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CEST
- English
- Online
This Good Practice Webinar, organised by the Rural Pact Support Office, explored how territorial instruments and approaches – such as LEADER/CLLD, Integrated Territorial Investments (ITIs), and Smart Villages – work in practice. It showcased successful experiences from across rural Europe and shared insights and lessons that can inform future implementation.
Objectives
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Showcase good practices that highlight lessons learned, success stories and practical insights to inform project implementation and future policy;
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Build participants’ capacity to draw insights and lessons that improve the design and implementation of territorial instruments in rural areas through the National and Regional Partnership Plans.
The webinar was targeted at public authorities at national, regional and local levels, programme designers and implementers, and promoters of territorial instruments, including potential local project holders, and local, regional and national private and public actors.
Background
Territorial instruments and approaches such as LEADER/CLLD, Integrated Territorial Investments (ITIs), and Smart Villages are essential mechanisms for delivering rural development policies across the European Union. They enable integrated, place-based solutions, foster innovation, strengthen local ownership and promote multi-level governance. By bringing together communities, businesses, public authorities and civil society, these approaches support co-created responses to challenges such as demographic decline, limited infrastructure and social exclusion.
ITIs allow the combination of different EU funds to address complex territorial needs, linking large-scale and small-scale projects, while LEADER empowers rural communities to design strategies tailored to their local contexts. Smart Villages add an innovative dimension, helping communities harness digital, social and green solutions to improve quality of life.
As the EU prepares the post-2027 rural policy framework, the proposed National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs) offer a key opportunity to simplify funding and better address rural needs in an integrated manner. To build on solid foundations in the current programming period and fully unlock the potential of territorial instruments and tools in the future, it is important to enhance awareness of the opportunities they offer.
Rural stakeholders will play a strategic role in shaping integrated territorial development instruments and approaches within the future policy framework at national and regional levels, ensuring they effectively respond to the needs of rural territories.
Useful links
- Study to support the mid-term evaluation of the cohesion policy programmes 2021-2027 financed by the ERDF, Cohesion Fund and JTF (2023CE16BAT088), Objective 5 “A EU closer to citizens”
- Ex-post evaluation of Cohesion policy programmes 2014-2020 financed under the ERDF: Integrated territorial development
- CLLD in fisheries and coastal communities: achievements and lessons
- Final Report of the Preparatory Action Smart Rural Areas in the 21st Century (Smart Rural 27 project)
- European Commission’s proposals for the 2028-2034 EU budget and policies
- Rural Pact Community Group on Smart Villages
Programme
Agenda
(PDF – 310.36 KB)
Additional info
Organiser
Rural Pact Support Office
Other