On May 21, 2025, FUTURAL will host a Policy Webinar titled ‘Smarter, Stronger and More Competitive Rural Areas: The Way Forward for EU Policies’. The event comes at a crucial moment as the EU Institutions prepare for the next Multiannual Financial Framework, expected in July 2025. It is high time to spotlight the role of community-led, social, technological, and business innovations in shaping vibrant rural areas. (You can find more information on the event here.) Our speakers will share their expertise and unique perspectives on a range of key topics, including:
● Τhe findings from the FUTURAL Policy Analysis on community-led innovation.
● Rural Innovation and competitiveness in post-2027 EU Policies.
● FUTURAL policy recommendations from rural actors for enhancing community-led innovation in post-2027 EU Policies.
● Inspiring rural innovation practices from distinguished organisations, networks, and initiatives related to innovation, rural development, and EU policy.
● Roundtable discussion on how rural innovation can inform the ongoing debate on future EU Policies, with the participation of EU officials.
Access the agenda and meet our speakers each bringing unique experience and vision to this timely conversation:
Marta Marczis, President of European Association for Innovation in Local Development (AEIDL)
Márta Márczis is currently a member of AEIDL since 2002, an elected board member since 2010, and president since 2011. She is an expert in community-driven local (rural & urban), place-based and regional development, with specific experience in poverty, the environment, land-use stewardship, and social economic development. She was also a founder of PREPARE (PRE-accession Partnership for Rural Europe) and has been a member since 1999.
She has worked with the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Centre for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Bratislava (Slovakia) from 2001 to 2014, and after the Centre was closed, she worked as UNDP expert for Roma inclusion in Bosnia and Hercegovina, and in Albania in 2015.As lead European expert at UNDP, she implemented the LEADER/CLLD approach in the Republic of Moldova (2016-2018). Márta also worked as lead expert and national coordinator of the European Commission – Council of Europe ROMACT Programme in 2015-2016. She previously coordinated the LoSD (Localising Sustainable Development) in the Western Balkans and the Western CIS countries, and she was the chief advisor and programme leader of the “Cserehát / Košice” UNDP Model Programme, implementing inclusive, community-driven development methods and tools in disadvantaged areas (2003-2010). She also contributed to the UNDP pre-LEADER Programme in Serbia (2007-2009). She worked as chief advisor and programme leader at UNDP on area-based social inclusion in the Roma-populated EU and pre-accession countries (2010-2014); the programme’s methodology and cases (Cluj Napoca, Pecs, Braila, etc.) contributed to EU Roma policy for 2014-2020. As a freelance expert, Márta was intensively involved in setting up a range of pre-LEADER programmes and civil society rural networks.
Guoda Burokiene, President of Partnership for Rural Europe (PREPARE)
Guoda Burokiene is currently the President of the PREPARE partnership for rural Europe and has been serving as an adviser in the Lithuanian National Parliament since January 2025. From 2016 to 2024, she was a member of the Lithuanian National Parliament, where she actively contributed as a member of the State and Regions Committee, chaired the Commission on Migration, and participated in both the World Lithuanian Commission and the Women’s Group.
Between 2014 and 2016, she worked in Brussels as a geographical expert for the European Network for Rural Development (ENRD), focusing on monitoring the implementation of the Rural Development Programme 2014–2020 and sharing good practices, particularly in social enterprise and social inclusion.
From 2004 to 2016, she served as Chairperson of the Lithuanian Rural Communities Union, representing rural communities in governmental and municipal forums, contributing to policy development, and participating in transnational networks such as PREPARE and ELARD. Prior to that, from 2002 to 2012, she led the Rural Development Division at the Lithuanian Chamber of Agriculture, where she was involved in strategic planning and program implementation, especially concerning the LEADER method. Between 2000 and 2002, she coordinated national and international projects for the Lithuanian Women Farmers Association. Her early career includes experience as a social and insurance manager from 1994 to 1998.
Vanessa Halhead, Coordinator of European Rural Communities Alliance (ERCA)
Vanessa Halhead is Coordinator of the European Rural Community Alliance ERCA. She has worked with rural community development for over 35 years, at all levels, including in her own rural community in the Scottish Highlands, regionally, nationally, and internationally. She was part of the team that established the European Rural Community Alliance ERCA (2008) and the first European Rural Parliament (2013).
