National rural development agency launched

The National Rural Development Agency (NRDA), set up last August by the Local Councils' Association, the Association of Executive Secretaries and European Consulting Limited with the support of Forum Malta fl-Ewropa, has been launched.

The NRDA, which is being projected as the primary local action group (LAG) for Malta, has since been joined by 28 of the 33 eligible local councils, a number of organisations representing civil society, the Institute for Tourism Studies and the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises (GRTU). Further enrolment was expected in the coming months especially from business concerns.

Agency chairman Claudette Baldacchino described the launch as an important moment for the Local Councils' Association, which already participated in other EU programmes. The agency would enable the association to lead Malta in its management of the EU's project Axis 3.

The characteristics distinguishing this project were the bottom-up approach it built upon and the inclusive local participation it promoted. It adopted innovative approaches for mobilising rural areas' development potential. It stimulated local actors to successfully implement the strategy they would have developed for their region.

LCA executive secretary Jimmy Magro said that programmes falling within this project would help to give importance to agriculture in Malta. The project, he said, could strengthen the country's competitiveness by creating a new tourism niche, such as through agro-tourism and integrated relational tourism, where the owners of small family-owned hotels fully integrated with their guests with whom they would operate on a first name basis.

LAGs would also be responsible for the implementation of Axis 3, which had a budget allocation of €33 million (Lm14.2 million) for absorption during the 2008-2013 period.

Besides these funds, Malta's Rural Development Plan allocated €3.8 million (Lm1.7 million) for capacity building by the two LAGs to be set up in Malta and Gozo. These funds would be used to submit the strategy report and business plan, recruit professional staff to manage the LAG, rent offices and partly to finance other operational expenses.

The NRDA, Mr Magro said, was already cooperating with foreign LAGs and it was envisaged that other EU funds would this year be used to implement projects related to information and awareness, agro-tourism and the exchange of best practices and experiences.