At the 21/22 November 1989 meeting the Agricultural Council confirmed its commitment to introduce measures to encourage training and exchanges of farmers within the Community and approved to implement the programme of exchanges of young farmers proposed by The European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA)".
CEJA warmly welcomed the Council decision and since 1990 the programme for exchange of young farmers (PEJA) has given young farmers the possibility to get to know the agricultural sector of other countries.
Within PEJA young people can choose to become an integrated part of a family in another country for a number of months or they can choose to go with a group of young farmers to visit the agricultural sector in another country for a short study tour. PEJA therefore gives young farmer the opportunity to experience the diversity in European agriculture and to discuss with fellow farmers from other member states.
This 10 years activity period enabled CEJA to create a solid and efficient network and to gain a great experience in agricultural placements and study visits. Each year PEJA has been developed and improved in order to obtain a high quality exchange programme.
All the young farmer organisations within CEJA agree that visits and exchanges are without doubt the biggest area of interest to their respective members. Not only does it facilitate a potential installation, but it also allows young farmers to experience what kind of problems the agricultural sector is facing in EU and in the candidate countries. The programme therefore plays an important role in bringing about cohesion and integration into European agriculture.
Other that offering young farmers satisfactory prospects in farming, it is very important to supply them with the necessary information to ensure the continuous development of the European agricultural sector. I am therefore positive that the programme will have many options to explore in the future.
Unfortunately since 2001 the co-financing element has disappeared due to a change in the Community regulations. The Programme is not dead but the number of study group and individual placement has strongly decreased. CEJA is working forthe creation and development of new opportunity to co-finance an European programme for exchange of young farmers involving young farmers from all over Europe.
Enclosed you will find details on how the programme worked in the past. Proposals aiming to restablish the programme are
welcome. FRENCH
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