Learn how the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development has supported young people from Finland and Scotland in creating a Youth Manifesto on how local actors can engage young people in their activities. The Youth Manifesto project was short-listed for the ENRD Rural Inspiration Awards of 2019.

Find more good practices on rural youth in the ENRD Project Database.

Discover how European rural areas are reaping the benefits offered by the bioeconomy and what could improve the process – read the new edition of the EU Rural Review on ‘Mainstreaming the Bioeconomy’. 

This issue explores the role of European, national and local policies, private investment and community involvement in fostering the development of sustainable, circular bioeconomy models tailored to the specific needs of different European rural areas.  

The content of this edition builds on the broader ENRD thematic work on ‘Mainstreaming the Bioeconomy’. Read also the EAFRD Projects Brochure on 'Bioeconomy' featuring 12 inspiring project examples.

Subscribe to receive the ENRD publications - online or on paper - in English, French, German, Italian, Polish and Spanish.

Read the report of networX – Inspiring Rural Europe, the landmark event on rural networking organised by the ENRD in April 2019 in Brussels, Belgium.  

The report highlights the main outcomes of the two-day event, including its six thematic strands, the Market Place stands and performances, and the Rural Inspiration Awards. 

Watch also the official networX video to feel (again) the vibrant atmosphere of the event! The video is available also with French, German, Italian, Polish and Spanish subtitles.

Read the latest article on ‘Smart Villages’ in ARC2020, written by our ENRD experts Paul Soto and Enrique Nieto.  

As the Smart Villages concept is gaining momentum among rural actors, this article presents the current state of play at both policy and grassroots levels. It outlines a series of recommendations for policy-makers from the ENRD Smart Villages Thematic Group work – both about what to avoid and how to maximise the added value of Smart Villages in different contexts.

You can find more information on the topic on the ENRD Smart Villages Portal or join the Facebook community.

A new European Parliament (EP) Intergroup on Smart Villages for Rural Communities was launched in July 2019, at the initiative of MEPs Franc Bogovic and Engin Ergolu.

The aim is to enable exchanges on innovative ways to create vibrant and attractive communities in sparsely populated, mountainous and rural territories. Building on the achievements of the RUMRA Intergroup (2014-2019), this group will be a forum to discuss policy ideas and push for a Smart European Rural Agenda.

A new data set has  been published by the European Commission, updating the values for the CAP indicators covering the EU28 during 2017.

These data sets contribute to the assessment of how well the CAP is performing against its three primary objectives of viable food production, sustainable management of natural resources and climate action, and balanced territorial development.

A wide range of other rural development performance data is available through the 'CAP indicators dashboards'. You can also find out more about performance indicators and the programming of CAP Strategic Plans from the ENRD Evaluation Helpdesk’s latest news bulletin.

New investments of EUR 4.8 billion were approved by the European Investment Bank (EIB) in July 2019, supporting projects in rural areas, energy transition, transport and private sector.

The EIB is focusing on projects to tackle climate change and support environmental sustainability, and also projects that address other challenges facing rural regions such as broadband, mobility, access to finance for young farmers, and water management for agriculture.

A collection of good practices supported through the Spanish Rural Development Programmes (RDPs) has been recently published by the Spanish National Rural Network (NRN) one of the objectives of which is to disseminate the added value of rural development in the country.

The brochure presents 34 project examples put forward from 12 regions, on topics linked to food supply chains and risk management, farm competitiveness, entrepreneurship and social innovation, innovation and knowledge transfer, environment and climate change.

The selection process involved project promoters, the support unit of the NRN, as well as regional Managing Authorities.

The National Rural Networks (NRNs) of Wales-UK and Romania have both recently opened calls for cooperation related projects.

The Wales Rural Network in the UK is publicising a Co-operation and Supply Chain Development Scheme, under Measure 16.2. The deadline is 16 September 2019.

The Romanian NRN is collecting information from other NRNs on the status of the implementation of LEADER cooperation under Measure 19.3 in each Member States, to facilitate identifying potential LAG partners and share cooperation ideas and projects.

Several instruments for funding and technical assistance have been made available by the European Union, to design and implement broadband projects in the Western Balkans.

In support of this aim, a brochure providing an overview of the main sources of funding has been made available by the European Network of Broadband Competence Offices (BCO Network). It is targeted at public administrations and private promoters involved in the promotion of digital connectivity in the region.

Join the DigiEduHack on 3 October 2019 for a 24-hour contest to help solve challenges that education faces in the digital age.

Participating teams will discuss specific challenges related to the three priorities of the Digital Education Action Plan:

1. making better use of digital technology for teaching and learning;
2. developing digital competences and skills; and
3. improving education through better data analysis and foresight.

The event is open to higher education institutions, research institutes, schools, NGOs, private sector, start-ups and other organisations.

A hilly landscape in Veneto, Italy, has recently been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Located in North-eastern Italy, the site includes part of the winegrowing landscape of the Prosecco wine production area. The historic landscape is characterised by ciglioni – small plots of vines on narrow grassy terraces – forests, small villages and farmland.

Find out more about Le Colline del Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene.