26 de February de 2021
February 26, 2021. In the midst of the transition period toward the new CAP and the finalization of the 2014-2020 Rural Development Programs, the European Union has begun to outline—through its rural networks—the development of a forward-looking strategy for rural Europe in 2040.
- The National Rural Network sends the results of the "Workshops on the Long-Term Vision of Rural Areas" to the European Commission.
- Local rural development entities have organized the workshops, with the support of the Regional Antennas of the National Rural Network
The European Commission's creation of this line of work has been dubbed the " Long-Term Rural Vision . " Its objective is to anticipate the challenges facing rural areas, such as demographic change, connectivity, unemployment, and access to services, in order to develop joint policies for the future.
As part of this strategy, "Workshops on the Long-Term Vision of Rural Areas" have been launched at the European level, which rural networks in each country have managed together with their local rural development entities. In the case of Spain, the National Rural Network—through its Regional Antennas —is responsible for collecting the results of these workshops to send to the European Commission. The objective of the workshops is to give a voice to local communities so that they can personally convey their opinions to Europe.
Results
A total of 28 virtual workshops were organized in 13 autonomous communities—between January 20 and February 2—by a wide range of rural organizations (Local Action Groups, youth associations, cooperatives, etc.). The organizations that took the initiative to conduct a workshop were able to count on the technical support of the RRN's Regional Antennas.
What major gaps are identified at the local level to address the future of rural areas?
- Consequences arising from climate change .
- Lack of coverage in basic services.
- Access to housing.
- Depopulation.
On the contrary, what actions do rural residents propose to counteract these problems?
- Installation of renewable energy (and thus creation of green jobs).
- of the economic sectors in rural areas.
- Entrepreneurship tools.
- Promotion of heritage and cultural resources .
However, the workshops have revealed more gaps and proposals for addressing them. For more information on the results of the participatory workshops in each autonomous community, see the following list:
To access the European Rural Network's "Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas" portal, click here.