The National Association of Agricultural Advisory Services of Ukraine and the Latvian Centre for Rural Advisory and Education invite you to participate in the online seminar ‘The Role of Agricultural Advisers in the Process of EU Integration: Latvia’s Experience and Opportunities for Ukraine’.

Date: 25, 26, 27 September 2024.

Time: 10:00–12:30 (same time each day).

Venue: online (ZOOM)

Registration link: https://forms.gle/16nd4rnFWuTQngkA9

All registered participants will receive a link to join the ZOOM meeting.

Aim of the seminar: to improve the effectiveness of the advisory service in the process of Ukraine’s agricultural and rural European integration.

Over three days, leading experts from Latvia and Ukraine will share their knowledge and experience on the following:

· Key EU instruments for rural development and an assessment of their impact.

· The role of agricultural and rural advisers in the EU integration process: Latvia’s experience and ideas.

· How EU integration has helped the development of Latvian farms: practical examples, success stories.

· The transformation of agricultural advisory services during Latvia’s European integration: mistakes and efforts to address them.

· Experience/achievements/tasks of a regional adviser and head of a structural unit at the Latvian Centre for Rural Consultancy and Education in the process of EU integration.

· AKIS and agricultural advisory services: European trends – the Latvian experience.

· Agricultural extension in Ukraine’s agrarian and rural European integration policy.

· The current situation in Ukraine – involving advisers in integration processes.

· Ukraine’s needs in the process of agricultural and rural European integration: directions, steps, tools.

Organisers:

· Latvian Centre for Rural Consultancy and Education.

· National Association of Agricultural Advisory Services of Ukraine.

Target audience:

· agricultural advisers and expert advisers, specialists from agricultural advisory services and consultancy firms;

· specialists in agricultural and rural development from local authorities, regional and district state administrations, and councils;

· researchers and educators;

· representatives of the agricultural and rural business sectors;

· representatives of civil society organisations whose activities are related to agricultural and rural development.

Contact details: doradaukraine@gmail.com; +380975747327 (Roman Korinets).

Background

Since Ukraine acquired the status of a candidate country for EU membership, work on pre-accession preparation for EU membership has become of great importance. One of the tools for such preparation is IPARD – the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance for Rural Development. The aim of IPARD is to help beneficiaries (EU candidate countries) align themselves with EU rules, standards, policies and practices in preparation for EU membership by promoting political, institutional, legal, administrative, social and economic reforms in the field of agricultural and rural development. Through IPARD, the EU provides beneficiaries with financial and technical assistance to make their agricultural sector and rural areas more sustainable, aligning their agricultural policies with the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy.

Ukraine does not yet have access to the pre-accession programme for rural development, but given the length and complexity of the process, work on joining this instrument or similar ones that may emerge in the future should be started well in advance.

With the support of the US Embassies in Ukraine, the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ukrainian Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, the National Association of Agricultural Advisory Services of Ukraine and the Latvian Centre for Rural Consultancy and Education are implementing the project ‘Action Plan for the Harmonisation of Legislation in the Field of Rural Development in Ukraine, Promoting the Use of EU Pre-Accession Assistance Instruments for Rural Development to Enhance the Competitiveness and Export Capacity of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in Ukraine’.

One of the key objectives of the project is to prepare a roadmap for Ukraine’s accession to the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance for Rural Development. The draft of this Roadmap will be presented and discussed during the event.