Europe

Five exemplary projects have been selected as the winners of the 2017 European Broadband Awards.

The European Broadband Awards are open to all types of projects irrespective of the size, location, or technologies used. Forty-nine projects from 20 European Union countries applied for the European Broadband Awards 2017.

The European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Crețu and Commissioner for Agriculture & Rural Development, Phil Hogan awarded the five winners in Brussels.

The winners are:

Find out about the recent European Rural Parliament event held in Venhorst, Netherlands in this event report from Scottish Rural Action.

The village of Venhorst in Noord-Brabant did not exist until the early 20th. century when the municipality sold seven hectare plots to families wanting to settle and make a living. The nearest school was an hour’s journey away.

The Annual Implementation Report (AIR) of the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) has been published.

Covering the first three years of the 2014-2020 Programme, the full report and Summary for Citizens can be viewed on the Scottish Government website.

In this report, Ailsa Clark from Inspiralba tells us about the European Network for Rural Development Thematic Group for Smart Villages event held in Brussels on 26 October 2017.

The Smart Villages European Union (EU) Action has a focus on revitalising rural services through both digital and social innovation in rural areas.

A new brochure highlights all the Horizon 2020 calls relating to agriculture and forestry.

The official Horizon 2020 Work Programme for 2018-2020 was released on 27 October 2017.

Horizon 2020 (H2020) aims to create solutions for problems which farmers and foresters currently face. It is the largest source of public funding for research and innovation from the European Commission with a budget of around €3.7 billion.

Live streaming from some sessions of the European Rural Parliament 2017 will be available from 19 to 21 October.

The European Rural Parliament is a long-term campaign to express the voice of rural people in Europe and to promote self-help and action by the rural people, in partnership with civil society and governments.

Every two years people gather for the European Rural Parliament event. In 2017 the event will be held in Venhorst, Netherlands.

A new guide has been produced to help Fisheries Local Action Groups identify and address social inclusion in fisheries areas.

The guide has been produced by FARNET, the community of people implementing Community-Led Local Development (CLLD) under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).

The guide covers:

In this report, Nicola Hill Programme Manager for Dumfries & Galloway LEADER tells us about the Amaze Me LEADER 2017 event. Dumfries & Galloway LEADER supported young people from the region to the attend the international event.

Amaze Me LEADER Finland 2017 was an international adventure seminar aimed at young people aged between 18 and 28. The event was hosted by five Local Action Groups around Lake Saimaa: Pohjois-Kymen Kasvu, Veej’jakaja, Rajupusu, Piallysmies and Lansi-Saimaa.

All types of projects - no matter the size, location or technologies - are being encouraged to apply for the European Broadband Awards 2017.

If you're a public or private organisation involved in a project providing people with access to high-speed broadband internet you can apply.

The projects will apply to, and will be awarded in, one of the five categories:

In this event report, Emma Cooper National Coordinator at Scottish Rural Action tells us about the Estonia Rural Parliament. 

Scottish Rural Action is a non-profit, apolitical organisation which is completely independent of government. They are a company formed with the dual purpose of developing and organising Scotland’s Rural Parliament and supporting the development of a rural movement.