Stakeholder voices on achieving Rural Pact objectives and needs for future action: survey insights
- Rural Pact
- Rural Revitalisation Platform
- Stronger Rural Areas
- Connected rural areas
- Prosperous rural areas
- Resilient rural areas
Last year, we asked you what your reflections are in relation to the Rural Pact and how the Support Office can best address your needs. Here’s what you shared with us!
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Our stakeholder survey was open to both formal members of the Pact and a wider public, asking them to asses the extent to which the Pact is achieving its three main objectives. These are: amplifying rural voices; enabling networking and collaboration; and encouraging voluntary commitments to act for the rural vision.
Over two thirds of respondents engaged in Pact activities felt it has been instrumental in amplifying rural voices and bringing them higher on the political agenda. The Support Office contributes to this objective through a range of activities, the highest rated of which were social media communication, the Rural Pact Coordination Group (RPCG), the online Community Platform and Policy Action Labs.
Respondents’ made a range of suggestions to further amplify rural voices, including:
- enhanced communication strategies at all levels to raise awareness of rural issues;
- increased advocacy at national and EU levels through targeted campaigns and ‘rural policy champions’;
- mandatory application of rural proofing; and
- expanding the scope of Local Action Groups (LAGs) to advocate for and give a voice to rural communities.
The top policy challenges respondents identified are: addressing depopulation; improving access to funding; achieving territorial cohesion; and promoting innovation.
The networking and collaboration objective is even more appreciated, with over three quarters of respondents engaged in the Pact agreeing it provides a supportive environment for mutual learning and over half expressing interest in networking with actors across all governance levels.
The most highly rated Support Office activities enabling rural networking are the good practices and Good Practice Webinars, the monthly newsletter and the online Community Platform.
Survey respondents’ suggestions to enhance networking and collaboration within the Rural Pact include:
- expanded in-person interactions, such as peer learning sessions, workshops, study visits, and thematic fora;
- enhanced cross-border collaborations to help address shared challenges and promote mutual learning; and
- grassroots level mobilisation by strengthening local Rural Pacts and networking among policymakers, farmers, and rural communities.
Reinforcing LEADER/CLLD and other territorial approaches is another key highlight, with the bulk of respondents flagging the Pact’s added value.
The Pact objective to encourage voluntary actions towards the rural vision saw a more modest engagement among survey respondents. Nevertheless, one fifth indicated plans to submit a formal commitment in the near future, the process for which is now a lot simpler and more interactive via the newly launched online tool.
Our stakeholder survey collected 662 responses from individuals and organisations across all EU Member States and six non-EU countries.