LINC 2019 in Estonia

The 10th anniversary conference of Europe’s largest rural life network will be held in Pärnu County in 2019

PRESS RELEASE

 

The 10th anniversary conference of Europe’s largest rural life network will be held in Pärnu County in 2019

The LINC (Leader Inspired Network Community) conference of 2018 took place in Finland where Pärnu County was officially announced as the organiser of the next conference. Organisers expect about 350 rural life developers from nearly 20 countries at the anniversary conference on 10-13 September 2019.

LINC is an annual meeting of action groups which implement the EU LEADER programme, and was launched in 2010 by Austria in cooperation with Estonia, Finland and Germany. The 2012 conference took place in Tartu, Estonia, the 2018 conference in Rauma, Finland had over 300 delegates from 17 European countries.

The aim of LINC conferences has always been to share experiences of steps taken to improve rural life, and common features include learning about LEADER success stories, finding contacts for implementing new projects, entering into new cooperation agreements and creating a sense of identity through European culinary achievements and sports activities.

LAG Pärnu Bay Partnership has the following partners in organising the conference: LAG Green Riverland Partnership, LAG Mulgimaa Development Centre, LAG Kodukant Läänemaa, Estonian LEADER Union, and the Estonian Rural Network Department (RND) of the Agricultural Research Centre. The conference is also supported by the City of Pärnu.

Nine study trips will be organised over three days in three counties to visit rural entrepreneurs. The trips include an introduction to Estonian natural heritage and boglands, and success stories supported by the LEADER programme. All delegates are expected to feed back on what they learned so that local entrepreneurs could improve and develop their products and services.

LAG Green Riverland Partnership will arrange a big sport events day where one of the aims is to find new contacts and test team working skills.

All participating countries have an opportunity to present culinary achievements of their areas during the European Buffet.

LEADER local action groups work according to the bottom-up principle which means that local people decide which projects and activities to support in their area and Estonia has 26 such local action groups. LEADER, which uses community principles in its work in Europe, has over 3000 members, including fishery LAGs. The city and county of Pärnu, as well as the whole of Estonia, have an exceptional opportunity to present themselves to colleagues from Europe at the 10th LINC conference through this extensive network, to show Estonia and invite people to discover this country in the future.

 

Registration for the conference will open on 1st February 2019 at: linc2019.eu

Information: Mercedes Merimaa, Pärnu Lahe Partnerluskogu (LAG Pärnu Bay Partnership), phone: +372 509 2261

Technical issues: Viivika Orula, Reiser Konverentsid, phone: +372 521 4210

06.11.2018