News

The European Commission has presented the EU anti-poverty strategy, setting out a comprehensive approach to prevent and protect against poverty. The strategy addresses the need to guarantee access to services for those in need in rural areas.

What makes rural areas attractive places to live, work and build a future? The latest Rural Pact Community Pulse explored this question, gathering views from nearly 200 respondents across the EU, including citizens, Local Action Groups, civil society organisations, researchers, businesses and public authorities.

This month, we spotlight an action for the rural vision showcasing how artificial intelligence can support rural development implementation. The initiative is a cost moderation tool developed to support LEADER project cost control processes, helping improve administrative efficiency linked to local development projects.

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.

The seventh meeting of the Rural Pact Coordination Group (RPCG) discussed recent developments concerning the post-2027 EU policy framework for rural areas, future stakeholder dialogue on rural matters, and priorities and synergies linked to Rural Pact Support Office (RPSO) activities in 2026 and 2027.