The city of Linz is Austria’s digital beacon. With a multitude of offers, the city of Linz has created a range of so called ‘Open Digital Commons’ that are unique in Austria and have also been setting unique accents in Europe for many years: 120 Internet hotspots in public places throughout the city, free WLAN […]
The European Parliament voted nearly unilaterally in favour of the report on the long-term vision for rural areas, which was written by our RUMRA and Smart Villages Intergroup Member Isabel Carvalhais. Our co-chair, Franc Bogovič, shadowed the text for the EPP Group and our Member Jérémy Decerle for Renew Europe. The fact that the report […]
Discover the Compendium of the Interreg Alpine Space SmartVillages project, which showcases the results after three years of implementation of the project. The Smart Village approach for mountain and rural areas is intended to unlock the potential of local players to make their region a more attractive place to live and work.
On March 1st 2021, the European Parliament Research Services (EPRS), the EP think tank, published a briefing on Smart villages: Concept, issues and prospects for EU rural areas. The paper explores the meaning and implications behind the concept of ‘smart villages’, which touches upon the use of digital technologies and smart solutions as well as […]
On February 4, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of University of Ljubljana published an article entitled Smart Villages Policies: Past, Present and Future. It features contributions of several authors from different institutions, including Ms Emilija Stojmenova Duh.
Highlighting the important role of rural development, this paper represents a review of rural policies. Data were generated, including […]
The EU aims to create a debate on the future of rural areas and the role they have to play in our society. This initiative will set out a vision for the future of rural areas by 2040 and gather views covering challenges such as demographic change, connectivity, low income levels and limited access to […]
On 21st October 2020, the RUMRA & Smart Villages Intergroup of the European Parliament held its first General Assembly. The Executive Board, composed of the Co-chairs (MEPs Franc Bogovič (EPP), Clara Aguilera (S&D), Engin Eroglu (Renew) and Niklas Nienaß (Greens)) and the Vice-Chairs (MEPs Tomislav Sokol (EPP), Hannes Heide (S&D), Atidzhe Alieva-Veli (Renew) and Sarah […]
We spoke to MEPs from across Parliament about how the EU can better support rural communities.
On 16 July in Strasbourg, Members of the European Parliament Franc Bogovič (EPP) and Engin Ergolu (RE) hosted the inaugural meeting of the Intergroup SMART Villages for Rural Communities.
This Lunch-Debate at the European Parliament was the opportunity to present the new Intergroup, which aims to enable exchanges on innovative ways to create vibrant and attractive rural communities […]
On 10 April, the Parliamentary Intergroup on Rural, Mountainous and Remote Areas (RUMRA) initiated by Euromonta, R.E.D and FREE, organised a conference at the European Committee of the Regions to discuss the needs and specificities of rural areas in Europe. The debate focused on advocating for a more effective, integrated and coordinated approach at the […]
