Event - Workshop

Good Practice Webinar on rural housing

This Good Practice Webinar, organised by the Rural Pact Support Office, will explore the unique housing challenges that rural areas are facing. It will showcase inspiring policies, strategies, initiatives, and community-led projects that improve affordability and availability, attract new residents, and promote renovation efforts contributing to the green transition in rural areas.

  • Organised by Rural Pact
  • - CET
  • English
  • European Union
  • Online
Rural housing

Image by TPopova on Canva

Objectives
  • Exchange on and learn from national, regional and local experiences and initiatives that promote investment, support sustainable housing practices, and access to housing in rural areas;
  • Build participants’ capacity to develop and implement effective local/regional housing strategies and projects that address rural needs, while balancing the demands of tourism and second-home ownership;
  • Encourage and mobilise the Rural Pact Community and relevant stakeholders to take actions that enhance housing affordability, availability, and sustainability in rural areas, such as fostering partnerships, securing funding opportunities, and initiating community-led housing projects.
Background 

Adequate rural housing is essential to attract and retain population, and foster vibrant rural communities. However, challenges persist, including affordability, availability, housing modernisation to meet evolving population needs and energy efficiency. 

The European Commission has prioritised housing, as reflected in President von der Leyen’s Europe’s Choice: Political Guidelines for the Next European Commission 2024−2029 (18 July 2024) and the appointment of Dan Jørgensen as the first-ever Commissioner for Housing.  

As outlined in the mission letter for the Commissioner, measures include: increasing Cohesion Policy investments in affordable housing; revising state aid rules; rolling out the Social Climate Fund to support energy-efficient housing renovations; and establishing a dedicated taskforce within DG ENER to coordinate housing initiatives. Integrating sustainability, inclusion, and innovation through the New European Bauhaus (NEB) is central to these efforts.

Programme

English language

Draft agenda

(PDF – 160.15 KB)

Additional info

Organiser

Rural Pact Support Office

Other