(25 May 2021) – AEIDL’s Briefing on the lessons learnt during the COVID-19 crisis for rural development fueled the recommendations of the Opinion adopted by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) on 7 May.
On 7 May 2021, the CoR adopted the Opinion on “Experiences and lessons learned by regions and cities during the COVID-19 crisis” led by rapporteur, Mrs Joke Schauvliege (Vice President of the Flemish Parliament – Belgium).
AEIDL, represented by Enrique Nieto (Head of the Rural and Territorial Development Unit), participated in the stakeholder and expert consultation organised for the preparation of the Opinion.
The Opinion outlines recommendations for policy makers which could be clustered around six thematic blocks: governance and participation; infrastructure and basic services; digitalisation and smart rurality; knowledge and data; Sustainability; and social capital.
Both the AEIDL’s Briefing and the CoR’s Opinion acknowledge the importance that community-led actions have had in coping with the impacts of the pandemic, and drives attention to key issues that need to be taken forward by policy makers.