First Balkan Rural Parliament, 26 to 28 June 2018, was organised as part of the project “ALTER – Active Local Territories for Economic development of Rural Areas”, funded by the European Union.   Taking part were over 60 representatives of rural development stakeholders and interest groups from the Balkan countries and Turkey, including civil society organisations and CSO networks, local and central authorities, young people, the donor community, and media representatives.

Rural development is very often viewed in the public and even by professionals in such a way that it is reduced only to agriculture and / or economic activity, or just to the infrastructure. In reality, rural development encompasses every segment of the lives of rural communities, including the daily services needed by the rural population (education, health, social protection ...), the economic activities that local people are dealing with, and the part of the activities that contribute to the added quality of life sport, culture, social life, infrastructure ...).

In the period from 8th to 10th April 2019 in the hotel "Šumarice" in Kragujevac, a training on the topic "Advocacy, lobbying, networking and constituents’ empowerment" was held.

The training of trainers "Role of LAGs in employment marginalized groups" was implemented on 26th and 27th March 2019 in Durres (Albania). This activity is part of the project “Innovative Support to employment of Rural marginalized groups – SyneRgi” financed by the Visegrad International Fund. Its implementation is performed by the consortium of non-governmental networks and organisations from Western Balkan and Visegrad countries. 

Bulletin No.2, January 2019 - Balkan Rural Development Network (BRDN).

On February 22 and 23, 2019,  in Vrnjacka Banja was held Assembly of the Network for Rural Development of Serbia .

The Assembly was held within the framework of the project "ALTER - Active Local Territories for Economic Development of Rural Areas" funded by the European Union, as part of the activities "Establishing new rural development networks and supporting existing networks".

The project is implemented at the national level by the Network for rural development of Serbia.

A training  entitled “Planning and Reporting in Civil Society Organizations” was held at the “Leader S” Hotel in Vrnjacka Banja from January 29 to January 31, 2019.

The training was designed in several sessions to fully follow all steps in the planning and reporting of civil society organizations:

Session 1
- Long-term planning, programme planning and project planning

Session 2
- Strategic planning, elements of strategic plan document and steps in preparation of strategic plan 
- Content of strategic plan

Training "Transparent and accountable governance of CSOs" was organized on December 13 and 14, 2018 at Hotel "Lider S" in Vrnjacka Banja.

Through the presentation, individual and group exercises and discussion, the participants presented their experiences, exchanged ideas and summarized the conclusions regarding the transparent and responsible management of civil society organizations.

Two-day training is divided into topics in several sessions:

Session 1
- Basic concepts and main principles of good governance

Two day regional training of trainers “Short supply chains as possibility for employment” was held in Chachak (Serbia) from 5th to 6th December 2018.

This multi-national thematic meeting between CSO Networks in the Western Balkan countries and countries within the EU is a part of the project to ensure intensive dialogue with EU institutions and CSO networks with relevant experience within the EU.

The thematic meeting was organised in Peć from 30th October to 1st November 2018. The event bringing together 60 representatives of CSO Networks from PREPARE, ALTER partner countries and local CSO from the region.