International Conference

``THE FUTURE OF RURAL POLICY''

Presentation of OECD Territorial Review: Siena

Siena (Italy) 10, 11, 12 July 2002

THE FUTURE OF RURAL POLICY

A Conference on the Policies Shaping the Role that Rural Communities play in the Development of a Sustainable Future: from Sectoral to Place-Based Policies

It has been nearly fifteen years since the European Commission published the ``Future of Rural Society'' heralding a shift towards a more integrated territorial approach to rural development. Over that time, many of the recommendations of the report have been taken up, either in
experimental programmes or in mainstream policies, and the economic and social context has changed dramatically. While the role that rural societies should play at local, regional, national and international levels remains both vital and largely unanswered, new policy orientations are needed.

The ``rural question'' is both shaping and being shaped by some major policy concerns:

Growing consumer concerns for safe, healthy and high quality foods, environment, cultural and historical heritage and landscape, and thus the importance of place-based strategies for valorising local amenities

An increasing recognition that, in a globalised economy, there needs to be a shift towards more sustainable production and living patterns in both rural and urban areas and in developed and developing countries.

Each of these interrelated policy issues is being debated and developed through its own cycle of conferences and negotiations. However, the role and implications of different approaches for rural development may be confounded by the sheer complexity and range of interests and actors.

It is particularly important to distinguish between three types of actors active in the debate:

Institutional players to be distinguished in terms of their functional responsibility (sectoral or territorial), their level of responsibility (international, national, regional, local) and the nature of the place they represent (developed, developing, central, peripheral, urban, rural etc).

Economic players of whom the most important, up to now, have undoubtedly been farmers organisations, but where other actors are becoming increasingly influential (for example major retailers, networks of SME's from growth sectors such as tourism).

Social players usually in the form of increasingly vocal NGOs and associations representing citizens concerns around consumption, health, environment, and others.

The central aim of this conference is to examine both the scope and the limits of place-based approaches to rural development, at different levels, by providing a neutral and scientific environment in which policy makers can:

Analyse the current position and thinking of some of the key
institutional decision makers in each of the areas that is shaping the debate about rural development

Compare and contrast the recommendations of the different actors and interests taking part in the debate in each area.

Examine the lessons from past initiatives, their limits and the margin of manoeuvre for fresh policy initiatives.

Debate the apparent contradiction between globalisation and development of territorial policies

Presentation of the Territorial Review on Siena

In the year 2000, the Territorial Development Service of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), elaborated a Territorial Review on the Province of Siena. The Territorial Review on Siena is part of a wider programme of National and Regional Territorial Reviews, analysis of the main policy and governance changes taking place in specific countries or regions and which draw from them lessons of interest for all member countries

Siena, a predominantly rural area in central Italy, has enjoyed steady economic growth throughout the post-war period. This success has its roots in a diverse economy based on manufacturing, services, high-value-added agriculture and a dynamic tourism sector. Nonetheless, it is these last two sectors that give Siena its main competitive advantage: an outstanding concentration of high-quality environmental
and cultural resources which are unique to the region. The promotion of different sustainable development initiatives has been motivated by the need to ensure the valorisation and conservation of this major asset. To respond to the challenges of sustainable development, Siena aims to fully integrate its development objectives with the most effective means to bring them about, in a co-ordinated and long-term planning exercise.

The Territorial Review of Siena provides a good opportunity to discuss the latest proposals for a sustainable rural development. Approved in January 2002 by the OECD Territorial Development Policy Committee, the publication will be officially presented on the afternoon of July 10th, and the following two days will be entirely devoted to the Conference.

PROGRAMME

Wednesday, July 10th

Presentation of OECD Territorial Review: siena

Chair: Maurizio Franzini, Professor of Economic Policy, University ``La Sapienza'', Rome

Franco Vaselli, Chief Editor, ANSA Foreign Office

16.00-16.15 Opening Remarks

Claudio Galletti, Agriculture Counsellor of the Province of Siena.

16.15-16.30 Welcome

Maurizio Cenni, Mayor of Siena.

-17.00 Presentation of the Territorial Review on Siena
Mario Pezzini, Tim Wojan, Arantzazu Aramburu, OECD Secretariat

17.00-17.15 Gianfranco Viesti, Professor of Economy, University of Bari.


(to be confirmed)

Actions for the enhancement of Italian agriculture
Teresio Delfino, Vice-Minister, Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policies, Italy.

17.45-18.00 Coffee Break

18.00-18.30 The role of rural tourism in a sustainable development
scenario

Susanna Cenni, Tourism Counsellor of the Region of Tuscany.



18.30-19.00 The Strategic Development Plan of the Province of Siena

Fabio Ceccherini, President of the Province of Siena.

Discussion

Thursday, July 11th

Chair: Margaret Clark, Director-Rural Policy, The Countryside Agency, United Kingdom.

9.00-09.30 Opening Session

Fabio Ceccherini, President of the Province of Siena.

Bernard Hugonnier, Head, Territorial Development Service, OECD.

Paolo de Castro, President of Nomisma, former Minister of Agriculture, Italy.

The State of Rural Policies

9.30-9.45 Keynote Address: OECD Secretariat

9.45-11.30 I) Country Experiences

Rapporteur: Elena Saraceno, Group of Policy Advisers, European Commission

Speakers:

Alun Michael, Minister of State for Rural Affairs, Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, United Kingdom.

Representative from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural
Affairs, Japan.(to be confirmed)

Mark Drabenstott, Vice President and Director of Center for Rural
America, Federal Reserve Bank, USA.

