Thematic Group on Rural Proofing
This Thematic Group provided an opportunity to share experiences and develop recommendations for the design and implementation of rural proofing mechanisms at different administrative levels.
Context & main goal
Rural proofing is a mechanism that can help boost rural revitalisation by ensuring all relevant policies beyond rural development are aligned with rural needs and realities. It is also one of the transversal elements outlined in the Rural Vision. The Vision indicates that the EU will take steps to integrate a rural proofing mechanism as part of the Better Regulation Agenda, notably to assess the anticipated impact of major EU legislative initiatives on rural areas. The Vision also calls for Member States to consider implementing the rural proofing principle at the national, regional and local level.
In this context, the Thematic Group (TG) on Rural Proofing ran from December 2021 to June 2022.
Note: The TG was organised by the European Network for Rural Development (ENRD) before the official launch of the EU CAP Network on 6 October 2022.
Objectives
The objective of this TG was to share experiences and develop recommendations that can guide the design and implementation of rural proofing mechanisms within Member States at different administrative levels (national, regional and local).
Activities
The first TG meeting (27/01/2022) set the scene on rural proofing and provided a space for sharing knowledge and experience on what should be considered when designing rural proofing mechanisms and applying them in practice.
The second TG meeting (19/05/2022) aimed to further develop the focus on the practical implementation of rural proofing mechanisms within different administrative levels (national, regional and local), including the links to the Territorial Impact Assessments (TIA).
Informal online exchanges took place between the two formal TG meetings and allowed for further discussion among the TG members and the exchange of experiences and good practices.
The TG produced a series of outputs that are presented in the Related Publications section further down on this page.
Key findings
The work of the TG members and of international experts fed into the key output of the TG: A Framework of Rural Proofing Actions. This non-exhaustive working document, which expresses the views of the TG members, aims to support policy-makers and all stakeholders involved in designing or implementing rural proofing mechanisms in their particular context at national, regional or local level.
The document outlines a framework of essential actions:
- Defining a clear statement of strong and real political will and commitment
- Establishing a positive, shared vision of rural areas and clarity about the role of rural proofing in achieving this
- Establishing clear and coordinated roles and responsibilities
- Developing a clear template, guidance, and robust accompanying evidence
- Establishing clear monitoring and evaluation mechanisms
Scroll down this page to find all the outputs of this Thematic Group and relevant resources related to this topic.
Learn more
You can find other useful resources about this theme in our Publications section and in our Good Practices database.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact us at implementation@eucapnetwork.eu.
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