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European Congress
on Renewal and Rural Development

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Making the voice of rural residents heard

03.04.2025

How can you make the voice of rural residents heard? How can rural residents become real partners of local government and of the national government? The Rural Parliament is the answer to these questions. It is a long-term process that allows rural residents to speak out and be heard in matters of policy towards rural areas, as well as to take joint actions.

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The first gathering of the Polish Rural Parliament will be one of the side events of the European Congress on Renewal and Rural Development.

Where did the idea of ​​the Rural Parliament originate?

The beginnings of the idea of ​​the Rural Parliament date back to 1989. At that time, the Swedish movement Hela Sverige ska leva HSSL initiated a grassroots process that was to increase the overall involvement in the life of the countryside and create a place for debates between its residents and political decision-makers. Thanks to a better mutual understanding of the needs, possibilities and limitations of both sides, the creation of appropriate political programmes and the implementation of solutions to current problems affecting the countryside, the idea spread and grew.

The Rural Parliament’s Objectives

Today we see that the original objectives of the Rural Parliament have stood the test of time. Just as they did over 35 years ago, the most important thing today is to provide rural people with a grassroots platform where they can express their views about rural areas and be guaranteed that they will be heard.

The Rural Parliament is not a formal part of government, nor is it a legislative or decision-making body, and most importantly, it is apolitical. It is a grassroots process focused on achieving practical results that meet the challenges and opportunities of rural people. These results are monitored and further developed.

Rural parliaments in Europe and the European Rural Parliament

Currently, the Rural Parliament process is being implemented in over a dozen countries in Europe. In 2013, the European Rural Parliament was also established, which is to ensure that the voice of residents of rural areas of the Member States is taken into account in European policies regarding rural development. The idea of ​​the European Rural Parliament was carried by three European organizations:

  • the European Rural Community Alliance (ERCA),
  • PREPARE – Partnership for Rural Europe,
  • the European LEADER Association for Rural Development (ELARD).

Polish Rural Parliament

In 2024, the Polish Rural Forum (FAOW) initiated the process towards a Rural Parliament in Poland. It invited organizations and federations such as the Union of Rural Youth, the Union of Rural Communes, the National Association of Village Leaders, the Polish LAG Network, the National Council of Agricultural Chambers, the Union of Volunteer Fire Departments, the Food Economy Federation to cooperate.

The first gathering of the Polish Rural Parliament will be held on 8 May 2025 in Poznań as part of the European Congress on Renewal and Rural Development.

The establishment of the Polish Rural Parliament is based on the belief that the interests of rural communities are insufficiently represented in national and European debates and in shaping policies and programmes. Meanwhile, it is the residents of rural areas who have the best understanding of their strengths, opportunities and needs.

The idea of the Polish Rural Parliament is based on the general assumptions of the Rural Parliament, which are:

  • open and consensus-based cooperation of the most important non-governmental organizations and communities operating on behalf of or at the village level,
  • independence from public administration and lack of links with any political option,
  • periodic (usually once every 2 years) gatherings of rural organizations and communities, including discussions on the needs of the village and preparation of recommendations for the authorities,
  • between gatherings, the Rural Parliament process, including dissemination of conclusions from previous meetings and advocacy for their better inclusion in policies, collecting voices and opinions of various rural communities and preparing subsequent meetings.

Planned activities

Within two years, as part of the initiative of the Polish Rural Parliament, FAOW plans to implement a number of activities enabling the development of recommendations for public policies concerning rural areas. The final shape and scope of these activities will depend on the possibility of obtaining funds and the involvement of key partner organizations.

A study is planned to diagnose the situation in rural areas, including the identification of problems and analysis of effective solutions used in other countries. The research report, containing recommendations for NGOs and local governments, will be a tool supporting the development of rural communities and advocacy for systemic changes. It will also be a starting point for conducting regional debates in four different regions of Poland, in which representatives of government, NGOs, industry experts and rural residents will participate.

The next element of the process will be workshops and industry meetings, focusing on the cooperation of NGOs with the public sector, business and science. They will cover key areas such as health, energy, education, mobility, social services and water management.

And finally, the culmination of this process will be a nationwide conference presenting the results of research, meetings, regional debates and recommendations developed during the entire process. This event, planned for 2027, will also be an opportunity for the second gathering of the Polish Rural Parliament and the beginning of another cycle of the entire process.

About the initiator of the Polish Rural Parliament

The Polish Rural Forum (FAOW), the initiator of the establishment of the Polish Rural Parliament, is a nationwide alliance of organizations working for the benefit of villages, registered as a union of associations, which has among its members: the most important nationwide organizations dealing with the development of villages, local action groups, small local associations.

FAOW focuses on two main areas of activity:

  • activities for member organizations (information, building skills, advocacy, facilitating contacts between organizations in Poland and abroad),
  • implementation of projects related to the mission of FAOW (training projects addressed to LAGs and other rural organizations, projects covering the study of the condition of the rural non-governmental sector, projects promoting civic dialogue and increasing the participation of rural residents in creating public policies).

More about FAOW: www.faow.pl

More about activities supporting national rural parliaments in the EU can be read on the website of the European Rural Parliament: https://www.facebook.com/europeanruralparliament/about and the European Rural Community Alliance: https://ruralcommunities.eu/

The report from the meeting of the European Rural Parliament in Kielce in 2022: https://www.ksowplus.pl/en/erp2022

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