Active public support must underpin EU smart villages strategy, says MEP

Public policy must be at the core of projects to develop smart villages in the EU, MEP Franc Bogovič said, as an initiative on the EU’s long-term rural prospects moves forward. 

In June 2021, the Commission set out its “long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas”, at the centre of which are smart solutions to existing issues. Now, an own-initiative report by lawmakers in the Parliament is due to be voted on in December’s plenary session after being adopted by the agriculture (AGRI) committee in October.

EU to fight ‘geography of discontent’ with new vision for rural areas

The European Commission unveiled on Wednesday (30 June) its long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas, proposing a rural pact and a rural action plan aimed at making those regions stronger, connected, and prosperous.

Within these initiatives are plans for developing ‘smart villages’, rural communities that use technology and other innovative solutions to tackle existing issues and build resilience against future ones. 

In particular, MEP Franc Bogovič, who has championed smart villages for several years, told EURACTIV the project is essential to counteract growing trends towards urban areas, and the involvement of both EU and national-level policymakers would be crucial.

“It’s very important that we recognise that if we want to help active rural areas, we need public policies and financing. Otherwise, this centralisation and urbanisation will happen”, he said. 

Significant divides still exist between Europe’s urban and rural areas, not least in the level of digitalisation. Upon the publication of its vision for rural areas last year, the Commission noted that 30% of the EU’s population lives in rural areas, which cover 80% of the territory.

Despite this, connectivity and the provision of digital services remain much lower in these regions than in urban areas, which, Bogovič noted, can reduce their attractiveness as locations where to live and work.

Smart villages are an opportunity to bring jobs, says MEP Bogovic

Smart villages intend to use the full potential of digital technologies to unlock job opportunities in a bid to counter rural poverty and depopulation, MEP Franc Bogovic told EURACTIV ahead of an event to promote his initiative.

“It is essential to fill this digital gap in rural areas if we want people to stay in them and live and work there”, he said. The basic idea of the push for smart village development, he said, was to determine a way “to ensure the conditions so that people can live a high-quality life in rural areas.” 

“We need basic infrastructure, plus good broadband connectivity and to create jobs in the area,” he added. 

The smart villages project, he also pointed out, is different from efforts to develop smart cities, which might focus on issues such as energy, transport and the environment.

“For rural areas”, he said, “it’s necessary to be creative and to create the solutions which answer the needs of the rural area.”

EU and Germany bet on 'smart villages' in rural development bid

Germany is pushing ahead with the development of smart villages – a move EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski said was crucial for developing rural areas.

These needs can span several sectors, ranging from what are perhaps the more predictable in rural locations, such as agriculture and forestry, to those which cater more to the needs of business and community – through tourism, for example. 

Some elements of smart villages can cater to individual citizens’ needs and well-being but also fit the profile of rural areas. eHealth services, for instance, can be highly important in rural communities due to their utility in remote locations and very appropriate, given that rural populations are often, on average, much older than urban ones.

However, the rollout of these kinds of services can clash with other aspects of the digital divide, compounding the question of inclusion. Not only do disparities in connectivity between urban and rural areas impact the speed and effectiveness with which these services can be delivered, but a lack of digital skills can also serve as another barrier to their use. 

The sharing of good practices between communities at all levels is a vital component of the successful rollout of the smart villages strategy, Bogovič said, as is a diversity of funding sources and attention to adequately funding rural innovation at all levels. 

Funding from the EU’s European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Regional Development, Social and Cohesion Funds are all important, “but that is not enough”, he said.

“It is necessary also at the national level, in municipality budgets, in regional budgets, to take care of these areas.”

Quick tech rollout key to closing rural digital divide, stakeholders say

Given the rate at which complex new technologies are developed and integrated, ensuring quick deployment is crucial in tackling the digital divide and its significant impact on rural communities, stakeholders this week at a rural innovation event in Spain.

[Edited by Luca Bertuzzi/Alice Taylor]