She has coordinated both ERCA and the ERP since the start, so she has a wide understanding of rural development across Europe. She helped to establish and manage the very first rural community movement in Scotland – Highlands and Islands Forum and worked with the Scottish Government to establish Scottish Rural Action in 2013 and the first Scottish Rural Parliament, and was a Director and, latterly, Acting Chair or SRA until her appointment as Honorary President. At the local level she lives in one of the most dynamic small communities in the Scottish Highlands – Cromarty, a community of about 800 people, which has 42 local organisations undertaking amazing projects.
Alexia Rouby, DG AGRI European Commission
Alexia Rouby is an agro-economist with over 18 years of experience, first in national network coordination on animal health, then in the European network coordination on rural policy analysis and project management, and since 2014 in the European Commission’s department for agriculture and rural development (DG AGRI).
Within the Rural areas and networks unit, she coordinates the team implementing the European Commission’s long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas adopted in June 2021, including EU’s Rural Action Plan and the Rural Pact. Before that, until October 2021, she was responsible for programming research and innovation on rural and social dynamics, social innovation, participatory and territorial approaches in DG AGRI’s Research and Innovation unit.
Serafín Pazos-Vidal, European Association for Innovation in Local Development (AEIDL)
Serafín Pazos-Vidal, holds a PhD in European Union. As Senior Expert, Rural and Territorial Development in AEIDL he is responsible for a range of Horizon projects in this field (RURACTIVE, FUTURAL, SMARTERA, RURBANIVE, GRASSCEILING, CODECS, GRANULAR, BEATLES, MOVING, and previously SHERPA, DESIRA), working with a dedicated team of Experts and Project Managers.
He is also a member of the AEIDL General Assembly. For 15 years was Head of Brussels Office of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and previously he represented in Brussels the East of England region and his native Galicia. He started his career twenty years ago at the Basque Government. He is a policy practitioner and published academic researcher in multilevel governance, subsidiarity, EU Cohesion Policy, rural development, and comparative decentralisation processes.
He chaired over a decade and two programming periods the Cohesion Expert Group of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and was its representative in the European Network on Rural Development (ENRD) and DG REGIO Partnership Expert Group. Serafín has acted as an expert in Community Led Local Development, Integrated Territorial Investments, INTERREG, Rural Development, the EU Recovery Package, depopulation and rural proofing for the Committee of the Regions, Council of Europe, European Parliament and the European Commission. He has also been involved in the development of several Operational Programmes in Spain and in the UK. He is a member of various academic networks such as the Regional Studies Association research network in Cohesion Policy, the Spanish Political Science Association or Red Localis.
Anton Schrag, DG REGIO European Commission
Anton Schrag is a senior official at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO), where he plays a key role in shaping and implementing cohesion policy. With a focus on rural and territorial development, Schrag has been actively involved in advancing strategies that reduce regional disparities and foster inclusive growth across the EU. He has contributed to policy frameworks that support integrated and place-based development, often emphasizing the role of local communities in shaping their own futures.
Over the years, Schrag has become a strong advocate for community-led local development (CLLD) and multi-level governance. He frequently engages with stakeholders at regional and local levels, including through initiatives like LEADER and Smart Villages. His work reflects a commitment to ensuring that EU policies are responsive to the real needs of citizens, particularly in rural and less-developed areas, aligning strategic investments with long-term, sustainable outcomes.
Carla Lostrangio, European Association for Innovation in Local Development (AEIDL)
Carla Lostrangio is the Rural and Territorial Development Officer at AEIDL. She has a background in Economics and Sustainable Territorial Development. She worked in several EU and non-EU countries where she gained experience from working at different governance levels, from the supra-national to the local perspectives, and she collaborated with a wide range of actors from science, society and policy.
