Enabling factors for rural revitalisation & a self-assessment tool for policy design

On 30 June 2021, the European Commission put forward the long-term vision for EU’s rural areas in 2040, based on a widespread consultation and a thorough diagnosis of the challenges and concerns that they are facing, as well as highlighting some of the most promising opportunities that are available. Central to the Vision is the ambition to revitalise Europe’s rural areas, and mitigate the impact of negative trends, so that by 2040 they are stronger, more connected, resilient and prosperous.

In this context, in 2021 the ENRD initiated a Thematic Group (TG) on Rural Revitalisation to identify and understand better the key enabling factors that drive rural revitalisation across and share best practice. The TG focused on the practical actions needed to boost rural development, particularly in areas lagging behind and facing issues of depopulation, ageing and lack of economic opportunities. Through two TG (December 2021 and March 2022), stakeholders from a wide range of countries and backgrounds explored and discussed key enabling factors for rural revitalisation.

This document presents the results of the work of this expert group. It builds on the main outcomes from the meetings and consultations with Thematic Group members, as well as the review of key literature. The document also introduces the main enabling factors for rural revitalisation and presents a simple and practical self-assessment tool developed by TG members to help stakeholders (e.g. policy-makers, civil society organisations, etc.) assess the extent to which key factors required for successful policies and programmes to enable the revitalisation of rural areas are in place in their context, in particular for areas suffering from depopulation and economic decline.