Jan Huijgen

We were very busy with the preparation of the European Eemland Conference next week. All organisational and practical work has to be done. We are almost finishing a new Landscape house in Eemland, which will be opened by the regional and European officials.
The big tent for 300 – 500 persons is made ready, and the programm is almost defenite with speakers and workshops. People from all over Europe are already on the list of the Conference.

It is remarkable that this week was also a big Conference on the rural area, organized by the European Commission itself. It is held in Cyprus under the title ‘Europe’s rural areas in action’ (see for the interesting programm http://www.aimgroup.eu/2008/cyprus/index.html).
We see the launching of the European Network for Rural Development (ENRD), which will help the national chapters in implementing the existing programms for rural development.

It is interesting to reflect on the similarities and differences of both our Conferences. Both are concerned about the vitality of the rural area to face the ‘challenges’. Both see new tasks of the government and the knowledge/research institutes for analysing and financing new opportunities facing these challenges. Both are also aware of the multilevel approach – from local, regional, national en European to address the problems.

There is one point on which I sense at least some difference: the role of the entrepreneurial spirit and the market/chain approach. For serious innovation you need the risk taking persons, the doers, the marketimpulses and the networks which are formed by this men and organisations. I know, from the governmentperspective and from the countrysidepeople we are a little bit afraid of these powerfull market forces. And it is important to take into account the dangers of too much market and to little public values in the rural area.
I was surprised to discover that in the recent publication of the OECD – The new rural paradigm – the best practises of rural development included also the involvement of the businessparties. Next week Mr. Nicolas Crosta of the OECD will also attend the European Eemland Conference and I would like to talk with him about that. Key processes of innovation need besides government and knowledge also that businessexperience.

On the European Eemland Conference we will discuss an innovation model – the Social Entreprise European Versatile Countryside (EVC) which will involve special business people: the Social Venture Entrepreneurs. That are people who combine the entrepreneurial spirit with the corporate social responsibility – not only profit, but also people and planet are important.
We need for the tough challenges of the rural area social responsible entrepreneurs who are serious about the public values of the commons, and at the same time entrepreneurial in taking up the challenges on a creative way.

I would like to discuss this EVC approach with the new European Network for Rural Development, with the EU commissar mrs. Fischer Boel and all other participants in the ongoing discussion on the Rural Area of Europe. I would like to start this next week, and when people have already ideas beforehand – comment on this blog!