News | 23 Jun 2026

Creating the conditions to stay: insights on territorial attractiveness from rural communities

What makes people choose to stay in a place – or leave it? As the European Commission develops its new ‘right to stay’ strategy, experiences from rural stakeholders shared through the Rural Pact offer practical insights into the factors that help rural areas remain attractive, resilient and vibrant places to live, work and build a future.

Image by Pavliha from Getty Images Signature on Canva

Image by Pavliha from Getty Images Signature on Canva

Disclaimer: The examples presented in this article are drawn from Rural Pact knowledge, events and good practices. They are intended to illustrate experiences and approaches that rural communities are already implementing across Europe and should not be understood as reflecting or anticipating the future content of the European Commission's forthcoming ‘right to stay’ strategy. 

The ‘right to stay’ and the EU rural vision: a shared objective 

What makes people choose to live, work and build a future in rural areas? This question lies at the heart of both the European Commission’s new ‘right to stay’ strategy and the long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas (LTVRA). 

The ‘right to stay’ strategy – preparations for which were launched in May 2026 – will aim to address territorial inequalities and support people’s ability to remain in the places they call home. It will respond to challenges affecting many regions across Europe, including population decline, ageing populations, youth outmigration, labour shortages and difficulties in accessing essential services and opportunities. 

The initiative has clear connections with the EU rural vision, adopted in 2021. By promoting stronger, more connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas by 2040, the LTVRA seeks to create the conditions that enable people to stay and thrive in rural communities. Priorities such as access to services, connectivity, economic opportunities, innovation and community participation closely align with the factors shaping rural attractiveness. 

The Rural Pact forms part of the implementation of the rural vision – through it, stakeholders across Europe have been exchanging knowledge, sharing good practices and identifying practical solutions to these challenges. The resulting growing body of knowledge and experience on the conditions that help rural areas remain attractive places to live and work offers valuable insights for the development of the ‘right to stay’ strategy. 

Rural revitalisation: identifying the ingredients for long-term change 

A key strand of the Rural Pact’s work has focused on rural revitalisation. Drawing on experiences from across Europe, the Rural Pact knowledge highlights that demographic decline is rarely driven by a single factor. Similarly, reversing decline requires more than isolated interventions. 

A dedicated Rural Pact Policy Briefing identifies seven ingredients that can support rural revitalisation, including political leadership on rural matters, integrated whole-of-government national/regional rural strategies, effective governance, rural proofing, coordinated investment, capacity building, and community engagement. 

Experiences gathered through the Rural Pact show how these ingredients come together in practice. Successful initiatives tend to combine economic, social and environmental dimensions rather than focusing on individual sectors.  

One notable example is Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, where a whole-of-government rural strategy – led by the vice-president of the region – combines governance reforms, tailored measures and sustained political commitment. This has contributed to reversing demographic decline in some depopulated rural areas. The experience illustrates how coordinated action across policy areas can help strengthen rural attractiveness over time. 

Creating the conditions to stay 

The detailed content of the forthcoming ‘right to stay’ strategy is currently under development, yet, ongoing discussions point to a broad, cross-sectoral approach covering economic development, skills, connectivity and access to essential services.  

The examples below are not intended to reflect the future content of the strategy, but illustrate how rural communities across Europe are already addressing many of these interconnected challenges in practice.  

Access to services 

Access to services consistently emerges as one of the most important factors shaping rural attractiveness. A recent Rural Pact Community Pulse poll identified access to services and infrastructure as the area most urgently requiring improvement to strengthen rural attractiveness. Across Europe, rural communities are already testing practical solutions to improve access to essential services and address the challenges associated with remoteness, demographic change and declining service provision. 

Housing 

Access to affordable and suitable housing has become an increasingly important issue across Europe’s rural areas. Housing shortages can limit the ability of communities to attract and retain residents, workers and young families, while ageing and inefficient housing stock presents additional challenges. 

Examples illustrate different responses to these issues. In Spain, the integrated regional housing strategy of Castilla y León combines housing measures with wider demographic and territorial development objectives to help municipalities address population decline. In Ireland, the Carbery Housing Association supports people at risk of homelessness while improving the energy efficiency of rural housing, contributing to both social inclusion and sustainability. In Portugal, Rural Move takes a community-led approach to attracting new residents by linking housing solutions with community integration, local services and opportunities to build long-term roots in rural areas. 

Transport and mobility 

Mobility plays a critical role in connecting people to opportunities, services and social life. Discussions and examples gathered through the Rural Pact show that effective solutions must be adapted to local circumstances. Low population density, long travel distances and limited public transport services often require innovative and flexible approaches. 

