Rural and intermediate areas account for 88% of the EU’s territory, are home to 55% of its population, generate 43% of its gross value added and host 56% of its jobs. Rural development is therefore extremely important and a vital tool for achieving the territorial cohesion objective enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty.

The current pandemic crisis has exposed and exacerbated the consequences of a number of long-standing threats faced by rural areas, and has added to the urgency for rural revival in regions across the European Union. On the other side, the pandemic can encourage more local consumption and production patterns, remote working habits, increase the importance of quality of life and develop new forms of mobility, which may open new opportunities for sustainable jobs and growth in rural regions.

Following the European Parliament resolution on addressing the specific needs of rural, mountainous and remote areas, the new Commission has been asked to develop a new long-term vision for rural areas. This webinar co-organised by the NAT commission of the European Committee of the Regions and the RUMRA and Smart Villages intergroup of the European Parliament, with the support of RED and Euromontana, will explore lessons learned by rural areas during the COVID-19 crisis and how the new long-term vision for rural areas should be translated into a concrete policy framework – the European rural agenda – that would enable and empower rural communities to turn challenges into opportunities.

This event is co-organised by the European Committee of the Regions’ NAT commission and the RUMRA and Smart villages intergroup of the European Parliament, with the support of RED and Euromontana

Programme