RURACTIVE Forum – fourth meeting
The fourth RURACTIVE Forum, taking place on 30 June 2026 at 9:30 – 11:30 CEST online, marks the final stage of the project policy dialogue process, focusing on the presentation, discussion and validation of the consolidated policy recommendations developed throughout the Forum and other project resources. This session will provide a space for rural practitioners, policymakers, experts and European networks to review and validate policy recommendations grounded in territorial experience and the work carried out across the Rural Development Drivers (RDDs): multimodal mobility, energy transition, agri-food and agroecology, culture and cultural innovation, local welfare and governance, nature-based and cultural tourism.
The Forum takes place in the context of ongoing discussions on the post-2027 European policy framework and the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028–2034, contributing bottom-up perspectives and practical insights from rural territories across Europe.
The validated recommendations will contribute to the final RURACTIVE Policy Recommendations and Guidance document, planned for publication in August 2026.
This Fourth Forum represents the last opportunity for stakeholders to contribute directly to the RURACTIVE Policy Recommendations before their publication.
The meeting is designed as a validation exercise aimed at:
- Reviewing the consolidated policy recommendations developed throughout the Forum process and validating their relevance and applicability.
- Providing feedback on the relevance, feasibility and applicability of the proposed recommendations.
- Identifying policy entry points, dissemination opportunities and likelihood of uptake within current and future EU policy frameworks.
- Ensuring that the recommendations reflect territorial realities and stakeholder perspectives.
- Contributing to the final Policy Recommendations and Guidance document to be published in August 2026.
The Forum is open to rural practitioners, Rural Development Drivers, EU and national policy actors, thematic experts, and representatives of European networks engaged in community-led rural innovation.
Agenda
| Timing | |
|---|---|
| 09.30–09.40 | Welcome Serafín Pazos-Vidal Senior policy expert, AEIDL RURACTIVE overview and objectives of the Fourth Forum Claudia de Luca University of Bologna, RURACTIVE project coordinator |
| 09.40–09.55 | Keynote: Rural Innovation in the evolving EU policy landscape |
| 09.55–10.10 | Keynote: Rural Innovation in the evolving EU policy landscape Janne Sinerma and María Alonso-Roldán AEIDL |
| 10.10–10.55 | Testing the RURACTIVE recommendations: relevance, feasibility and impact Facilitator: Serafín Pazos-Vidal, AEIDL Strengthening the recommendations: identifying gaps and blind spots Jorge Núñez Ferrer Director for Cohesion Policy and EU Budget from the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) From recommendations to implementation Leticia Abarca Velencoso EU Policy & Project Advisor from the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha Grounding policy in territorial realities Stefan Kah Knowledge Exchange and Research Fellow at European Policies Research Centre (EPRC) |
| 10.55–11.00 | Towards the final RURACTIVE policy recommendationsSerafín Pazos-Vidal Senior policy expert, AEIDL |
If you wish to join the Forum, please register here!
