Tihana Stepinac Fabijanic

Vice President ECOVAST

ECOVAST Croatia: Developing Community Values in Croatian Rural Areas

Brussels, 14 February 2017

Public Hearing on Villages and Small Towns

ECOVAST - European Council for the Village and Small Townwww.ecovast.org

• pan-European NGO with National Sections in 10 European countries (Austria, Croatia, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia)

• over 30 years experience in expert assistance and supportto its members and to all European countries, especially to SEE

• partnership and cooperation with rural network organizations (e.g. PREPARE, CIVILSCAPE, EUROGITES, EUROPA NOSTRA, etc.)

• status in the Council of Europe - formerly active in INGOs (International Non Government Organizations) and relations with European Commission on rural development

ECOVAST has active interest in:

- Rural development

- Heritage preservation/ buildings

- Cultural heritage/traditions

- ‘Sustainability and involvement of citizens in integrated rural development

- Landscape settingof villages and

small towns

ASSET – Action to Strengthen Small European Towns

Wittstock, Brandenburg DE 2008. Retz, Austria 2005.

Croatian Section of ECOVAST:- activities on heritage& landscape protection, rural development

in villages & small towns

- more than 20 years of collaboration with local communities, national organizations and institutions

Makarska:International landscape project Samobor:Local planning & heritage

• CROATIA

Regions- Hilly & Mountainous (central)- Flatlands (N/E)- Coastal & islands

Population4.2 mil, unemployment rate 15 %GDP per capita: purchasing power parity -

$13,800 (2 ½ less than EU )

Rural Croatiacc 43% of people live in rural Croatia,

that covers more than 80% of the territory

6292 villages in Croatia of which 67% has less than 300 inhabitants

Out of 43% of rural inhabitants only 5.5% do agriculture

Of those – 50% land owners have less than 0,5 ha

SloveniaHungary

Italy

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Serbia

Austria

CROATIA: challenges and opportunities of rural areas

- one of the longest urban development traditions in Europe

- mainly influenced by the Mediterranean and Central Europeancultural sphere

- irregular characteristics - prevailing number of smaller towns

falling behind after the main towns - in some regions lack of bigger centers

and their uneven development- depopulation in most settlements, esp.

in villages (young people fleeing away)- history of neglect & destroying of

rural areas (esp.small farm owners, local producers, entrepreneurs) – by communist regime, inflicted war & transition, privatization, globalization

Rural problems: Small towns and villagesfaced decline of population and services

- Empty & derelict buildings - situation in many Croatian regions esp. mountainous areas, islands etc.

How could villages and small towns become catalysts for rural development in Croatia?

- through EU policies & initiatives of DG Agri & DG Region directed to stakeholders in rural areas (esp. small farm producers & small entrepreneurs)

- by political decision of national government -implementation of the CAP &respecting domestic producers & domestic market(no import, dumping prices)

- through education in ‘sustainability’ - with direct helping small initiatives, activities, projects, on local and regional

level by (assistance, education, finances) – e.g. LEADER programmes with LAGs

- through organized expert help on all levels – political & business, professional and voluntary, institutional & NGO

- including young people in rural development (incentives)

How ECOVAST Croatian Sectiondeals with issues ofHERITAGE PROTECTION & RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

• Participating & influencingpolicies & regulations(e.g.Spatial Planning, Agriculture and Rural Development) – at State level (Ministries), regional programs (Counties) & local level (Municipalities)

• Networking through national, regional & localNGOs projects and activities for rural development (e.g. HMRR)

• Participating ininternational development projects – mainly EU (formerly PHARE, SAPARD/ IPARD, LEADER etc.)

• following EU policies and strategies(e.g. CAP etc.) • Participating and promoting projects – e.g. ASSET project for small

towns and other ECOVAST international activities • Organizing events, conferences, workshops, exhibitions...

• ECOVAST Croatia Project: Revitalization and sustainable development of small towns and their hinterland -based on

ASSET -Action to Strengthen Small European Towns, ECOVAST International

International Conference – Samobor 2007

‘Small European towns – their role in development of rural areas and

heritage protection’

International conference – Mošćenice 2009

‘Revitalization of small historical towns and their

hinterland in Primorsko-goranska County’

International conference – Ivanić-Grad 2011

‘Models of managing processes of revitalization and development of

small towns’

Conference – Nin 2012.‘Creative use of potentials of small towns - example of historical

town of Nin’

Project Lički Osik – from 2014 in cooperation with Gospić regional government and local school in Lički Osik (assisted by Croatian Chamber of Architects and Institute of Tourism) Publication:

ECOVAST Croatia – challenges & opportunities regional examples involving local communities in heritage projects

Zagorje hills Slavonian plains Kvarner – coast ( Bednja area) (Dalj-Erdut area) (Krk island)

• Bednja area – castles, scattered traditional hamlets & wooden houses

Problems in the area: remote, abandoned houses and hamlets; small number of inhabitants/ old

• Bednja area – cooperation on restoring traditional hamlets - new use of wood and thatch houses

• Bednja area – local volonteers at work on thatching

• Dalj – Erdut area:Traditional architecture in brick

Dalj – Erdut:Cooperation with local community, NGOs

• Dalj – Erdut:Restoring mud-brick house

• Dalj – Erdut:Education on traditional architecture –

brick making & repair with lime

• Dalj – Erdut:Restoring mud-brick house

Krk Island:Cooperation on presenting traditional folklore

& local customs

Conclusion: Key elements for sustainable

rural areas in Croatia

- diversification of rural economy & development of qualified local/regional job-niches in rural areas

- improved local offer of public/private services to the residents- reinforcement of rural areas with multifunctional solutions of housing

(new use of old buildings), quality of living/working conditions & convenient resident‘s mobility

- conservationof variety of landscapes & nature/natural resources, biodiversity & natural heritage

- supporting cultural identity of village/small towns communities & human resources(young people)

Thank you for attention !

www.ecovast.hr