What’s happening in my country
On the country pages you will find useful information about what is happening in EU Member States concerning the planning and implementation of smart villages.
The information aims to orient people on policy planning, key contacts and resources on smart villages. However, it neither aims to be fully comprehensive, nor necessarily reflects the official government or European Commission position.
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Filippo Celata
, Venere Stefania Sanna
(
04/04/2019
)
The contribution of community-based initiatives towards sustainability transitions is of growing interest. However, systematic, quantitative, and comparative assessments of their potential impact across different environmental, social, and economic dimensions are scarce. In this paper, we present a multidimensional assessment of 37 initiatives grouped in the following typologies: community gardens, solidarity purchasing groups, food cooperatives, community energy, recycling, and mobility initiatives. We provide evidence of the capacity of community-based sustainability initiatives to promote effective and efficient lowcarbon solutions, social capital and inclusion, human capital, economic impact, and innovation. We show that, thanks in particular to their environmental effects, community energy initiatives are the best performing, although their social impact is weak. The opposite is true for community gardens. Mobility and recycling initiatives rank lower but can obtain meaningful impacts if they engage intensively within their communities. Food cooperatives and purchasing groups have the weakest effects. However, we show that results for individual initiatives are variable—indicating that the specific activities undertaken are less important than how they are conducted. Moreover, the best-performing initiatives are usually active in more than one typology, showing that diversification is an asset. We also show some interesting correlations between the degree of diversity of participants that initiatives can attract, their propensity to diffuse knowledge, and their creativity in finding carbon-efficient solutions. Finally, top-ranked initiatives overall rarely appear at the top of any separate assessment criterion: the possibility of a community-led transition rests on their performance across several dimensions combined.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
The contribution of community-based initiatives towards sustainability transitions is of growing interest. However, systematic, quantitative, and comparative assessments of their potential impact across different environmental, social, and economic dimensions are scarce. In this paper, we present a multidimensional assessment of 37 initiatives grouped in the following typologies: community gardens, solidarity purchasing groups, food cooperatives, community energy, recycling, and mobility initiatives. We provide evidence of the capacity of community-based sustainability initiatives to promote effective and efficient lowcarbon solutions, social capital and inclusion, human capital, economic impact, and innovation. We show that, thanks in particular to their environmental effects, community energy initiatives are the best performing, although their social impact is weak. The opposite is true for community gardens. Mobility and recycling initiatives rank lower but can obtain meaningful impacts if they engage intensively within their communities. Food cooperatives and purchasing groups have the weakest effects. However, we show that results for individual initiatives are variable—indicating that the specific activities undertaken are less important than how they are conducted. Moreover, the best-performing initiatives are usually active in more than one typology, showing that diversification is an asset. We also show some interesting correlations between the degree of diversity of participants that initiatives can attract, their propensity to diffuse knowledge, and their creativity in finding carbon-efficient solutions. Finally, top-ranked initiatives overall rarely appear at the top of any separate assessment criterion: the possibility of a community-led transition rests on their performance across several dimensions combined.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
Olga Vincent
, Giuseppe Feola
Calls for agri-food system sustainability transitions abound and increasingly draw attention to the need for addressing deeply ingrained social, cultural and economic logics that drive unsustainability, and specifically political economy of the systems of provision. Yet, the analytical conceptualization of diversity with regards to capitalism in agri-food systems remains limited. This paper fills this gap by proposing and illustrating a framework for recognizing capitalist, alternative capitalist, and non-capitalist configurations in enterprises, co-operatives, associations, and other socioeconomic entities in agri-food systems. The framework is informed by poststructuralist theories of capitalism and development, as well as by other analyses and critiques of capitalism rooted inrelational understandings of society-in-nature. It entails the following dimensions: (a) ontology: space, time, human nature, logic of relation; (b) economic relations: enterprise, labour, economic transactions, Prop erty, finance; (c) relation with the State: participation in regulation and legitimation; (d)knowledge. The application of the framework to cases of community supported agriculture (CSA) shows the coexistence of capitalist, alternative-capitalist or non-capitalist elements in CSA initiatives. Distinct CSA initiatives show different configurations of the framework’s elements. In some cases, configurations changed over time as a result of tensions between actors, or between the CSA and its context. The uncovering of these dynamics proves that the framework can be a valuable tool for recognizing diversity beyond capitalism in a given food initiative.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
