A compass for local empowerment in rural areas – new publication
A new publication explores a set of tools for local empowerment, including Smart Villages, Community-led Local Development (CLLD) and ‘Village Pacts’, to identify practical ways of reaching the grassroots and bringing the Rural Pact closer to citizens.
Image by ERCA
The publicationOpen link in new window, co-produced by European Partnership for Citizen-empowerment (SBE) and the European Rural Community Alliance (ERCAOpen link in new window), outlines approaches to strengthening local community participation in decision-making processes based on community empowerment. It asserts that community-led initiatives are a form of democratic practice which can help to restore trust between governments and residents.
The report puts forward the concept of ‘Village Pacts’. These start with ‘Village Plans’: a formulation of rural residents’ aspirations for the future and how to realise them. Concrete agreements on implementation between communities, local governments, and partners then lay the basis of the ‘Village Pacts’.
The publication is a response to the EU’s rural vision and the Rural Pact’s objective of bringing policies closer to local communities.