Anchoring rural areas in the National and Regional Partnership Plans

The Rural Pact's Policy Lab 'Anchoring rural areas in the National and Regional Partnership Plans' of 3 June 2026 will be livestreamed. You can access the live stream on the day of the event via the button at the top of the event page. The event will start at 09h30 CET.

As Europe prepares the next generation of National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs), an important question is emerging: how do we ensure that rural territories are not treated as peripheral beneficiaries of policy, but as central contributors to Europe's economic, environmental, and social future? This question lies at the heart of the Rural Pact Policy Action Lab taking place in Brussels on 3 June 2026. Bringing together European institutions, national ministries, regional authorities, and rural stakeholders, the event focuses on how rural priorities can be better integrated into the planning, implementation, and monitoring of public investment strategies across Europe.

For decades, rural development discussions have often centered on agriculture alone. Yet today's rural territories are far more than places of food production. They are home to critical natural resources, biodiversity, renewable energy potential, cultural heritage, tourism assets, and increasingly, the land-based solutions required to achieve Europe's climate and environmental objectives.

At the same time, many rural regions continue to face persistent challenges: demographic decline, youth outmigration, limited access to services, skills shortages, weaker digital connectivity, and reduced investment attraction. These territorial disparities threaten both rural prosperity and Europe's wider cohesion objectives.

The Policy Action Lab highlights several encouraging examples from across Europe. Spain is exploring ways to improve access to essential services in rural areas. France is showcasing rural innovation laboratories that support local experimentation and entrepreneurship. Italy's Toscana Diffusa initiative demonstrates how integrated territorial development can strengthen the competitiveness and attractiveness of dispersed rural communities.

Equally important is the discussion around monitoring and accountability. If rural areas are to become a genuine priority within future Partnership Plans, policymakers need robust methods to track investments, measure impacts, and ensure that funding reaches the communities it is intended to support. Experiences from Finland and Greece illustrate how territorial coding, statistical analysis, and performance measurement can help make rural outcomes more visible.

Perhaps the most significant theme of the event is stakeholder participation. Effective rural policy cannot be designed exclusively from national capitals or regional headquarters. Rural residents, municipalities, SMEs, civil society organisations, educational institutions, and local enterprises must be involved in shaping the decisions that affect their futures. Examples from Poland, Estonia, and Austria demonstrate how the Partnership Principle can move beyond consultation and become a mechanism for meaningful co-creation.

For those working in rural development, innovation, skills, tourism, agriculture, climate action, and community resilience, the message is particularly relevant. Rural territories are expected to deliver much of Europe's green transition—from carbon farming and ecosystem restoration to renewable energy generation and biodiversity protection. Yet these ambitions cannot be realised without parallel investment in people, skills, entrepreneurship, social innovation, and local governance capacity.

In other words, Europe cannot achieve a successful Twin Transition if the communities expected to lead it are left behind.

The challenge ahead is not simply about allocating more resources to rural areas. It is about ensuring that rural perspectives are embedded within mainstream policy frameworks from the outset. When rural territories become active partners in planning rather than passive recipients of funding, they are better positioned to attract investment, retain talent, stimulate innovation, and contribute to Europe's long-term competitiveness.

The future of Europe's rural territories should not be an afterthought in development planning. It should be one of its foundations.

Following the Policy Lab, all video recordings, presentations, photos and the final report will be published on the event page.

SUSTAINAGRO

Sustainability in Rural Enterprises and Innovation

A member of the Social Innovation Stakeholders Network - www.SocialInnovationActions.Org

Contact: info@sustainagro.net

@RURALITIES