Rural communities across Europe face shared challenges, from demographic decline to digital gaps, but the way policies support innovation varies from country to country.
To make this landscape easier to understand, the FUTURAL project has created six country factsheets. These short, accessible overviews highlight how policies and governance frameworks shape community-led innovation, where the gaps are, and what opportunities exist for stronger support.
Covering Austria, Belgium, Greece, Lithuania, Romania, and Spain, the factsheets draw on FUTURAL’s in-depth policy analysis carried out by AEIDL (Lostrangio & Pazos-Vidal, 2025) and validated through FUTURAL’s Multi-Actor Platforms (MAPs).
Covering Austria, Belgium, Greece, Lithuania, Romania, and Spain, the factsheets draw on FUTURAL’s in-depth policy analysis carried out by AEIDL (Lostrangio & Pazos-Vidal, 2025) and validated through FUTURAL’s Multi-Actor Platforms (MAPs).
What the factsheets include
Each factsheet highlights:
- The FUTURAL pilot case study in the country, including local challenges and the community-led innovations being tested.
- Rural context and innovation performance, with comparative data against EU averages.
- Governance frameworks, administrative levels, and the role of local authorities.
- Policy instruments under the CAP, Cohesion Policy, and other national frameworks that can support rural innovation.
- Examples of good practices or targeted interventions, such as Smart Villages or community-based services.
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NL 
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ES