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Rural Voices

The ‘Rural Voices’ report, recently published by the European Network for Rural Development (ENRD), provides a qualitative analysis of the findings from stakeholder workshops, held between December 2020 and February 2021, contributing to the long-term vision for rural areas.

The publication records the hopes and concerns of more than 3000 rural citizens from 19 different EU countries who participated in a series of workshops in response to the proposal from Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, to build a long-term vision “for and by rural Europe”. The workshops encouraged rural citizens to reflect on the social, economic, and environmental conditions of their own rural area and how it might change over the next 20 years, what developments they would like to see and the conditions and policies needed to reach their future vision. This report offers very useful insights which will help to shape the European Commission’s communication on the long-term vision for rural areas, expected to be adopted by the end of June.

National Rural Networks (NRNs) played a pivotal role in helping stakeholders from across rural Europe to share their ideas, hopes and vision for the future which is captured in this report. Its content reflects the diversity of European rural areas, and identifies a range of overarching trends, as well as quotes from the many different rural voices who helped to contribute to its findings.

The report can be viewed in full here.

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