The Declaration of the 4th Albanian Rural Parliament presented to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, marking the launch of a new cooperation mechanism to support rural reforms and Albania’s EU accession process
The Albanian Network for Rural Development presented the Declaration of the 4th Albanian Rural Parliament during a policy dialogue hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, marking an important step towards strengthening institutional dialogue and cooperation in support of Albania’s rural development reforms and European Union accession process.
The Declaration brings together the key messages, priorities and recommendations emerging from the broad consultation process carried out through the 4th Albanian Rural Parliament, which convened around 300 representatives of rural communities, farmers, civil society organisations, Local Action Groups, local authorities, public institutions, academia, businesses and development partners.
Opening the meeting, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development welcomed the Declaration as a valuable contribution stemming from an inclusive consultation process involving rural stakeholders across the country.
“We are here to become familiar with the findings of the Declaration emerging from the Rural Parliament. The EU integration process requires new policy instruments, legislative alignment, the implementation of the LEADER approach and stronger national networking built on dialogue and recommendations. We are here to listen and to take note of the messages presented today,” the Minister stated.
The Rural Parliament as a national platform for dialogue and consultation
Following the Minister’s remarks, Sotiraq Hroni, Chair of the ANRD Board, underlined that the Albanian Rural Parliament has evolved into an important national platform for dialogue, strengthening cooperation between rural communities, civil society organisations and public institutions over the years. He recalled that even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rural Parliament succeeded in maintaining broad territorial participation through community-based consultation groups, demonstrating that meaningful bottom-up dialogue can continue even under challenging circumstances.
Mr. Hroni stressed that the key challenge now is to institutionalise public consultation and establish a more structured partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and rural stakeholders. He highlighted that ANRD, together with its nationwide network of member organisations, has built substantial expertise and first-hand knowledge of rural realities across Albania, representing an important resource that should be better integrated into public policymaking. He also emphasised the need for all departments within the Ministry to become more familiar with the work, agenda and contribution of ANRD and other civil society organisations, noting that stronger cooperation between public institutions and organised rural stakeholders would significantly improve the effectiveness and quality of agricultural and rural development policies.
An open dialogue on Albania’s rural development priorities
The meeting continued with a presentation by Evelina Azizaj, National Coordinator of ANRD, who introduced the process behind the preparation of the Declaration, emphasising that it represents the collective voice of rural communities and provides practical recommendations to support rural development policies and Albania’s European integration agenda.
Rather than a formal presentation of the document, the meeting was organised as an interactive policy dialogue around the Declaration’s recommendations. Four contributors to the Declaration drafting process – Rozeta Gradeci, Besmira Kukaj, Nexhmi Torra and Petrit Dobi – presented the key messages and recommendations from four priority thematic areas: inclusive rural development and the LEADER/CLLD approach; the empowerment of women in the agri-food sector; family farming; transhumance. Their presentations stimulated a constructive exchange of views among Ministry representatives, ANRD member organisations and development partners.
Participants agreed that Albania’s EU accession process requires a more structured and continuous dialogue between public institutions and civil society organisations, together with greater recognition of the expertise, territorial presence and long-standing experience that non-governmental organisations bring to agricultural and rural development.
The discussion also highlighted the importance of strengthening local governance and ensuring that municipalities play a more active role in rural policymaking and implementation. ANRD presented its plans to activate regional forums as permanent mechanisms for bottom-up dialogue, consultation and advocacy.
Beyond the Declaration itself, participants shared ongoing initiatives already contributing to several of its recommendations. These included UN Women Albania’s programmes for the economic empowerment of rural women, a joint initiative by partner organisations organising regional shepherds’ meetings under the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, and ANRD’s new We Effect-supported project, aimed at strengthening collective initiatives and regional advocacy for rural development.
Working group established to ensure follow-up
One of the most significant outcomes of the meeting was the agreement to establish a joint working group, chaired by Deputy Minister Fatmir Guri, which will serve as a permanent communication mechanism between the Ministry and ANRD for following up on the Declaration’s recommendations. In his remarks, the Deputy Minister stressed that both the Rural Parliament and its Declaration should be regarded as integral parts of the policymaking process, describing the recommendations as “ready-to-use input” for institutional planning. He also announced that the Ministry has initiated the preparation of the new Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy, underlining that the recommendations contained in the Declaration should be reflected in this strategic document and that the newly established working group would contribute to this process.
Looking ahead
Closing the meeting, the National Coordinator of ANRD, thanked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for its openness to institutional dialogue, as well as ANRD’s member organisations, development partners and the Rural Youth Hub for their contribution to the Rural Parliament process. She also presented ANRD’s newly launched We Effect-supported project, which aims to strengthen regional rural forums and promote multi-stakeholder dialogue at territorial level.
Reaffirming ANRD’s commitment to supporting evidence-based policymaking, she expressed the Network’s readiness to assist the Ministry in organising future consultation processes on rural policy issues, ensuring that the needs, experiences and perspectives of rural communities continue to inform the design, implementation and monitoring of agricultural and rural development reforms.
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The organisation of the 4th Albanian Rural Parliament and the preparation of its Joint Declaration were made possible thanks to the support of the following partners and initiatives:
• EU GoAL – Institutional Support to Albania in the Agriculture and Fisheries Sectors towards EU Accession, funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation through the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and implemented by CIHEAM Bari.
• The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), through programmes and initiatives supporting the sustainable transformation of agriculture and rural areas, including Business, Partnerships and Solutions for SDGs (B4SDGs), Digital Agriculture and Rural Transformation in Albania (DART), and Support to Improved Land Management and Local Rural Development in the Context of EU Accession.
• The Albanian Network for Rural Development, through the regional project “Farm to Fork Academy for Green Western Balkans – Our Shared European Future,” funded by the European Union and implemented by the National Rural Development Networks of the six Western Balkan countries and Croatia, together with the Balkan Rural Development Network (BRDN).
• UN Women Albania, through the project “Empower Women for Rural Development in Northern Albania,” implemented by UN Women and funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
ANRD extends its sincere appreciation to all partners, host municipalities, experts, moderators, rapporteurs and participants whose commitment and contribution made the 4th Albanian Rural Parliament and its Joint Declaration possible.
