vital

vital rural area

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Since the reform of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in 2003/2004, regional development is playing an increasingly important role in helping rural areas (91% of the EU's territory and home to approximately 56% of its population) to meet the economic, social and environmental challenges and chances of the 21st century.

Because of the changes in the agricultural sector (Mac Sharry Reform: from product support to income support) and the increasing scale of companies (less people employed in agriculture), rural communities need new economic pillars and stimuli in order to maintain employability, social coherence and competitiveness.

from working to living - towards new socio-economical prospects in regional areas

The regions participating in Vital Rural Area encounter and share - generally spoken - comparable socio-economical problems, even on a daily base:

lack of economic development & innovation
negative or insufficient exposure of the region
downsizing in the level or the accessibility of services and amenities

Acting on their own, municipalities and regions are often too small to handle these issues adequately. They can, therefore, only present partial, insufficient solutions.

landscape in Dongeradeel, NL

However, if all players (e.g. policy makers, inhabitants, SMEs, educational/knowledge institutes, private companies) on local, regional, national and European levels combine their knowledge, skills, experience and expertise - and join hands in co-operation - it will be possible to develop innovative solutions and to release hidden potentials.

On the basis of an integrated three trail workpackage approach, and with the co-operative agreement approach CAA as the common set of rules for (transnational) co-operation, Vital Rural Area develops, builds, implements and disseminates a transferable method for setting up successful social economical projects in rural areas: the rural power pack RPP.