Videos and podcasts
Take a look at our latest videos and tune in to our podcasts to stay up to date with all things financial instruments!
Building agricultural resilience with EAFRD financial instruments in Portugal
This video showcases how Portuguese farmers and agri-businesses use EAFRD financial instruments to invest in innovation, sustainability, and long-term growth. It highlights real-life examples of how tailored finance helps mitigate risk, boost competitiveness, and support rural development.
Cooperativism for green energy: Ecooo boosts the social economy
This video introduces Ecooo, a Spanish workers buyout cooperative that promotes renewable energy through citizen participation and social innovation. It highlights how Ecooo empowers communities to invest in solar energy projects, broadening public access to renewable energy as well as offering financial benefits. This example of a workers buyout cooperative has a strong impact to make the social economy work for the benefit of the plant.
ESF microfinance financial instruments: assisting the vulnerable
In Bulgaria, the European Social Fund (ESF) financial instruments help vulnerable groups — the unemployed, those lacking business experience and social enterprises. Through micro-credit institutions such as SIS Credit, and local banks, they were able to support start-ups and social enterprises who would otherwise struggle to secure financing. These instruments are key to foster economic independence and resilience in Bulgaria, transforming lives and strengthen local communities.
Empowering migrant women with Treball Solidari Microfinance
This video showcases NGO Treball Solidari’s transformative work empowering migrant women in Spain through the CONFÍA program, supported by the European Social Fund (ESF). It highlights how they enable women, excluded from traditional banking systems, to gain access to microloans, entrepreneurial training, and peer support. This programme drives greater change, helping migrant women build independent livelihoods and contribute meaningfully to their communities.
Two new Jam Sessions podcasts
María's story: EAFRD financial instruments for generational renewal
María Monteagudo used to contribute with marketing and administrative tasks to her family’s agri-business. With the support of EAFRD financial instruments, she was able to purchase a flock of sheep and take her first steps into farming, joining the family business in a new and independent way.
Her story reflects a broader transformation in the Spanish region of Extremadura, powered by EU shared management financial instruments: empowering young farmers, driving generational renewal, and creating new jobs in rural areas.
Juan's story: EAFRD financial instruments for innovative product development
In Galicia, financial instruments are driving rural innovation. They're helping agri-food businesses modernise, add value to their products, and boost competitiveness. One standout example is Juan José Fraga Paz, who runs a dairy farm producing 7.5 million litres of milk annually. Thanks to a EUR 330 000 loan, he's launching production of a traditional regional cheese, creating jobs, increasing profitability, and preserving local heritage.
Projects like his are vital for the Galicia region, delivering top-quality products at fair prices and turning the countryside into a thriving economic engine.