Two days of meetings, exchanges and field visits brought Rural Pact members together in Finland for the latest Policy Lab “Strengthening a Diversified Rural Economy in the Post-2027 Period”. This marked the first Lab event held outside Brussels, offering participants the opportunity to discover Finland's rural landscape and learn from its local organisations and networks. A central topic throughout the event was the future National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs), whic

As Malta prepares for the next EU programming period, early stakeholder engagement matters. Drawing on discussions with Malta’s Local Action Groups and experiences from across Europe, we explore why rural voices, LEADER and bottom-up development need a meaningful place in shaping Malta’s future NRPP.

Rural proofing helps ensure that the needs, opportunities and realities of rural areas are considered throughout policymaking. Rather than being a final check once a policy has been designed, it works best when integrated across the policy cycle – from agenda setting and policy design to implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Recent Rural Pact and OECD exchanges have explored how rural proofing can be applied in practice. Drawing on the OECD Rural Principles Series, a