Resilient rural areas

08 Okt. 2025

New forest mitigation indicators to support climate-smart management

The Horizon Europe project OptFor-EU has developed a novel set of Essential Forest Mitigation Indicators (EFMIs) to guide climate-smart forest management across Europe. Designed through a participatory process involving scientists, forestry professionals and stakeholders, the 21 indicators are grouped into six categories, including carbon storage, forest health, biodiversity and climate adaptability.

29 Sep 2025

Advancing EU rural policies for resilient, inclusive, and future-oriented communities: insights from the Rural Pact Conference 2025

Over 250 rural stakeholders from across Europe gathered in Pecq, Belgium, on 16–17 September 2025 for the Rural Pact Conference, a two-day event dedicated to generating concrete actions for the EU rural vision. Organised by the Rural Pact Support Office, the Conference focused on shaping policies that strengthen rural resilience, competitiveness, and inclusiveness, while feeding directly into the upcoming update of the EU Rural Action Plan.

26 Sep 2025

New research highlights rural communities’ role in Europe’s green transition

Nordic rural communities are set to play a central role in Europe’s green transition – especially in energy production – but current top-down approaches risk alienating these very communities and growing a sense of powerlessness, a new study claims.