European Congress stresses importance of rural areas and local community empowerment
- Rural Pact
- Rural Revitalisation Platform
- Stronger Rural Areas
- Connected rural areas
- Resilient rural areas
- Prosperous rural areas
It is important to get rural voices heard when key decisions about the post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework are made, asserted Rural Pact representatives at the European Congress on Renewal and Rural Development of 8-10 May 2025 in Poznan, Poland.
Image by Lidija Pavić-Rogošić, European Economic and Social Committee
Importance of rural community empowerment
The Rural Pact was well-represented and visible at the Congress through a panel discussion involving Radim Sršeň (Coordination Group Chair), Urszula Budzich-Tabor (Support Office Policy Analyst), and Tom Jones (European Rural Community Alliance President).
The panel stressed the importance of rural areas for Europe’s identity and the need to place rural communities’ voices higher on policy agendas, including through participatory frameworks such as European and national Rural Parliaments.
The positive experience of village renewal – initiated in Germany and Austria and transferred to Poland – demonstrates that maintaining people in rural areas requires not only infrastructural investments, but also a sense of identity and empowerment of the local community.
Strong commitment to rural futures at EU level
European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen called for coordination at both EU and national levels in areas such as agriculture, health, education and mobility. He reiterated the Commission’s commitment to vibrant, prosperous, sustainable and inclusive rural futures.
The recently published Vision for Agriculture and Food recognises the importance of rural areas for Europe’s food system, resilience, security and autonomy. Commissioner Hansen stressed that the vision is not just another document, but a call to action.
The Polish Minister for Agriculture, Czesław Siekierski, confirmed the country’s strong support for the Commission’s efforts to ensure adequate funding for both pillars of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the future.
The Congress and the Polish Rural Parliament
The Congress, held within the framework of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU, brought together over 4 000 rural stakeholders, including representatives of regional and local authorities, civil society organisations and research institutes.
The first ever meeting of the Polish Rural Parliament was organised as a side event of the Congress on 8 May. The Parliament aims to bring together all the key civil society organisations dealing with rural issues at national level, as well as representations of farmers and rural municipalities.