Dear Rural Pact community members,

We are delighted to invite you to express your interest in joining the Rural Pact Coordination Group. This group is being established as an informal special group tasked with steering the Rural Pact process.

This Coordination Group will play a crucial role in further developing and guiding the Rural Pact, representing the diverse range of participants involved in this initiative. Over the course of a three-year mandate, it will actively shape the activities done under the Pact and propose ways to amplify rural voices, encourage mutual learning and actions for rural areas.

Including up to 30 representatives, the Rural Pact Coordination Group will include representatives of each category of Rural Pact members in proportionate ways. We aim to achieve a balanced composition of types of actors, public authorities, civil society representatives, business representatives, academics and researchers and citizens' representatives, including through EU institutions and bodies.

We also strive for diversity in terms of country of origin, rural contexts, and gender. Detailed information regarding the composition of the Coordination Group and the selection process can be found on our website.

To apply, organisations which meet the criteria mentioned on the website should complete the online EU Survey by the end of the day on 26 May 2023. You are required to provide information about your organisation and what it can do for the Rural Pact and propose two individuals of different nationalities and genders for membership in the Rural Pact Coordination Group. Please note that, in case your organisation is selected, only one of the proposed individuals will be chosen as a member.

Applicants will be notified of their selection status no later than 2 June 2023. If chosen, you will attend the inaugural meeting of the Rural Pact Coordination Group, scheduled to take place in Brussels on 21 June 2023.

By applying for membership in the Rural Pact Coordination Group, applicants commit to:

• Be available for two meetings per year, in English, one virtual and one in-person.
• Represent more than their individual views: consult their constituency or membership or network on the activities of the Rural Pact in advance of the meetings to make sure they bring rural voices to the meeting.
• Communicate elements of interest for the Rural Pact Community to the Rural Pact support office, such as news, projects or calls for tenders.
• Pro-actively participate in the actions that the group will decide to take and communicate about the activities of the Rural Pact.
• Engage their community and mobilise their audience.
• Be a voice of the Rural Pact and a contact point in their country and/or field of activity for people who would seek to join the Pact, in coordination with the Rural Pact support office.

We are eager to witness the valuable contributions you can bring to the Rural Pact process and look forward to collaborating with you.

If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at EC-VISION-RURAL-AREAS@ec.europa.eu

Best regards,

The EU Rural Vision team