The Danish Network Unit for Rural Development opened, with a press release from the Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries on the 10th of May 2010, a public debate in Denmark on the European Rural Development Policy after 2013. The deadline for submission of contributions to the debate was the 26th of May 2010. The debate was organized as a public debate via the homepage of the Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries. Stakeholders in the rural development field were via an e-mail with the press release directly invited to participate in the debate (the stakeholders are defined as the receivers of the regular newsletters from Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries). Furthermore, the members of the Monitoring Committee (the “Committee for a Living Countryside”) and all Local Action Groups received a direct invitation via e-mail. The Network Unit has received 20 written contributions in all from various stakeholders i.e. authorities, social and economic partners, Local Action Groups, consulting firms and private citizens from different parts of the country. The members of the Monitoring Committee also discussed the subject at the committee meeting on the 1st of June 2010. The Committee counts nearly 30 members, representing the main interests regarding rural  development in Denmark. There have been several indications that the deadline for contributing to the debate has been too short. The short period has made it difficult for organizations to discuss contributions with their political and democratically elected boards. Several have therefore requested a longer debate period in future. The written and oral contributions have been divided under the three questions of discussion set out by the EU Commission. The summary is not an expression of a comprehensive Danish position, but merely a collection of various views among the Rural Network stakeholders, that have emerged in the debate.