balancing the uneven region-al economic development observed since the end of the last war.
a group of academics and former owners has been lobbying actively at national level for the restitution of properties to their original own-ers without however much success. improper use of historic houses (e.g. hospitals, schools, factories) and deficiencies in public ownership and management have put these treasures very much under pressure. despite this, for various reasons, the public authorities do not envisage private ownership and conservation management enthusiastically. after the independence, the vast majority of private properties have not been restituted, despite intensive efforts deployed by owners. Whereas some alternative solution have be found in some cases (such as long-term lease contracts or shared ownership with the State) results remain too limited and unrealistic. The problem of res-titution is important as the property rights are generally not respected as they should.
ELO and UEHHA international conference in Croatia.
International conference “EU success stories in the revitalization of castles, manors and historic houses”: ELO and UEHHA invited as distinguished guests by Croatia. The UEHHA and ELO were invited to present their views on how to best revitalize and manage
sustainably the architectural heritage in Northern Croatia;
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The result is that few initiatives have been put in place to restore and make an economic use of the historic buildings stock.
However, an important initiative has been launched since some years by the Zagreb University’s arhitektonski fakultet (faculty of architecture) under the passionate and inspiring lead-ership of Professor Mladen obad Š iTaRoci and his spouse Bojana BoJani . They have been the con-tact persons for croatia in the “EU villas project”, an interreg funded programme (2000-2006) which con-sisted in setting a tool for easing the improvement and revitalization of aesthetic and economic aspects of architectural heritage. Professor Š iTaRoci is also driving a vast national campaign, the initiative croatian Manors and is involved in several other actions.
it is in this context that UEHHa and Elo were kindly solicited to provide their expertise during the international conference “EU success stories in the revitalisation of castles, manors and historic houses” that took place in Zagreb on october 10, 2008. The aim of the conference was to present some of the best examples of European success stories and to give insight into the current situa-tion in Europe and croatia. This had as an objective to inspire potential croatian investors and property man-agers and eventually establish long term cooperation between croatia and UEHHa to give a new life to croatian built heritage together with a longer-term economic perspective. The event was organized under the patronage of the croatian Ministry of Regional development, Forestry and Water management, the Ministry of Tourism as well as the Krapina-Zagorje and the varaždin counties in northern croatia.
President Ghislain d’URSEl gave an overview on the situation of his-toric houses across Europe with an assortment of concrete examples of uses revealing the creativeness of owners and managers in diver-sifying their activities, a necessity if they want to meet their considerable restoration and maintenance needs and costs. Four selected cases from different UEHHa countries were then analysed into detail with a view to identify the factors of a suc-cessful management: Speakers from Estonia (imre Sooäär, MP), denmark (architect Frants FRandSEn, Realdania) and Hungary (Mrs. Margit BaTTHYanY-ScHMidT and derry MáRTa) gave presentations on the advantages of the private ownership and the good practices in private management by presenting case studies in which they were per-sonally involved. Ms. Emmanuelle MiKoSZ from Elo introduced all the existing financial incentives and funding opportunities available from the EU. Following this, Professor Š iTaRoci, presenting the croatian views, pointed out that a significant number of the manors and stately houses are in poor conditions and that the policies and conditions to restore the built heritage capital are weak. He called upon the State for enhanced efforts to put in place
an adequate policy framework and upon private individuals to invest sustainably and fervently in croatian heritage. These presentations were followed by speeches from key gov-ernment officers – from the cul-tural administration and the Regional development and Environment State Funds – who acknowledged the existence of difficulties and con-firmed that funding will be allocated to remedy the situation and fund durable projects.
The attendance showed a remark-able interest in the topics developed by the UEHHa representatives and took the opportunity to react and express its concerns but also its expectations from the EU member-ship. The highly successful event was clearly a milestone in reviving the impetus for the revitalization of castles and manors. The conference had also as an ambition to stimu-late the creation of a national asso-ciation that would be the voice for historic houses in croatia. a newly created association could eventually join the European Historic Houses to exchange and benefit from the experiences of other European associations.
n alexandre MaRGHEliS
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YFCS: stimulating entrepreneurship
Being a Countryside family business network, special attention is more and more dedicated to family business. Young Friends of the Countryside tries to promote the role of young people to preserve the future of Europe’s countryside and supports
its member’s private rural initiatives.
Together with BnP Paribas, Young Friends of the countryside monitors the YFcS “Young Entrepreneurs’ award”. in this context BnP Paribas wishes to award an annual prize (5.000 € and a testimonial plate) in order to reward a personal or group project of YFcS members.
The objective of this prize is to promote the entrepreneurial spirit within the YFcS network, to pro-mote familial enterprises and to give motivated people the opportunity and support needed to launch their own project. Moreover, it seeks to engage YFcS members to develop projects that address the imminent needs for developing a healthy and sustainable countryside while also serving as good practices to the wider community.
The theme of the award can cover any entrepreneurial activity that is found in the rural, econo- mic and social fabric. This includes innovative and sustainable devel-opments for the prosperous future of rural areas through the direct involvement and leadership qualities of the next generation.
The selection criteria are the fol-lowing:• innovative solutions for the creation,
the conservation and the develo-pment of local economic develop-ment and the fostering of business opportunities. There are no restric-tions on business types or business models as long as they form an integral part of the rural context and future generations. These innova-tive solutions could be, for exam-ple, based on the best available technology adapted to the local environment.