Since 2018, she collaborated on several European-funded projects as project and Work Package coordinator. As such, she focuses on the stakeholder engagement, policy analysis, knowledge transfer and valorisation along different spheres of territorial development, such as rural development, regional and agricultural policies, innovation ecosystems, digitalisation, social economy, governance and youth. In 2022, she joined AEIDL where she is involved and manages the AEIDL contribution to different Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects, such as SHERPA, GRANULAR, MOVING. She is currently working on the SMARTERA and FUTURAL projects, as well as providing technical and policy support to other AEIDL projects.
María José Murciano Sánchez, Vice-President of European Leader Association for Rural Development (ELARD)
and Manager of Spanish Network for Rural Development (REDR)
María José Murciano Sánchez is a prominent advocate for rural development in Europe, serving as the Vice-President of the European LEADER Association for Rural Development (ELARD) and the Manager of the Spanish Network for Rural Development (REDR). With a strong background in rural policy and community-led local development (CLLD), she has worked to strengthen the voice of rural territories across the EU. Through her role in ELARD, she contributes to shaping European policies that support sustainable rural economies, inclusive governance, and territorial cohesion.
In her leadership at REDR, Murciano Sánchez has been instrumental in promoting innovation, gender equality, and youth involvement in rural areas. She has coordinated various initiatives that empower Local Action Groups (LAGs) and build bridges between institutions and grassroots stakeholders. Passionate about revitalizing rural Europe, she frequently speaks on the need to modernize rural narratives and ensure that local communities are at the heart of the green and digital transitions.
Cristina Guarda (Member of the EU Parliament)
Cristina Guarda is an Italian politician. She became a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in 2024, representing the North-East Italy constituency. In the European Parliament, she is part of the Greens/European Free Alliance group. She is Vice-Chair of the Committee on Petitions and member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. Additionally, she is part of the delegations for relations with the
Andean Community, Albania and Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly. Prior to her role in the European Parliament, Guarda was elected to the Regional Council of Veneto in 2015 at the age of 25, making her the youngest regional councilor ever elected in the region. She was re-elected in 2020, continuing her commitment to environmental and social issues. Beyond her political career, Guarda is also a small- scale farmer and has been actively involved in volunteer work focusing on social and animal welfare. She advocates for transforming her industrialized region into a more sustainable and community-oriented environment.
Lidija Pavic-Rogosic, European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
Founder and director of ODRAZ-Sustainable Community Development, Croatian civil society organisation established in 2000. More than twenty years of experience in the area of sustainable development and local community projects, a founder of several associations, including Croatian Rural Development Network – HMRR. Many years of experience as a trainer, author of several manuals.
Architect by profession, also completed a post-graduate course Practice of Social Change, at the Social Policy Department, London Metropolitan University. Ten years of experience at the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning in the fields of physical planning; environmental protection; sustainable development; public relations and cooperation with civil sector. For two years worked in local self-government in physical planning area. Eight years of experience in international organisations (REC, USAID/AED) – grant manager, cooperation with diverse sectors, publishing activities. Before becoming a member of EESC in 2013, member and two years co-chair of the Joint Consultative Committee EU – Croatia (2007-2013). Other bodies: Managing Board of Croatian Rural Development Network, Managing Board of Local Partnership for Employment of the City of Zagreb, Supervisory Board of the Croatian Center for the Development of Volunteering and Social Council of City of Zagreb, National Council for Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection (2004 -2012); Deputy Chairman of the Council for Development of Civil Society; Member of the Monitoring committee of two IPA components – human resources development and rural development (till 2012) and ESF Monitoring committee.
Radim Srsen, European Committee of the Regions, (CoR)
Radim Srsen is a Czech politician and academic known for his active role in regional development and EU cohesion policy. He serves as the Mayor of the municipality of Dolní Studénky in the Czech Republic and has been a member of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), representing local and regional authorities. Sršeň is affiliated with the Mayors and Independents party (STAN) and has contributed to EU-level discussions on rural innovation, digital transformation, and smart villages. His work emphasizes the importance of empowering rural communities and ensuring they are not left behind in the EU’s green and digital transitions.
Apart from his political career, Sršeň has a strong academic background, having worked as a university lecturer and researcher in regional policy and EU integration. He has advocated for better connections between academic insights and practical policy-making, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. Within the CoR, he is known for his proactive engagement and efforts to bring visibility to the needs of smaller municipalities within broader EU frameworks.
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