Calls for agri-food system sustainability transitions abound and increasingly draw attention to the need for addressing deeply ingrained social, cultural and economic logics that drive unsustainability, and specifically political economy of the systems of provision. Yet, the analytical conceptualization of diversity with regards to capitalism in agri-food systems remains limited. This paper fills this gap by proposing and illustrating a framework for recognizing capitalist, alternative capitalist, and non-capitalist configurations in enterprises, co-operatives, associations, and other socioeconomic entities in agri-food systems. The framework is informed by poststructuralist theories of capitalism and development, as well as by other analyses and critiques of capitalism rooted inrelational understandings of society-in-nature. It entails the following dimensions: (a) ontology: space, time, human nature, logic of relation; (b) economic relations: enterprise, labour, economic transactions, Prop erty, finance; (c) relation with the State: participation in regulation and legitimation; (d)knowledge. The application of the framework to cases of community supported agriculture (CSA) shows the coexistence of capitalist, alternative-capitalist or non-capitalist elements in CSA initiatives. Distinct CSA initiatives show different configurations of the framework’s elements. In some cases, configurations changed over time as a result of tensions between actors, or between the CSA and its context. The uncovering of these dynamics proves that the framework can be a valuable tool for recognizing diversity beyond capitalism in a given food initiative.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
N. Komninos
(
11/2015
)
This report summarises the findings of desk research about the ICT related actions proposed by the regional and national Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation in Greece. Moreover, it assess these findings with respect to (a) ICT implementation problems in Greece encountered in the period 2007-2013 and the poor performance of the Digital Convergence Programme over this period, and (b) opinions / interviews with public government officials having responsibility for implementing Broadband and ICT actions during the current programming period 2014-2020.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
This report summarises the findings of desk research about the ICT related actions proposed by the regional and national Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation in Greece. Moreover, it assess these findings with respect to (a) ICT implementation problems in Greece encountered in the period 2007-2013 and the poor performance of the Digital Convergence Programme over this period, and (b) opinions / interviews with public government officials having responsibility for implementing Broadband and ICT actions during the current programming period 2014-2020.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
EU
Policy Recommendations for Sustainable Shared Mobility and Public Transport in European rural areas
SMARTA Project
(
03/2021
)
SMARTA proposes a European-level initiative in the domain of rural mobility. This document first, it introduces the key challenges of mobility in Europe’s rural areas from mobility, transport provision, and policy points of view. Then, it highlights why there is a need and justification for an EU action. It proposes three policy pathways that enable the EU Member States to develop comprehensive policies and frameworks for rural mobility. It also gives indications on how to ensure these are delivered at the local level throughout their territory.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
Smart Villages Alpine Space Interreg project
Smart Villages Digital Toolbox is a digital tool that helps resolving local challenges by empowering communities in development and decision processes. It helps you define what your community needs in terms of smart transition. The Toolbox suggests innovative methods and techniques that help effectively address the challenges that individuals or communities want to address. It will lead you through participatory process and help you establish a group of relevant stakeholders. It also includes examples of existing good practices from all across Europe.
Language : English
Type of resource : Guidelines
Smart Villages Digital Toolbox is a digital tool that helps resolving local challenges by empowering communities in development and decision processes. It helps you define what your community needs in terms of smart transition. The Toolbox suggests innovative methods and techniques that help effectively address the challenges that individuals or communities want to address. It will lead you through participatory process and help you establish a group of relevant stakeholders. It also includes examples of existing good practices from all across Europe.
Language : English
Type of resource : Guidelines
Sara Pastorino
-
Smart Villages Alpine Space Interreg project
(
23/05/2019
)
Alpine Space rural communities, are often deprived of highly needed jobs, good provision of services as well as of a favorable climate for enterpreneurship and social innovation, which result in a brain drain The SmartVillages project aims to reduce regional disparities and increases cohesion in rural areas bringing together policymakers, business, academia and civil society in a quadruple helix approach. The goal is to improve the framework for innovation through effective forms of stakeholder involvement facilitated by Information and Communication Technologies. Innovation concept affect the smartness in different dimensions: mobility – governance – economy – environment– living – people.
Language : English, Italian
Type of resource : Video
Alpine Space rural communities, are often deprived of highly needed jobs, good provision of services as well as of a favorable climate for enterpreneurship and social innovation, which result in a brain drain The SmartVillages project aims to reduce regional disparities and increases cohesion in rural areas bringing together policymakers, business, academia and civil society in a quadruple helix approach. The goal is to improve the framework for innovation through effective forms of stakeholder involvement facilitated by Information and Communication Technologies. Innovation concept affect the smartness in different dimensions: mobility – governance – economy – environment– living – people.
