Ever since “Rural Proofing” was launched as a policy idea for Europe through the “Cork 2.0” declaration there has been a lot of interest in trying to understand what it means in the EU context. Though this is already being practiced in some countries, and was included as part of the 2021 EU Better Regulation package, there is not yet a clear methodology at EU level on how to evaluate the impact of EU rules in rural areas. 

The ENRD document “A Framework for Rural Proofing Actions” aims to contribute to moving forward in that direction. Though it is not an official Commission document it nevertheless aims to support policymakers and stakeholders involved in designing or implementing Rural Proofing mechanisms in their context. AEIDL’s Head of Policy Enrique Nieto and Senior Expert Serafin-Pazos-Vidal were part of the team that produced this promising initiative.