Pooling European vision funds for rural areas by 2040
Recent high-level events organized in the framework of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU addressed topics that are close to the ambitions and goals of the Long-Term Rural Vision for 2040.
international conference ‘Women and their situation in rural areas[1] (20 August 2021) was attended by 11 delegations from EU Member States, Western Balkans partners and the FAO. Representatives of the delegations adopted a statement[2] Emphasizes that empowering women in rural areas requires a comprehensive approach that requires cooperation between different policies, such as infrastructure, the economy, social affairs, health, education, as well as tax, land and demographic policies and others. They welcomed future cooperation and further efforts to find solutions for the integrated development of European rural areas.
Strengthening dialogue between urban and rural areas[3] was the topic of an informal meeting of EU agriculture ministers (5-7 September 2021). The key challenges are the integration of agriculture and non-agricultural activities into new rural settlements and society’s expectations of the countryside, which should provide its inhabitants with a similar standard of living as in cities, contribute to natural ecosystem services and other public goods. Ministers discussed how Member States see the coexistence of urban and rural areas, how to address challenges and prevent conflicts, and what role the CAP can play in this. They agreed that the countryside is a multi-purpose space in which different activities coexist and complement each other, and sometimes even compete. The social role of rural areas needs to be redefined and at the same time supported in all its diversity and quality.
International Conference Smart villages for a green, digital and resilient Europe[4] (October 1, 2021) focused on how to make rural areas attractive and vibrant in order to reduce the development gap between urban and rural areas. High-level speakers included EU Commissioner Dubravka Šuica and FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu, four Slovenian Ministers responsible for Agriculture, Regional Development, Social Affairs and Digital Transformation, representatives of companies from various fields (energy, connectivity, e-health) and local stakeholders. such as LEADER local action groups. The high level of participants confirmed the importance of rural areas in Slovenia and the awareness of policy makers about rural needs. The conference also established the European Smart Villages Forum[5], which will link policies at all levels and businesses in order to develop concrete activities that contribute to rural development.
Examples of good digitalisation practices in various economic and social sectors have shown how the business sector is already developing future-oriented solutions for rural and small towns: for example Toyota Adria is developing innovative rural mobility services, Huawei on connectivity, Telekom Slovenije on e-health. An outstanding example from the social sector, Smart Silver Villages, is detailed below.
One of the messages of all these events is that the use of various EU funds can make a long-term vision a reality. The new CAP is one of the key sources of EU funding for rural areas, and the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Social Fund Plus can provide significant investment in people and rural infrastructure. The Recovery and Resilience Fund and the support of the European Investment Bank can be used to cover existing investment gaps.