Language : English, Italian
Type of resource : Video
European Academies Science Advisory Council (easac)
(
06/2018
)
This summary of key findings and recommendations of the Smart Villages Initiative over the period 2014–2017 is intended to inform policy-makers and development organisations in the European Union concerned with rural development in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It draws on a detailed report of the findings (Holmes, 2017), which in turn provides links to the wealth of underpinning material generated by the Smart Village Initiative’s engagement programmes and research over the 3-year period (available at www.e4sv.org).
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
This summary of key findings and recommendations of the Smart Villages Initiative over the period 2014–2017 is intended to inform policy-makers and development organisations in the European Union concerned with rural development in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It draws on a detailed report of the findings (Holmes, 2017), which in turn provides links to the wealth of underpinning material generated by the Smart Village Initiative’s engagement programmes and research over the 3-year period (available at www.e4sv.org).
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
Anna Visvizi
, Miltiadis D. Lytras
(
02/08/2018
)
The concept of ‘the village’ has been largely absent in the academic debate, even if rural areas and countryside communities have been a subject of concern for robust policy frameworks, such as the European Union’s Cohesion Policy and Common Agricultural Policy. As a result, when advances in sophisticated information and communication technology (ICT) led to the emergence of a rich body of research on smart cities, the application and usability of ICT in the context of a village remained underdiscussed in the literature. Through this Special Issue, and the Editors’ earlier research on this topic, the Editors hope that the idea of the ‘smart village’ will be introduced into the debate. Against this backdrop, the objective of this opening review is three-fold: (i) to outline the conceptual boundaries of the term smart village, (ii) to highlight the thrust of the challenge inherent in smart villages research, and (iii) to shed light on the smart village research agenda as it unfolds. The relevance and validity of these claims are supported by references to research submitted to the Special Issue titled “Sustainable Smart Cities and Smart Villages Research”.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
The concept of ‘the village’ has been largely absent in the academic debate, even if rural areas and countryside communities have been a subject of concern for robust policy frameworks, such as the European Union’s Cohesion Policy and Common Agricultural Policy. As a result, when advances in sophisticated information and communication technology (ICT) led to the emergence of a rich body of research on smart cities, the application and usability of ICT in the context of a village remained underdiscussed in the literature. Through this Special Issue, and the Editors’ earlier research on this topic, the Editors hope that the idea of the ‘smart village’ will be introduced into the debate. Against this backdrop, the objective of this opening review is three-fold: (i) to outline the conceptual boundaries of the term smart village, (ii) to highlight the thrust of the challenge inherent in smart villages research, and (iii) to shed light on the smart village research agenda as it unfolds. The relevance and validity of these claims are supported by references to research submitted to the Special Issue titled “Sustainable Smart Cities and Smart Villages Research”.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
European Network for Rural Development (ENRD)
(
06/2017
)
A brochure of projects relevant to Smart Villages
Language : English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
A brochure of projects relevant to Smart Villages
Language : English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
European Network for Rural Development (ENRD)
(
06/2018
)
A brochure of projects relevant to Smart Villages.
Language : Bulgarian, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish
A brochure of projects relevant to Smart Villages.
Language : Bulgarian, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish
European Network for Rural Development (ENRD)
(
05/2018
)
This issue of the EU Rural Review showcases rural communities across Europe taking the initiative to find practical solutions to challenges they face and seize new opportunities. It explores how digital and social innovation can be used in new, creative ways to improve basic services in rural areas. It further looks at national and regional approaches to creating an enabling environment, as well as how the Rural Development Programmes can catalyse rural service innovation.
Language : Bulgarian, Czech, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Spanish
Type of resource : Publication, Report
This issue of the EU Rural Review showcases rural communities across Europe taking the initiative to find practical solutions to challenges they face and seize new opportunities. It explores how digital and social innovation can be used in new, creative ways to improve basic services in rural areas. It further looks at national and regional approaches to creating an enabling environment, as well as how the Rural Development Programmes can catalyse rural service innovation.
