Actions for resilient rural areas

The Commission created a Rural energy community advisory hub (RECAH) that provided assistance to 27 beneficiaries in developing energy communities. This two-year action (2022-2023):

• Offered a technical assistance programme,
• developed guidance documents on setting up and maintaining rural energy communities,
• organised six networking sessions and several conferences.

RECAH contributed to increasing the understanding and capacity of citizens and local authorities to create renewable energy communities in rural areas. It provided a structured avenue for exchange of information, knowledge and best practices.

Find about more about the RECAH.

In 2024 the Energy Communities Facility will be set up to merge some of the activities of the RECAH and the Energy Communities Repository with cascade funding to be provided to energy communities in the form of grants to help design their business plans.

This flagship contributes to building up carbon sinks by investing in rewetting wetlands and peatlands. It will offer great potential in terms of climate benefits.

Since the Communication on Sustainable Carbon Cycles, adopted on 15 December 2021, the Commission has consistently promoted actions on peatland through carbon farming, notably by:

• streamlining targeted support in the context of the Common Agricultural Policy (e.g. in eco-schemes, through advisory services and rural development interventions),
• developing an EU certification framework that allows certification of emission removal through peatland restorations,
• developing possibilities to finance peatland conservation and restauration through the Just Transition Fund,
• setting a focus on carbon farming on peatlands in the yearly calls for LIFE projects.

The EU Mission “A soil deal for Europe” contributes to tackling soil challenges in rural areas, as well as in urban settings, fostering urban-rural linkages. The main goal of the Mission is to establish 100 living labs and lighthouses to lead the transition towards healthy soils by 2030.

Since its launch in 2021, three work programmes with a total budget of EUR 301 million were launched, focusing on soil health, the creation of living labs, carbon farming, soil biodiversity circular economy, restauration, and the fostering of soil literacy and public involvement.

The EU Mission Soil launched its Manifesto highlighting the urgent need for action to protect soil health. The Commission is calling on regions, municipalities, private or public companies, organisations, associations, schools, educational institutes, universities, research institutions and all stakeholders interested in becoming part of a community that cares for soil to sign the Mission Soil Manifesto.

Learn more about the Mission, its objectives and related funding opportunities.

This flagship includes actions to improve rural women’s entrepreneurship, participation in decision-making and investment in work-life balance services, including the European care strategy, dedicated networking activities and research and innovation actions.

The Commission adopted on 7 September 2022 the European Care Strategy, which acknowledges the specific challenges rural areas are facing and commits to improve evidence on care provision in rural areas.

The new European social dialogue committee for social services aims at reducing care labour shortages which are higher in rural areas. The Commission is funding two social innovation projects in long-term care in rural depopulating areas such as "RURALCARE" in Spain.

The care strategy is accompanied by two Council recommendations:

• Council recommendation on access to affordable high-quality long-term care, that calls on Member States to close the territorial gap in the long-term care systems.
• Council recommendation on high-quality early childhood education and care systems, that calls on Member States to provide sufficient territorial coverage of children education and care.

The Commission is collaborating with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to develop a comprehensive methodology for Members States to self-assess their long-term care policies. Furthermore, they are developing a toolkit to support informal care workers in their care giving activities.

Under specific objective 8 of the Common Agricultural Policy, Member States can design interventions under their CAP strategic plans to enhance the participation of women in farming and foster social inclusion for women living in rural areas.

The European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) finances actions supporting women’s access to employment in all the Member States, including in rural areas, under the specific objective 3 “promote a gender-balanced labour market participation, equal working conditions and a better work–life balance, including through affordable care for children and other dependent persons”.

In 2023 the Commission published a call under Horizon Europe to address territorial inequalities in care and search for integrated care solutions.

The Commission also funds projects on women-led innovation in rural areas under the flagship on research and innovation for rural areas:

• FLIARA – Female-led innovation in agriculture and rural areas
• SWIFT - Supporting Women-led Innovations in Farming and rural Territories
• GRASS Ceiling – Gender equality in rural and agricultural innovation systems

Finally, the Commission organised a number of networking activities focusing on gender equality or care in rural areas:

• The EU CAP network organised on 15-16 November 2022 the workshop "Advancing gender equality in rural areas in the EU”, which allowed institutions and practitioners to share data and exchange experience on three key areas.
• A session dedicated to women in rural areas at the High-level rural policy forum “Shaping the future of rural areas” in Sigüenza (Spain) on 28 September 2023.
• The rural pact support office organised a webinar on “Enhancing access to health services in rural areas” in partnership with the WHO and the European Rural and Isolated Practitioners Association on 30 November 2023.