The ESSEDRA project – co-funded by the European Union through DG Enlargement – is coordinated by Slow Food, with the aim of facilitating the integration process of the Balkan countries and Turkey into Europe. Slow Food plans to do this by strengthening and amplifying the voice of civil society organizations (CSOs) that are working locally on agriculture, rural development and food quality. Naturally, this will involve dealing with related issues such as the protection of the environment and the landscape, safeguarding biodiversity, the fight against climate change and, importantly, the well-being of local communities.