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).
In practice, this can include a whole range of measures, such as using digital tools to improve services of general interest in rural areas or using online platforms to promote democratic participation in local and regional politics.Through two successive projects called Smart Rural 21 and Smart Rural 27, the Commission is pushing the development of such “Smart Villages”.
The government recently announced that it wants to use part of the funds for rural development for the model project “Smarte.Land.Regionen”, which aims to develop “a so-called digital ecosystem and digital applications” in seven model regions and 14 other districts and test the extent to which these can be transferred elsewhere. Germany’s Agriculture Ministry is providing €25 million for this purpose, with most participating districts currently in the brainstorming phase.
For example, the Northeastern German district of Vorpommern-Greifswald is organising a series of citizens’ conferences to collect ideas on various topics, including healthcare, culture and mobility. Proposals that emerged include the establishment of tele-doctors so patients can speak with their GPs from home or establishing a regional car-sharing platform.
The aim is to exchange best practices, implement pilot projects and “draw useful conclusions for future policy actions,” the EU’s agriculture chief also said.
These projects have been a success so far! he added.
For example, the projects have already better-equipped municipalities for intelligent village development and driven technological, digital and social innovations tailored to the needs of rural regions.
Meanwhile, Wojciechowski also welcomed that most EU countries, like Germany, supported the ‘Smart Village’ approach via National Strategy Plans for implementing the reformed Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
A majority of residents in rural regions in Germany are satisfied with their quality of life the situation is less positive when it comes to jobs, digitalisation and public transport links, a study commissioned by the agriculture ministry published on Monday (1 November) found. EURACTIV Germany reports.
However, Wojciechowski also noted that the prerequisite for such “smart solutions” is the connection of rural areas to the digital infrastructure.
Digitalisation can only deliver strong benefits with strong connectivity – in terms of speed and quality, he stressed.
In terms of broadband expansion in rural areas, Germany is lagging behind its EU counterparts, with less than 14% of households having access to a fibre-optic connection compared to the EU average of about one-third, data from the Federal Network Agency reads.
In its comments on the CAP Strategic Plan, the EU Commission also called on Germany to provide “further assurances on how the need for broadband coverage of appropriate technological standards in all rural areas” will be met. Meanwhile, the European Parliament’s Agriculture and Rural Development Committee also adopted a resolution on the long-term development of rural areas on Tuesday (25 October). Among other things, EU lawmakers called for a part of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which is part of the CAP, and the Cohesion Fund to be earmarked for measures to strengthen rural areas. MPs also pointed to “growing discontent” among the rural population, fuelled by the impression that political decision-making fails to sufficiently consider their needs.
In the resolution, parliamentarians thus called for strengthening local and regional decision-makers and civil society actors.