Discussion

11.30-11.45 Coffee Break

11.45-13.30 II) Lessons, Limits and Potential of Territorial Policies
for Rural Areas

Rapporteur: Daniel Tarschys, Professor of Political Science, University
of

Stockholm, Sweden. Former Director-General of the Council of Europe.

Speakers:

Antonio Sánchez Díaz de Rivera, Vice-minister for Social and Human
Development, Ministry of Social Development, Mexico.

Laurent Van Depoele. Professor, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.
Former Director of Rural Policy at the European Commission.

Jean-Louis Guigou, Head of DATAR, France.

Discussion



13.30-15.00 Lunch

15.00-16.30 III) Links Between Rural Development and Agricultural
Policies

Keynote speaker: High representative from the Agriculture and Rural

Development Directorate, European Commission.

Rapporteur: Michel Petit, INRA, France. Former World Bank Director,
Agriculture

Research & Extension Group.

Speakers:

Paolo de Castro, President of Nomisma, former Minister of Agriculture,
Italy.

Ken Ash, Deputy Director, Agriculture Directorate, OECD.

Discussion

16.30-16.45 Coffee break

Bertrand Hervieu, President of INRA, France.

Luis Miguel de Diego, Department of Rural Development, COAG, Spain.

Franco Mantino, Head of the Structural Policies and Rural Development
Unit, INEA, Italy

Discussion

Friday, July 12th

Chair: Fabrizio Barca, Director General, Head of Department for Development and Cohesion

Policies, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Italy.

II. Issues for a new rural policy

9.30-11.00 I) Endogenous and Sustainable development in rural areas

Rapporteur: Mr. Enzo Chioccioli, Secretary General, CIHEAM.

Speakers:

David Freshwater, TVA Rural Studies, University of Kentucky, USA.

Jan Douwe Van der Ploeg, Department of Social Sciences, Rural Sociology Group, Wageningen University, The Netherlands

David Baldock, IEEP , United Kingdom.

Discussion

11.00-11.30 Coffee Break

11.30-13.00 II) Local experiences of rural development (Round table)

Rapporteur: Paul Soto, Grupo Alba, Spain. Former thematic co-ordinator
of the

European LEADER II Observatory.

Frank Gaskell, President EUROMONTANA.

Staffan Bond, Popular Movement Council for Rural Development, Sweden.

Alessandro Piccini, Environment Counsellor of the Province of Siena

Guy Beaufoy, Institute of Sustainable Rural Development, Spain.

Discussion

Lunch

14.30-16.30 III) The Way Forward

Interventions of rapporteurs and participants

Discussion

16.30-17.00 Coffee break

17.00-17.30 Concluding interventions

Tito Barbini. Agricultural Counsellor of the Region of Tuscany.

Margaret Clark, Director-Rural Policy, The Countryside Agency, United Kingdom.

Fabrizio Barca, Director General, Head of Department for Development and


Cohesion Policies, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Italy.

General Information

Venue

The Meeting will be held at:

Santa Maria della Scala, a museum complex in the ancient Hospital of
Siena with exhibits featuring frescoes, works of art and treasures
collected during its millennial history.

Piazza del Duomo, 2

53100 Siena - Italy

Meeting Sponsors

Provincia di Siena

Servizio Attivita' Economiche

Piazza Duomo, 9

53100 Siena

Tel. + 39 0577 241208

Fax +39 0577 241357

OECD contact

Arantza Aramburu

Administrator

Territorial Development Service/TRG

2, Rue André-Pascal

75775 Paris Cedex 16 - France

Tel. +33 1 45241666

Fax +33 1 45241668

Logistics

O.I.C. srl

Viale Matteotti, 7

50121 Florence - Italy

Tel. + 39 055 5035315

Fax +39 055 5001912

Registration

In order to register for the conference please fill in the enclosed form and send it to the Organizing Secretariat OIC within May 31, 2002.

Simultaneous Translation

Simultaneous translation into Italian, English, French will be provided.

Meals and dinners

For participants to the conference the meals of 11 and 12 July will be
offered by the Provincia of Siena at the congress site.

Hotel accommodation

Hotels of 4 stars category have been reserved in Siena. Participants wishing to obtain hotel reservation should complete the ``hotel accommodation'' section in the Registration Form.

Prices

le room ' 134,00 per night

Double room ' 155,00 per night

Prices include breakfast.

To secure hotel accommodation, the hotel reservation form, along with payment of a deposit of ' 171,00 which includes a handling fee of ' 16,00 (VAT included) must be sent to the Organizing Secretariat OIC by
May 31, 2002.

After this date, although OIC will make every efforts to satisfy participants' requests, reservations are not guaranteed.

Reservations cannot be confirmed until the payment of the deposit and booking fee has been received.

How to reach Siena

You can fly to Rome (240 Km from Siena), to Pisa (120 Km from Siena) or to Florence (80 Km from Siena). There are several flights from the main European airports (London, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Bruxelles etc.) to Pisa and Florence, and from most intercontinental airports to Rome.
Once in Rome, Pisa or Florence, you can take a train (change at Chiusi from Rome or at Empoli from Pisa and Florence) or a bus (there are buses every two hours from the Stazione Tiburtina in Rome or every hour from the main railway station in Florence).



Once you have planned your travel to Italy you can contact OIC to receive detailed information on how to reach Siena or you can visit the web site:



for bus and train time tables

OECD  Siena Conference