Over a year ago, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von Der Leyen said: ‘Rural areas are the fabric of our society and the heartbeat of our economy. They are a core part of our identity and our economic potential. We will cherish and preserve our rural areas and invest in their future’.

One year later, one of the most ambitious and well-structured plans for Rural Areas is being presented to the European Citizens.

Rural and remote areas compose roughly 83% of the EU territory and are home to one third of EU citizens. Aside from this, the Covid-19 pandemic has clearly accelerated the trend of living a life farther from the big cities and closer to nature. However, working and living in such areas is not always easy: for this reason, the EU vision aims at creating a green, digitally-led innovative, and inclusive future for rural areas.

By bringing new life to these areas, improving the quality of life through access to services such as e-health, digital learning and a broad range of e-government we can increase social inclusion and wellbeing of those in rural communities. Better connectivity in rural areas will also encourage some businesses to relocate in rural communities and enjoy lower input costs. This in turn will help diversify and develop the rural economy and decongest urban areas.