ENRD Workshop on Combatting Rural Depopulation: Creating new opportunities for vibrant rural areas

The ENRD Contact Point organised a workshop on the topic of Rural Depopulation to discuss the key drivers of population decline in rural areas across the EU and their effects.

It further explored the role of the RDPs and other EU policies in creating an enabling environment to counter demographic trend of depopulation. The event allowed participants to learn from national and local initiatives and to share lessons on how to address rural depopulation and identify opportunities.

Background documents

• Agenda
• Summary of projects
• Summary of strategies and initiatives 

Presentations

• Opening speech, Maria Gafo, DG AGRI, European Commssion

Setting the scene

• European Shrinking Rural Areas: Challenges, Actions and Perspectives for Territorial Governance, Andrew Copus, The James Hutton Instute/ESPON
• Quality of life in rural Europe - Key findings, Klára Fóti, Eurofound
• Addressing depopulation under the current Rural Development policy and in the future CAP, Orsolya Frizon-Somogyi, DG AGRI, European Commission

Session 1

Mobility and Basic Services

• Time to rethink rural mobility, Giorgio Ambrosino, SMARTA 
• Pueblos Vivos (Living Villages) in Aragon, Patricia Sanchon, Spain 

Entrepreneurship

• SILTA project, Ville Laitila, Finland
• Rural Ticket in Asturias, Juan Lazaro, Spain 
• MagosVölgy Organic Farm, Zoltán Dezsény, Hungary

Vulnerable groups

• Promoting the right of persons with disabilities to live independently and to be included in the community, Ines Bulic-Cojocariu, ENIL
• Del bosque a tu casa (From the forest to your home), Marta Corella, Spain 

Session 2

Mediterranean Member States

• Spanish national strategy to tackle the demographic challenge, María C. Arias Calle and Aránzazu Benito Sánchez Camacho, Ministry of Territorial Policy, Spain
• Italian inner areas strategy, Sabrina Lucatelli, Presidency of Ministers' Council, Italy

Nordic Member States

• Integrated Finnish approach of Kainuu region, Jouni Ponnikas, Regional Council of Kainuu, Finland
• Smart sustainable villages of rural arctic, Johanna Lindberg, Norrbotten County Council, Sweden

Central & Eastern European Member States

• Fighting depopulation in Apuseni Mountains area, George Sinca, Alba Councy Council, Romania
• Strategies for regions facing population decline, Markus Stadler (BMNT) and Michael Fischer (Austrian NRN), Austria
• Alpine region strategy, Valentina Cativelli, EURAC Research Centre