Language : Bulgarian, Czech, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Spanish
Type of resource : Publication, Report
European Network for Rural Development (ENRD)
This is a presentation about ‘Cohesion Policy & Smart Villages’ by Eleftherios Stavropoulos from DG REGIO, European Commission. It was recorded during the 12th ENRD Thematic Group meeting on ‘Smart Villages’ webinar. For further information see the event webpage: https://enrd.ec.europa.eu/news-events…
Language : English
Type of resource : Video
This is a presentation about ‘Cohesion Policy & Smart Villages’ by Eleftherios Stavropoulos from DG REGIO, European Commission. It was recorded during the 12th ENRD Thematic Group meeting on ‘Smart Villages’ webinar. For further information see the event webpage: https://enrd.ec.europa.eu/news-events…
Language : English
Type of resource : Video
European Economic and Social Committee
Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee.
Language : Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portugese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish
Type of resource : Project description, Report
Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee.
Language : Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portugese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish
Type of resource : Project description, Report
European Committee of the Regions
Opinion Factsheets from the European Committee of the Regions.
Language : Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portugese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish
Type of resource : Guidelines, Tool
Opinion Factsheets from the European Committee of the Regions.
Language : Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portugese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish
Type of resource : Guidelines, Tool
European Network for Rural Development (ENRD)
Thematic Group Smart Villages Briefing services – Working document
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
Thematic Group Smart Villages Briefing services – Working document
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
European Network for Rural Development (ENRD)
Thematic Group Smart Villages Briefing business models- Working document.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
Thematic Group Smart Villages Briefing business models- Working document.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
European Network for Rural Development (ENRD)
Orientations for policy-makers and implementers.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
Orientations for policy-makers and implementers.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
European Network for Rural Development (ENRD)
Orientations for policy-makers and implementers.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
Orientations for policy-makers and implementers.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
European Network for Rural Development (ENRD)
Orientations for policy-makers and implementers.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
Orientations for policy-makers and implementers.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
European Network for Rural Development (ENRD)
This briefing document offers some preliminary orientations on how to support Smart Villages – both in the current programming period (2014-2020) and, more significantly, in the framework of the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) programming period. It is targeted mainly at national and regional policy-makers and implementers to help them put in place both rural and regional policies which enable rural communities to respond to the challenges they face.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
This briefing document offers some preliminary orientations on how to support Smart Villages – both in the current programming period (2014-2020) and, more significantly, in the framework of the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) programming period. It is targeted mainly at national and regional policy-makers and implementers to help them put in place both rural and regional policies which enable rural communities to respond to the challenges they face.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
European Network for Rural Development (ENRD)
This leaflet is one of three being developed by the ENRD to support rural stakeholders designing Smart Village initiatives in certain key domains. The focus of this document is on Rural Mobility. ‘Mobility’ is a basic freedom; it is the possibility to access work, education, services, society and everything else that is part of a person’s life. In other words, mobility is one of the vital enablers of any community, especially of rural communities where many essential things are located some distance away. Providing more sustainable forms of mobility can also make an important contribution to mitigating climate change.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
This leaflet is one of three being developed by the ENRD to support rural stakeholders designing Smart Village initiatives in certain key domains. The focus of this document is on Rural Mobility. ‘Mobility’ is a basic freedom; it is the possibility to access work, education, services, society and everything else that is part of a person’s life. In other words, mobility is one of the vital enablers of any community, especially of rural communities where many essential things are located some distance away. Providing more sustainable forms of mobility can also make an important contribution to mitigating climate change.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
European Network for Rural Development (ENRD)
This thematic Briefing is part of the series developed by the ENRD to assist Managing Authorities and rural stakeholders in designing supportive frameworks for Smart Villages initiatives in certain key domains (1). This document focuses on renewable energy communities. Access to energy is a basic right – people depend on energy for heating, lighting, transport and economic activity. As wind, sun and water are common goods, fair access to the benefits of generating energy from renewable sources should be ensured for all citizens, especially in rural areas where many of these resources are plentiful and can generate local economic and social benefits much needed there.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
This thematic Briefing is part of the series developed by the ENRD to assist Managing Authorities and rural stakeholders in designing supportive frameworks for Smart Villages initiatives in certain key domains (1). This document focuses on renewable energy communities. Access to energy is a basic right – people depend on energy for heating, lighting, transport and economic activity. As wind, sun and water are common goods, fair access to the benefits of generating energy from renewable sources should be ensured for all citizens, especially in rural areas where many of these resources are plentiful and can generate local economic and social benefits much needed there.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
European Network for Rural Development (ENRD)
This Thematic Briefing is one of the tools developed by the ENRD to assist Managing Authorities and rural stakeholders in designing and implementing Smart Villages initiatives in key domains. The focus of this document is on promoting digital transformation in villages and rural areas. It builds on a previous brief produced by the ENRD Thematic Group Smart Villages entitled ‘Smart Village.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
This Thematic Briefing is one of the tools developed by the ENRD to assist Managing Authorities and rural stakeholders in designing and implementing Smart Villages initiatives in key domains. The focus of this document is on promoting digital transformation in villages and rural areas. It builds on a previous brief produced by the ENRD Thematic Group Smart Villages entitled ‘Smart Village.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
Ana Martinez Juan
, James McEldowney
-
European Parliamentary Research Service
(
03/2021
)
This document represents a briefing from the European Parliamentary Research Service about the Smart Village concept.
