The European Commission has published a report outlining the good progress made so far under the EU's long-term rural vision, highlighting positive outcomes delivered since 2021 and presenting ideas for future work.
The finalists of the 2023 edition of the EU Organic Awards have been announced today. The three best projects have been selected for each of the 8 individual awards, with a total of 24 finalists from 11 EU countries.
The finalists were selected from a pool of close to 100 applications from all over Europe, with a higher presence of Central European and Baltic entries compared to last year.
The winners will be announced at the official award ceremony to be held in Brussels on 25 September.
European Commission published a study on the contributions of the European Network for Rural Development (ENRD) and the National Rural Networks (NRN) to the implementation of the EU’s rural development policy. These two networks led to stakeholders being more involved in the day-to-day implementation of rural development projects in the period 2014-22. This resulted, among other things, in better implementation more suited to local needs.
Are you searching for the population density, the average distance to healthcare facilities or the broadband speed in any rural area, municipality, or region in the European Union? It is now possible thanks to the newly launched rural observatory.
Based on the urban–rural typology, predominantly rural regions accounted for almost half (45%) of the EU’s area in 2021. However, according to population data on 1 January 2021, only 21% of the EU population lived in rural regions. Over the period 2015-2020, the population of predominantly rural regions fell, on average, 0.1% each year, while almost no change was recorded in the population of intermediate regions. On the other hand, the population of predominantly urban regions rose, on average, 0.4% each year.
Germany is pushing ahead with the development of smart villages – a move EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski said was crucial for developing rural areas, reported EurActiv. The approach, also known as smart village development, is about revitalising rural areas through digital and, in some cases, social innovation, according to the European Network for Rural Development (ENLR).
“Smart villages are a key policy tool to unlock the potential of our rural communities,” Wojciechowski said during a conference on Thursday (27 October).