Context
As they are home to almost half the population, rural areas are of great importance for the six Southeast European (SEE) countries Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. However, they face continuous population ageing, youth emigration and high unemployment.
Objective
Employment and incomes in the rural areas of the SEE countries are improved and in line with the approximation process to the European Union (EU) and the Sofia Declaration.
Approach
SEDRA II cooperates closely with the Regional Rural Development Standing Working Group (SWG) of South Eastern Europe, which is responsible for cross-border cooperation in agriculture and rural development.
SEDRA II operates in three areas:
1. Facilitating theme-specific policy dialogues and providing technical expertise on rural economic diversification. It achieves this by encouraging regional political and policy dialogue, improving regional competencies and expertise on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the Green Agenda of the EU and aligning the national policies.
2. Consolidating existing regional and national cooperation structures for rural development. This includes establishing thematic hubs to promote shared learning and exchange and improve the reach of rural development networks.
3. Promoting regional value creation and local resilience. This can change the socio-economic decisions taken by the rural population leading them to see better prospects for themselves and their families at home.