RPSO meeting strengthens cooperation among EU initiatives relevant to rural areas
- Rural Pact
- Rural Revitalisation Platform
- Stronger Rural Areas
- Connected rural areas
- Resilient rural areas
- Prosperous rural areas
A coordination meeting organised by the Rural Pact Support Office (RPSO) on 6 May 2026 brought together nine European Commission-supported initiatives to strengthen cooperation, improve coordination and identify synergies across activities linked to rural development, innovation, climate action, connectivity, participation and territorial development.
@European Union, 2026
Participating initiatives included the BCO Network support facility, EU CAP Network, Europe Direct, European Climate Pact, FAMENET, Interreg Europe policy learning platform, New European Bauhaus and the Talent Booster Mechanism, alongside representatives from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development and the RPSO.
The meeting provided an opportunity for participants to present their ongoing and planned activities for 2025 and 2026, including events, publications, communication activities and stakeholder engagement work. Discussions highlighted several shared areas of interest with potential for stronger coordination and exchange, including climate action, biodiversity, broadband connectivity, youth and talent retention, territorial development, resilience, participation and democracy, innovation, fisheries and coastal communities, and stakeholder communication.
Participants discussed practical ways to strengthen cooperation between initiatives and improve visibility of rural-relevant activities. It was agreed that the Rural Pact platform will serve as a repository for relevant events organised by participating initiatives, helping improve coordination and avoid overlaps between activities. Initiatives also agreed to share upcoming events with the RPSO on an ongoing basis for inclusion on the platform and dissemination through the Rural Pact newsletter.
The meeting also identified several follow-up actions to support future cooperation. Initiatives agreed to organise bilateral exchanges based on shared interests and needs, and to improve communication coordination by sharing newsletter subscription links, communication contacts and social media channels through a shared coordination tool managed by the RPSO.
In addition, Interreg Europe proposed further exploring the development of an AI-supported searchable repository bringing together information from participating initiatives for internal coordination purposes.
All participating initiatives expressed strong interest in continuing and deepening collaboration in the future, with a second meeting planned for November 2026.