Fostering social entrepreneurship in rural areas through local action

• Enable rural stakeholders interested in social entrepreneurship to present, exchange experience and get inspiration from projects on the ground;
• Take stock of major challenges and solutions, in particular for the twin (green and digital) transitions, by rural entrepreneurs and communities to make their initiatives a reality;
• Build the capacity of participants to promote social enterprise through effective high-quality projects responding to the rural needs.

The webinar was targeted at practitioners currently or potentially involved in the implementation of, or support to, social entrepreneurship projects, including local actors, experts and policymakers at various levels. 

Video recordings

• The Rural Vision & Pact
• Social Entrepreneurship as a driver for rural development
• Inspirational social enterprises
• Report-back from group discussions
• Key learnings for social entrepreneurship in rural areas

Background

EU rural areas need innovative tools to facilitate business development that helps address social issues and offers inclusive employment opportunities. A possible response can be social entrepreneurship and social enterprises, which contribute to the achievement of social as well as of economic goals. 

These often drive social innovation in vital aspects of rural life such as social care and health services, retail, education and training, environmental products and services, food production, culture or tourism. This is achieved by re-designing and re-engineering business models and value chains, developing new clusters and networks, or establishing new relationships or collaborations between public, private and third sector organisations.

In the Rural Action Plan of the long-term vision for EU’s Rural Areas (LTVRA) the European Commission committed to implementing a dedicated flagship initiative to promote social economy and social business in order to support prosperous rural areas. 

Additionally, a number of policy instruments and funding sources are available across the EU and in Member States to boost and support social entrepreneurship at local level. The European Commission’s Social Economy Action Plan, launched in 2021, aims to further increase the range of support for such activities.