Territorial instruments webinar: highlights report now available
- Rural Pact
- Rural Revitalisation Platform
- Stronger Rural Areas
- Governance
- LEADER/CLLD
- Smart and start-up villages
Read the highlights report from the Rural Pact Good Practice Webinar on territorial instruments – LEADER/CLLD, Integrated Territorial Investments (ITIs) and Smart Villages – for insights on how these approaches work in practice and what lessons can inform future implementation.
Image by Kev303 on Adobestock
The webinar, held on 22 April 2026, brought together around 240 participants from 27 EU Member States and 10 non-EU countries.
- Read the highlights report to explore the examples, lessons learned and recommendations in full, and access the webinar presentations and recordings.
The discussions highlighted the importance of integrated and place-based approaches in addressing complex territorial challenges and opportunities. While the three instruments differ in scope and governance, several common messages emerged around the need for stronger coordination, adequate capacity and support, and greater flexibility in implementation.
For ITIs, a key message was the need to adapt interventions to functional territories and local realities. Effective implementation requires a balance between territorial ambition and delivery capacity, supported by strong coordination across funding programmes and governance levels. Simplified procedures, clearer access for beneficiaries and sustained technical support can help improve uptake and impact in rural areas.
LEADER/CLLD continues to support integrated local development, particularly in remote, lagging and shrinking territories. Its added value extends beyond project delivery to strengthening social capital, local services, community-led solutions and territorial coordination. Multi-funded approaches can further broaden the scope of local strategies when supported by coherent governance arrangements and aligned implementation systems.
For Smart Villages, discussions highlighted a growing shift beyond digitalisation towards broader objectives linked to resilience, quality of life, service provision and community capacity. Long-term, community-led strategies can help rural areas move from isolated projects to more integrated approaches, while dedicated support, partnerships and capacity building remain important for turning local ambitions into concrete action.
The webinar featured practical examples from Germany, Portugal, Italy, France, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Ireland, alongside contributions from the European Commission, FAMENET, the Smart Villages Network and other experts and practitioners. The report also summarises reflections from a stakeholder panel discussion on priorities for future implementation and lessons for the post-2027 policy framework.