On 26 October 2026, Dr Živilė Gedminaitė-Raudonė, principal researcher at the Institute of Economics and Rural Development of the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences (LCSS), participated in an international symposium in Warsaw dedicated to discussing the future EU funding architecture for 2028–2034 and the place of agriculture and rural development within it (Can MFF 2028–2034 Support Future Proofing of Agriculture and Rural Areas? Focus on Central and Eastern Europe). At the event, she delivered the presentation Policy Integration for Future-Proofing Agriculture and Rural Areas: The Lithuanian Perspective on NRPPs, presenting Lithuania’s experience and insights regarding the preparation of future National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs), and took part in a panel discussion on the role of regions in the future EU funding architecture.
The symposium focused on the new architecture of the EU Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028–2034 and the proposed NRPP model, under which agricultural, rural development and cohesion policy measures would be more closely integrated within a single national planning framework. Participants discussed whether such a model could improve investment coordination and create stronger synergies across policy areas while maintaining sufficient attention to the specific needs of agriculture, rural areas, and individual regions.
The presentation and panel discussion highlighted that successfully implementing an integrated system will require a clear division of institutional responsibilities, meaningful involvement of regions and sectoral partners, reliable data and monitoring systems, and stable, predictable funding. It will also be important to maintain a strong focus on food security, farm economic viability, generational renewal, climate and environmental challenges, and rural resilience. In Lithuania and other EU Member States along the EU’s eastern border, the vitality of rural areas also has a broader territorial resilience dimension: it is essential to create conditions that enable people to work, farm, invest and continue living in these territories.
We sincerely thank the organisers – IRWiR PAN, ERDN and the other symposium partners – for the invitation to participate in the symposium, the opportunity to present research findings and experience from Lithuania, and the valuable exchange with researchers and experts from other countries on the challenges, opportunities and possible solutions associated with the new planning framework for agriculture and rural areas.
Symposium recording on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/live/zKCqAur8q3I?si=1aL1hqaqfI4kzVyH
More information: dr. Živilė Gedminaitė-Raudonė, zivile.gedminaite@lcss.lt
Photos by Krzysztof Wierzbicki
