Our Role

ERCA’s role is focused on networking and information sharing, skill development and promoting the importance of the rural areas and their people.

Networking and information sharing

• Providing a platform for networking and exchange of experience, skills and knowledge between local communities and national networks
• Creating a pool of experience from rural communities across Europe on how to make the countryside viable and deal with rural issues
• Providing a platform for developing international connections and projects
• Enabling mutual support, solidarity and confidence in rural communities
• Spreading the idea and understanding of rural movements into other countries where they do not currently exist
• Providing an information focus for forthcoming events, reports of conferences and projects etc.
• Providing a challenge support function for members in their engagement with policy makers with the respective jurisdictions

Skills development

• Providing a platform for mutual learning on the processes and structures of local rural development
• Providing learning opportunities between the well established and new / potential national rural movements.
• Developing community skills undertake their own research, dialogue with policy makers, project development and implementation 
• Providing opportunities for local communities to experience, share and implement good practice from within and without the EU.
• Sharing and teaching practical tools and advice for village development

Promoting the importance of the rural areas and people

• Raising awareness at national and EU levels about the extent, knowledge, experience and needs of rural communities
• Facilitating joint discussion between local communities and policy makers
• Enabling the voice of rural communities to reach decision makers at regional, national and EU levels
• Enabling local engagement in consultations on EU policies