This article provides an introduction to the topic of stakeholder involvement in rural development policy and sets the scene for the rest of this EU Rural Review. It clarifies the importance of stakeholder involvement and how and why the EU is prepared to invest so much to support it. It also provides an overview of who the main rural development stakeholder groups are and their interest in the Rural Development Programmes (RDPs). It argues that understanding the true value of stakeholder involvement means seeing stakeholders as active participants in all stages of the policy cycle from policy-making to better implementation on the ground.