Rural Pact good practices illustrate different approaches to improving mobility and connectivity in rural areas. In Belgium, a volunteer-driven transport service helps residents without access to private or public transport reach essential services and activities, demonstrating the value of community-led solutions in addressing mobility gaps. In Ireland, the Dingle Hub takes an integrated approach to sustainable mobility by combining transport planning, behavioural change and low-carbon solutions as part of a broader territorial development strategy.  

Health and care 

Access to healthcare remains a challenge in many rural areas, where ageing populations, workforce shortages and geographical distance can limit service provision. Integrated care models, digital tools, preventive approaches and community engagement can all play a role in overcoming issues with access to health services. 

In Romania, the Mobile Health Workers initiative brings healthcare services directly to remote rural communities, helping residents access medical support that would otherwise be difficult to reach. In Portugal, VirtuALL supports active ageing in rural communities by using digital technologies to provide older people with access to social, cultural and health services, helping reduce isolation and improve well-being. 

Digital connectivity and skills 

Digital connectivity is increasingly essential for accessing services, education, employment opportunities and social life in rural areas. However, digital infrastructure alone is not enough: connectivity, equipment and digital skills need to be developed together, while digital solutions are most effective when tailored to local needs and supported through community-based approaches. 

Rural Pact good practices illustrate different ways of addressing the digital divide. In Slovenia, Simbioza Mobiln@ brings digital training directly to older people in rural communities, helping them develop the skills needed to access online services and participate more fully in society. Across several European countries, the Learning from the Extremes project supports remote rural schools in becoming digital learning and innovation hubs, strengthening digital education while also benefitting the wider local community. 

Economic opportunities  

Access to jobs, entrepreneurship and economic diversification remains another essential component of rural attractiveness. Economic opportunities emerged as the second most important area requiring improvement in the dedicated  Rural Pact Community Pulse.  

Entrepreneurship 

Entrepreneurship is an important driver of rural attractiveness, helping create jobs, services and opportunities that enable people to build their futures locally. Experiences collected through the Rural Pact point to a range of approaches to strengthening local economies, including support for entrepreneurship, skills development and economic diversification.  

In Latvia, an NGO incubator helps strengthen project management and financial management skills among rural civil society organisations. An interregional project supports SMEs in developing products and services for an ageing population, creating new business opportunities in rural areas. In Poland, a social economy cluster brings together social enterprises, local authorities and community organisations to develop sustainable tourism and local entrepreneurship, and valorise the area’s cultural and natural assets. 

Sustainable tourism 

Tourism can contribute to rural attractiveness by creating jobs, supporting local businesses and valorising natural and cultural assets. In this sense, balancing economic opportunities with environmental sustainability, community involvement and the long-term resilience of rural destinations is key. 

In Cyprus, the Honey Routes project uses beekeeping, local products and cultural heritage to develop sustainable tourism experiences that diversify the rural economy while promoting environmental awareness and the conservation of local traditions. In Lithuania, the Small Culture Capitals initiative places local communities at the centre of cultural and tourism development, supporting community-led events and activities that strengthen local identity, attract visitors and enhance quality of life in rural areas. 

Rural innovation 

Innovation is increasingly recognised as a key enabler of rural development. Rural Pact experiences show that innovation extends beyond technology and can also take social, organisational and governance forms. Collaboration between local actors, researchers, businesses and public authorities can help generate solutions tailored to territorial needs. 

In Germany, Silicon Vilstal demonstrates the potential of social innovation by creating spaces for experimentation, learning and collaboration that encourage citizens and communities to develop locally driven solutions. In Slovenia, a regional innovation hub is strengthening organisational innovation by connecting farmers, businesses, researchers and public actors to develop more resilient food supply systems. In France, a collaborative framework for territorial cooperation illustrates governance innovation by bringing together public authorities, civil society and other stakeholders to support more integrated territorial development. 

Lessons for the ‘right to stay’ strategy 

Rural Pact experience shows that rural attractiveness depends on a combination of factors rather than isolated interventions, echoing recent OECD insights highlighted through the Rural Pact. Access to services such as housing, mobility and health, as well as economic factors such as entrepreneurship, tourism and innovation are closely linked and require coordinated, place-based responses.  

As work on the ‘right to stay’ strategy progresses, Rural Pact knowledge offers practical evidence from communities across Europe on what helps to make rural areas attractive places to live, work and build a future. 

Author: Rural Pact Support Office