THE INTERGROUP

RUMRA & Smart Villages, the Intergroup on Rural, Mountainous and Remote Areas, builds on the achievements of the RUMRA Intergroup (2014-2019).

The RUMRA & Smart Villages Intergroup promotes integrated development for European territories in all their diversity. The Intergroup enables exchanges on innovative ways to create vibrant and attractive rural communities. It encourages new ways of governance and cooperation in EU territories, through place-based initiatives and the use of technology. The Intergroup aims to strengthen integration and ensure a sustainable future for all Europeans.

The Intergroup connects civil society organisations and policymakers, acting as the voice of rural communities to the European Parliament, with the objective to:

Promote

Promote

the implementation of a dedicated and cross-sectoral approach to territorial development in these areas.

Ensure

Ensure

that rural, mountainous and remote areas are recognised as areas of opportunity and centres of development, innovation and creativity.

Strengthen

Strengthen

territorial cohesion in the EU, a key principle of the Lisbon Treaty, by addressing the specific needs of these areas.

 We believe in Rural Communities

The well-being of all Europeans relies on the diversity of the EU territories. The EU needs to engage with rural communities in order to reach its economic, social, political and environmental goals.
  • In their everyday life, EU citizens and businesses largely depend on rural areas for food, land use, energy, water, clean air and raw materials.
  • Stronger urban-rural cooperation is needed to ensure territorial cohesion and sustainable development across the EU.
  • Rural, mountainous and remote areas are a source of creativity and innovation, in which a large part of the European cultural and natural heritage is rooted.

Rural Communities are an integral part of the European project

Read our Manifesto