Rural territories reject exclusion from Portugal 2030 agreement
The organization, based in Lisbon, which is rotated by the members it represents, “does not understand the disinvestment in rural territories underlying the Portugal 2030 partnership agreement and claimed the integration of CLLD in territorial approaches for the period 2021-2027”.
In a statement, the FMT denounces that “the new instrument ‘Partnerships for Cohesion’ foreseen in the partnership agreement, although it appears to maintain the CLLD principles, incorporates a ‘top-down’ approach with an ‘optional and eventual’ character, without financial expression, without integrating support systems for locally-based investment, namely entrepreneurship and sustainable employment, nor the strengthening of local governance”.
“The proposal entails a loss of intervention capacity in supporting the creation and modernization of micro and small companies in the consolidation of sustainable employment at the local level, given a sectoral focus of the Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural Policy (PEPAC), accompanied by a loss substantial of the appropriations associated with the Local Development Strategies, above 40% compared to the 2014-2020 programming and above 50% when compared to the 2007-2013 period”, refers the note.
The FMT, whose position has now been taken was taken at a meeting held Monday night, considers that “this is a particularly pertinent moment for local and proximity responses, which play a key role in the post-pandemic context, in promoting recovery and economic and social revitalization, strengthening territorial cohesion, materializing opportunities that result from trends triggered or accelerated by the pandemic and not supporting initiatives that transform territories”.
The organization reaffirms the importance “of recognizing and valuing the CLLD regulatory instrument / Leader approach in the 2021-2027 horizon, in a multi-fund logic as a solution that allows support for local projects in different sectors of activity, from a multi-sector strategic vision and integrated into the territory”.
It also considers that “the strengthening of partnerships and local actors and their relationship / cooperation with other levels / scales of governance, supported by the principles of flexibility, autonomy and participatory democracy, is essential in pursuing the objectives of the cohesion policy and the rural development for a Europe closer to its citizens”.
The FMT asks for the inclusion of multi-fund CLLD in the set of territorial approaches programmed in the Portugal 2030 partnership agreement and considers that if the proposal goes forward “it goes against the necessary provisions” and represents “an inevitable and undesirable process of decapitalization of rural territories and a obvious loss of the desired proximity to and from the territories and the people who live in them”.
The FMT represents 60 local development associations, which together cover more than 93% of the national territory, and initiative and implementation resources directly cover more than four million Portuguese residents in rural areas.
With an experience of three decades, local development associations are in charge of implementing the Leader approach and are managing entities in the respective territories of the Rural Development Program (PDR) 2020 and the 2020 Center for the System of Incentives and Support for Entrepreneurship and Employment.
Also read: Manifesto calls for the participation of Culture in the Portugal 2030 consultation