European Economic and Social Committee NAT/661 Rural Development Programmes Brussels, 1 June 2015 NOTICE OF MEETING SECTION FOR AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE ENVIRONMENT Study Group on Rural Development Programmes The president, Mr Kienle, invites you to attend the following meetings, to be held at the Scandic Marina Congress Center1 in Helsinki, Finland on Tuesday 9 June 2015, beginning at 9 a.m. Hearing on Agritourism and other non-farming employment on farms as contributors to rural development starting at 9 a.m. and finishing at 12 noon. 3rd meeting of the study group on Rural Development Programmes starting at 1.30 p.m. Study visits will be organised from Wednesday 10 June from 9 a.m. to Thursday 11 June until 12.30 p.m. The draft programme of the hearing is attached. The programme for the study visits in the region of Kuopio and Savonlinna will be sent to you separately. The draft agenda for the study group meeting is as follows: 1. Adoption of the draft agenda 2. Presentation of the Preliminary Draft Opinion drawn up by the rapporteur, Mr Jones and the co-rapporteur, Ms Agudo i Bataller on Rural Development Programmes – Sticking Plasters or Green Shoots of Recovery? (own-initiative opinion) EESC-2014-00601-00-00-APA-TRA 3. General discussion Working languages (5): Interpreting (5-3-): 1 ES/DE/EN/FR/FI ES/DE/EN/FR/FI into EN/FR/FI _____________ Scandic Marina Congress Center, Katajanokanlaituri 6, 00160 Helsinki. NAT/661 – EESC-2015-00601-00-03-CONVPOJ-TRA (EN) 1/3 Rue Belliard/Belliardstraat 99 — 1040 Bruxelles/Brussel — BELGIQUE/BELGIË Tel. +32 25469011 — Fax +32 25134893 — Internet: http://www.eesc.europa.eu EN N.B.: Document EESC-2015-00601-00-00-APA-TRA referred to in item 2 will be made available as soon as possible via the Members' Portal. Members and experts are asked to sign the attendance list in order to ensure that their meeting expenses are refunded. Members unable to attend the meeting are asked to give advance notice to their group secretariat so that interpreters do not attend unnecessarily. Recorded meeting - see DI CESE 22/2010. * * * N.B.: Appendix I overleaf NAT/661 – EESC-2015-00601-00-03-CONVPOJ-TRA (EN) 2/3 Public Hearing Agritourism and other non-farming employment on farms as contributors to rural development Tuesday 9 June 2015, 9 a.m.-12 noon Helsinki Scandic Marina Congress Center, meeting room: Fennia II Draft programme Interpreting (5/3): ES/DE/EN/FR/FI into EN/FR/FI 8.30-9 a.m. Registration 9-9.20 a.m. Welcoming remarks by Ms Dilyana Slavova, President of the Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment (NAT) of the EESC Keynote speech by Mr Kimmo Tiilikainen, Minister of Agriculture and the Environment - tbc 9.20-9.30 a.m. Introduction by the EESC rapporteurs Mr Tom Jones and Ms Agudo i Bataller 9.30-10.40 a.m. Session I – Farming, rural entrepreneurship and rural development in Finland Moderator: Mr Seppo Kallio, EESC member Ms Minna-Mari Kaila, Director – Agriculture, Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK) Ms Kirsi Ilola-Ollikka, Entrepreneur, President of the Finnish Association of Rural Tourism Entrepreneurs Mr Tuomas Kuhmonen, Research Director, Finland Futures Research Centre, University of Turku Ms Suvi Anttila, Communication and Marketing Director at ProAgria Association of Rural Advisory Centres General debate 10.40-10.50 a.m. Coffee 10.50-11.50 a.m. Session II – Women's and their organisations' role in revitalising rural communities and local economies – Moderator: Ms Pirkko Raunemaa, EESC member Ms Terhi Lindqvist, Development Manager of International Affairs, The Martha Organisation Ms Mirja Hellstedt, Executive Director, Council of Home Economics and Consumer Associations Ms Maarit Sireni, Senior Researcher, Karelian Institute, University of Eastern Finland General debate 11.50 a.m.12 noon Conclusions by the EESC rapporteurs Mr Tom Jones and Ms Agudo i Bataller ____________ NAT/661 – EESC-2015-00601-00-03-CONVPOJ-TRA (EN) 3/3