• The project should be an example to other rural communities, be easy to replicate and adaptable to diffe-rent rural contexts. The projects will become an example of good prac-tice and sustainable management for a wider rural audience.
• The development of one or more activities aimed at generating finan-cial funds necessary for the conti-nuous management of the private enterprise.
• The candidate(s) should be able to demonstrate the long-term scope of their project as well as the willin-gness to support the future develo-pment of the project.
This year, the venue for the 2009 award ceremony will be the BnP Paribas headquarters in Paris. The official handing-over of the award will be done together with François dEBiESSE, cEo of BnP Paribas Private Bank.
as usual, this event will be cou-pled together with our annual finan-cial seminar stressed on the impact of the financial crisis on rural activi-ties. The seminar consists of con-ferences and workshops which give to all the participants the opportu-nity to share their ideas and receive further information on the subjects they are interested in. The speakers are financial specialists in their own field of action and rural entrepre-neurs. all will help us understand several issues which will be put into discussion in the afternoon.
We will end the day by a gala dinner at the club Fondation Maison de la chasse. The visit following the financial seminar conferences will focus on the management of the “la Roche-Guyon castle” and its gardens. The castle dates back to the iXth century and has his-torically been the seat of the “la Roche-Guyon” branch of the “la Rochefoucauld” family.
For more information on the YFcS award and the annual YFcS Financial Seminar, please contact the YFcS secretariat.
n The YFcS Board
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Young Friends of the Countryside’s private online platform
Since the founding of Young Friends of the Countryside, it has been our priority to actively listen to our member’s feedback and concerns in order to enhance the YFCS experience.
in october, we were very excit-ed to announce the launch of our private secure platform dedicated fulfill our member’s needs. our website, which previously had this function has been re-designed and will serve from 2009 on as an information tool targeting external stakeholders and potential mem-bers.
Why did we need a private platform for Young Friends of the countryside? The answer is quite evident: passing on beliefs, values, history and maintaining a dynamic network is known to be complicat-ed. imagine Young Friends of the countryside trying to achieve this challenge at the European level!
in addition to this, Young Friends of the countryside has to cope
with its members busy and mod-ern lifestyles: they have little time to dedicate for physical meetings, expect information on demand and have only little time to dedicate to the organization.
We could have anticipated this trend by putting Young Friends of the countryside on online net-works such as Facebook. This would have been wrong as it does not fit the kind of value proposal we intend to offer. We need a com-munity focusing on our “group” and “values” instead of individu-als.
We thus teamed up with Younited S.a.. This company founded in 2007 by Edouard JanSSEn and Edouard THiJSSEn develops fam-ily intranets for leading families
that are secure and confidential, easy-to use, interactive and multi-functional.
We trust that its several fea-tures will further improve the inter-action between the members of our community letting them learn more about each other. it will allow them to access information about our activities and projects, enhancing communication and interaction within the organization.
We thus invite our members that did not yet join the platform to contact ana RocHa at the Young Friends of the countryside secre-tariat by writing to [email protected]. She will provide the necessary support in order to get access to the plat-form.
n The YFcS team
Syngenta International AGBrussels Office
Avenue Louise, 240B - 1050 Brussels
Tel : +32.2.642 2727Fax : +32.2.642 2720
14 January, StrasbourgEuropean Cork Industry: a great example of biodiversity production. How to sustain it?: joint session of the European Parliament “Sustainable hunting, biodiversity and countryside activities” and “Sustainable Development” Integroups
19 -21 January, BrusselsConference “Energy-Water Nexus: Managing the Links between Energy and Water for a Sustainable Future” www.cost.esf.org/index.php?id=wel
21 January, LondonConference “Sustainably Sourcing Agricultural Raw Materials”www.csreurope.org/events.php
9 - 13 February, BrusselsSustainable Energy week - key annual reference point for sustainable energy issues in Europe, organised by European Commission DG Energy and Transport www.eusew.eu
9 -10 February, Vienna5th Annual Meeting of the OECD LEED Forum on Partnerships and Local Governance - Building Strong Partnerships with the Private Sector for Better Jobs and Inclusionwww.oecd.org
18 March, Bibliothèque Solvay, Brussels2nd Forum for the Future of Agriculture, organised by ELO and Syngneta [email protected]
Staghunting on Exmoor 1940-1998 RARE BOOKS AND BERRY, 2008 - Robin DuNN
Staghunting on Exmoor 1940-1998 is the first comprehen-sive account of hunting with the devon & Somerset Staghounds during and since the Second World War. it gives an informed account of the technique of stag-hunting before the ban imposed by the Hunting act 2004, and emphasises the vital part played by the Hunt in the management of a healthy heard of wild red deer on the moor, as well as on the wider rural economy. in addition to interesting accounts of the leading characters of the Hunt as well as descriptions of some of the outstanding hunts over a sixty year period, this compact book also deals with the relations between the Hunt
and the national Trust and the long political battle which led to the Hunting act.
The book’s author, Sir Robin dUnn was originally a soldier before becoming a barrister and ending his career as lord Justice of appeal. Having moved to Somerset in southwest England in 1941, Sir Robin was a dedicat-ed and unashamed supporter of staghunting, which he enjoyed until he was eighty.
Generously he will donate any profits from this book to the devon & Somerset Staghounds.
