Smart Villages and digitalisation for resilient rural areas: speech by Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski at the Joint Seminar on Community-led Local Development and Smart[...]

Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests,

It is my great pleasure to speak to you today.

I am especially grateful to the Committee of the Regions, the Honourable Members of the European Parliament, and the Czech presidency of the Council, for organising this seminar.

I am sorry I cannot join you in person, but I am happy that several of my colleagues from the Commission are with you today.

I look forward to hearing their reports on the outcomes of this important seminar, on how we can:

• improve our actions in community-led local development,
• work more closely in our Rural Pact,
• and continue our progress in the Long-term Vision for Rural Areas.

I also welcome the declaration being put forward today. Working "Together for a smart, rural Europe" is an approach very much in line with the ambitions of our Long-term Vision.

It is almost three years now since we launched the idea of this Vision.

It seems like a long time ago; a time before the pandemic,and before the warin Ukraine.

Both of these crises have shown our rural areas in a new light.

We can see more clearly their importance for the resilience of our society - they provide food and raw materials, energy, and employment.

And we can see how important they are for the sustainability of our society -they are the base of our biodiversity, the source of our water, soils, and forests.

Our recent crises have also thrown a light on the challenges that our rural areas face:

• from depopulation, transport exclusion, and declining services,
• to risingcosts of living and adaptation to climate change

In the face of these challenges, it is crucial that we continue to advance our Long-term Vision for Rural Areas - that we meet our goals for stronger, more connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas by 2040

My colleague, Commissioner Suica has already discussed some important parts of our Vision.

I would like to take a few moments to focus on two particular elements: smartvillages and digitalisation - both of which can spark our Vision to life.

Smart villages and the CAP

To begin with, Smart Villages are a key policy tool to unlock the potential of our rural communities.

Since 2020, DG AGRI has been implementing two of the European Parliament's Preparatory Actions for Smart Villages: Smart Rural 21 and Smart Rural 27.

The purpose of these projects has been to:

• clarify the concept of Smart Villages,
• to identify good examples and case studies,
• and to implement pilot Smart Village strategies across Europe, that can draw useful conclusions for future policy actions

These projects have been a success so far.

By working together, we have

• strengthened the capacities of local communities for smart development,
• and helped to identify new technological, digital, and social innovations, suited to the needs of diverse rural areas.

I am glad to say that, in the majority of CAP Strategic Plans submitted so far, the Smart Village concept is being supported.

It will be implemented via:

• LEADERlocal development strategies
• as well as stand-alone investments and interventions, in areas like infrastructure, basic services, and cooperation projects.

With this support from the Common Agricultural Policy, combined with the cohesion policy and other EU funds,I am confident that Smart Villages will soon be lighting up the countrysides of Europe.

Digitalisation

But to apply smart solutions, we first need smart systems in place.

Here, digitalisation is key.

It is especially crucial when it comes to modernising our farming sector:

• By harnessing digital technologies, we can make agriculture more sustainable and more resilient against crises.
• We can make it easier for farmers to improve their performance and productivity, by embracing new innovations and better uses of data.

Given these possibilities, I am happy to inform you that all Member States have submitted digitalisation plans in their CAP Strategic Plans.

The Digital Europe Programme will also boost digitalisation in farming, by supporting the implementation of the Common Data Space on Agriculture.

However, digitalisation can only deliver strong benefits with strong connectivity -in terms of both speed and quality.

High-capacity broadband networks help to bring better information, education and health services to rural communities, thereby fighting outward migration.

For example, following the COVID pandemic, we can see how more connected rural areas attract new businesses and teleworkers.

Furthermore, modern precision farming techniques - which can benefit productivity, reduce costs, and protect the environment - require fast and reliable internet connections.

Unfortunately, rural areas continue to lag behind in this regard: for example, only 60% of homes in rural areas have has access to fast broadband, compared to 86% of the urban population.

It is therefore crucial that Member States support broadband infrastructure.

Member States can use rural development funding, the Connecting Europe Facility, as well as the Recovery and Resilience Facility, to roll out high-capacity networks across their rural territories.

By putting these networks in place, we can pave the way for future-proof farms and smart rural businesses.

Conclusion

Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to conclude on this point, and allow you to return to your discussions.

I have outlined only two action areas for innovative rural development in the European Union. Over the course of the conference, I am sure you will discuss many more.

As I said at the beginning, both the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine have shown our rural areas in a new light.

In this light, we have sharpened the focus of our Long-term Vision.

Now, when we look at rural areas, we not only see their problems, but also their potential.

We see the central role they can play in the future of Europe:

• to protect our environment anddevelop our economy,
• toimprove the resilience of our energy system and support the security of our food system.

Now, when we look at rural areas, we not only look at how they fall behind, but also at how we can get behind them.

We must get behind them with all of our policies, using interventions for rural areas, and not just in rural areas. These areas are more than agriculture and the Common Agricultural Policy cannot do it alone.

We need to get behind them with all levels of governance - across the institutions and bodies of the European Union; across the authorities and agencies of nations and regions.

With everyone behind them, I believe that rural communities can truly move forward, and become our leading communities in the 21^st Century.

On this note, I thank you for your time, and I wish you a successful conference.