From October 14–17, 2025, the 4th General Assembly of the ESIRA Project took place in Orlec (Poland). Živilė Gedminaitė-Raudonė, Principal investigator at the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences, Institute of Economics and Rural Development, attended the meeting.
The purpose of the assembly was to review project progress, discuss achieved results, and plan further steps supporting social economy initiatives across seven European Union countries. Participants represented project partners from Serbia, Norway, Italy, Spain, Lithuania, Hungary, and Poland.
In addition to project coordination sessions, participants had the opportunity to explore local social economy initiatives in the Bieszczady region, highlighting the role of tourism, cultural heritage, environmental education, and social entrepreneurship in rural development.
Among the initiatives visited were BIESZCZAD.ski Wańkowa (Olszanica Municipality) – combining tourism and social entrepreneurship; the Bieszczady Cultural Heritage Center “Fanto”, showcasing the region’s identity; the Ecomuseum “Na Wypale” (Radoszyce), merging traditional crafts with environmental education; the Association of Bieszczady Initiatives “Przełączenie” (Dwernik), promoting community-based tourism; and the Rural Housewives’ Circle Babiniec – Czarna i Przyjaciele (Czarna Górna), preserving local traditions and women’s social activism.
Such international cooperation contributes to the growth of the social economy, exchange of experience, and identification of new trends in sustainable rural development. The ESIRA project continues to strengthen the link between research, local practice, and community-based innovation across Europe.
Project start date: 1 January 2024
Duration: 4 years
Budget: 4 499 840,00 EUR
Coordinator: University of Burgos (Spain)
15 partners from 8 countries, piloting 9 regions.
More information about the project: www.esira.eu
The project is implemented by:
Dr. Živilė Gedminaitė-Raudonė (project manager in Lithuania), tel. (+370 5) 2617 978, e-mail zivile.gedminaite@ekvi.lt
Dr. Rasa Melnikienė, e-mail rasa.melnikiene@ekvi.lt
Dr. Dalia Vidickienė, e-mail dalia.vidickiene@ekvi.lt
Dr. Rita Lankauskienė, e-mail rita.lankauskiene@ekvi.lt
Dr. Vitalija Simonaitytė, e-mail vitalija.simonaityte@ekvi.lt