Language : English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Type of resource : Publication, Report
This document represents a briefing from the European Parliamentary Research Service about the Smart Village concept.
Language : English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Type of resource : Publication, Report
European Investment Bank Group (EIB Group)
(
2019
)
Financial instruments for infrastructure have become increasingly important in recent years. There are successful examples under different ESI Funds or centrally managed EU policies such as the Cohesion policy, the European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI), InvestEU and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). The absence of any financial instrument for infrastructure investments under EAFRD programmes creates the need for this initiative aiming at encouraging EAFRD managing authorities to also look at this option.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
Financial instruments for infrastructure have become increasingly important in recent years. There are successful examples under different ESI Funds or centrally managed EU policies such as the Cohesion policy, the European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI), InvestEU and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). The absence of any financial instrument for infrastructure investments under EAFRD programmes creates the need for this initiative aiming at encouraging EAFRD managing authorities to also look at this option.
Language : English
Type of resource : Publication, Report
Edina Ocsko
-
E40
(
22/04/2020
)
In this article the author explores how Smart Villages can help overcoming some of the challenges created by the Covid-19 situation
Language : English
Type of resource : Article
In this article the author explores how Smart Villages can help overcoming some of the challenges created by the Covid-19 situation
Language : English
Type of resource : Article
European Network for Rural Development (ENRD)
In this brief we explore the potential role of LEADER/CLLD in supporting the implementation of the Smart Villages concept, we assess the current LEADER/CLLD implementation barriers identified by LAGs and present recommendations on how these barriers can be overcome to fully exploit the potential of Smart Villages at the local level.
Language : English
Type of resource : Article
In this brief we explore the potential role of LEADER/CLLD in supporting the implementation of the Smart Villages concept, we assess the current LEADER/CLLD implementation barriers identified by LAGs and present recommendations on how these barriers can be overcome to fully exploit the potential of Smart Villages at the local level.
Language : English
Type of resource : Article
Smart Rural 27
Portugal
Contribution/proposal for integrating the Smart Village Concept into Local Development Strategies of LEADER/CLLD”
Magda Porta
(
28/06/2023
)
Comprehensive document outlines a proposal for integrating the Smart Villages concept into Local Development Strategies within the context of sustainable rural development, emphasizing participatory approaches and leveraging existing local potential and opportunities.
Language : Portugese
Type of resource : Guidelines, Report
Magda Porta
(
28/06/2023
)
Presentation on the Smart Village concept and potential implementation approaches was delivered during a weekly LAGs network meeting organized as part of the taskforce activities in Portugal.
Language : Portugese
Type of resource : Presentation
Presentation on the Smart Village concept and potential implementation approaches was delivered during a weekly LAGs network meeting organized as part of the taskforce activities in Portugal.
Language : Portugese
Type of resource : Presentation
Magda Porta
(
28/06/2023
)
Summary report on the meeting with the Federation Minha Terra and Portuguese LAGs organized within the taskforce activities in Portugal. The objective of the meeting was to discuss the possible integration of support for Smart Village strategies within the Local Development Strategies of the PT Local Action Groups LEADER/CLLD.
Language : English
Type of resource : Report
Summary report on the meeting with the Federation Minha Terra and Portuguese LAGs organized within the taskforce activities in Portugal. The objective of the meeting was to discuss the possible integration of support for Smart Village strategies within the Local Development Strategies of the PT Local Action Groups LEADER/CLLD.
Language : English
Type of resource : Report
