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28 oct 2025

Empowering rural women: FLIARA project conference calls for inclusive innovation and policy change

Women’s innovation is a driver of rural transformation across Europe – female entrepreneurs are proving that innovation rooted in local knowledge can revitalise rural economies and communities. This headline message emerged from the final conference of the Horizon Europe-funded FLIARA project, held on 17 October 2025 in Brussels.

27 oct 2025

Empowering local communities for a sustainable Europe: insights from EU Regions' Week 2025

Europe is at its best when it empowers local actors – a theme that echoed throughout the 2025 European Week of Regions and Cities (13–16 October, Brussels). The Rural Pact Support Office took part in several sessions, exploring how local and regional authorities are driving the green, digital, and demographic transitions. Explore the insights revealing that empowering local communities is essential to building a more cohesive, sustainable, and future-ready Europe.

24 oct 2025

New European Commission strategy outlines measures to support generational renewal in agriculture

The new strategy – launched by the European Commission on 21 October – sets out a roadmap to revitalise farming, strengthen rural areas and ensure a new generation of farmers can thrive. It acknowledges that young farmers face specific challenges that need to be addressed with specific actions at all levels of governance – EU, national and regional – and across policies.

23 oct 2025

New publication showcases Czech CLLD experience as a model for inclusive, place-based development across Europe

Community-led Local Development (CLLD) provides a proven framework for empowering local partnerships, integrating public and private action, and ensuring that development reflects the real needs of people and places. Explore a new brochure outlining key messages from the conference ‘CLLD – prosperous communities: opportunity for a shared future 2028+’ (31 March–1 April 2025).

23 oct 2025

New report on rural resilience through a gender lens

Gender-sensitive rural development is an investment in the long-term resilience of rural communities – a recent report by the EU-funded project GRANULAR explores the intersection of gender and rurality in shaping employment outcomes across Europe.

23 oct 2025

Rural youth joining forces for a better future

How do young people see the future of their villages and mountain communities? That’s the question behind the Erasmus+ ECO project which brought together teenagers from France’s Hautes-Pyrénées and Spain’s Sobrarbe regions to explore what connects them – and what challenges they share.

22 oct 2025

Europe’s climate transition starts locally: insights from the EU Covenant of Mayors Ceremony

Europe’s path to climate neutrality will be shaped locally – empowered municipalities, equipped with resources and partnerships, are key to achieving Europe’s climate ambitions. The 2025 edition of the EU Covenant of Mayors Ceremony of 16 October confirmed the essential role of local and regional governments in delivering the climate and energy transitions.

22 oct 2025

What does our energy and climate future look like? Insights from the IEECP conference

A successful European energy transition requires coordinated policies, community engagement, and evidence-based innovation replication. The IEECP conference of 15-16 October set out a roadmap for implementing efficient, resilient, fair, and smart energy strategies, ensuring Europe meets its climate objectives, while fostering prosperous and empowered rural communities.

21 oct 2025

Rural youth call for choice and opportunity: new EURYO policy brief highlights ‘im/mobility’ as a right

A new policy brief by the European Rural Youth Observatory (EURYO) calls for a transformative shift: from viewing youth mobility as a symptom of rural decline to seeing it as a vital expression of choice and renewal.

21 oct 2025

Strengthening social economy and rural development: key messages for forthcoming Action Plan updates

For the first time, a Rural Pact Community Group has been directly involved in shaping EU policy. Over 30 members of the social economy group joined the European Commission in an online consultation to share insights for the mid-term review of the Social Economy Action Plan (SEAP) and the update of the EU Rural Action Plan (RAP).