Committee of the Regions report outlines recommendations for post-2027 rural development
- Rural Pact
- Rural Revitalisation Platform
- Stronger Rural Areas
- Connected rural areas
- Resilient rural areas
- Prosperous rural areas
The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) report provides an overview of the most pressing challenges faced by Europe’s regions and cities and solutions to inform EU policy decisions. The 2026 edition calls for a post-2027 cohesion policy which continues to foster integrated strategies for territorial revitalisation, including ensuring the ‘right to stay’.
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Demographic changes, climate-related pressures, limited access to services, connectivity gaps and labour shortages risk increasing territorial disparities and widening the rural-urban divide across Europe.
The annual report on the state of regions and cities acknowledges the role of the long-term vision for rural areas, the Rural Pact and the recent EU strategy for generational renewal in agriculture in fostering bottom-up partnerships that mobilise local stakeholders and empower communities to drive change.
Within this context, the report calls for:
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Ensuring economic diversification to create employment in rural areas;
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Promoting rural development with adequate, stable EU resources post 2027;
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Safeguarding territorial instruments such as LEADER/CLLD, securing a 20% allocation within the upcoming National and Regional Partnership Plans;
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Strengthening rural proofing across EU policies.
The report further calls for specific actions to ensure the ‘right to stay’:
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Maintaining a strong cohesion policy to support regional development;
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Engaging local and regional authorities in the design, implementation and monitoring of policies to increase regional attractiveness;
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Embracing the ‘right to stay’ concept and supporting the development of integrated long-term development strategies;
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Fostering territorial proofing, impact assessments and place-based approaches.