The European Rural Parliament (ERP) Mid-Term Event, organized in collaboration with the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), held in Brussels in January 30, 2025, was a pivotal gathering for rural stakeholders across Europe. Among the key contributions was the presentation of the GRANULAR Rural Compass by Goran Šoster from PREPARE, a tool designed to address the complexity and diversity of rural areas by providing better data and insights for policymaking.
Understanding Rural Complexity Through Data
Rural Europe is vast and diverse, with 80% of the EU’s land area being rural and one in three citizens residing in these regions. However, rural areas face significant challenges due to fragmented data, varying policy needs, and the lack of tools to support territorial diagnosis. The GRANULAR project aims to bridge these gaps by delivering fine-grained, data-driven solutions tailored to rural policymaking.
The GRANULAR Rural Compass: A Tool for Rural Proofing
The GRANULAR Rural Compass is an innovative instrument that maps rural differentiation tendencies by analysing four functional dimensions and 24 key components:
- Residential Functionality: Housing, demographic trends, commuting & migration, basic services, digital transformation, and cohesion & well-being.
- Productive Functionality: Labour & employment, resource use & ownership, foodscapes, diversified economies, economic performance, and technological & social innovation.
- Recreational Functionality: Amenities, infrastructure, cultural attractiveness & heritage, creative tourism, and seasonal & multi-local living.
- Environmental Functionality: Natural capital stocks, agri-environmental performance, circular resource use, climate change effects, renewable energy, and ecosystem services.
By integrating these components, the Rural Compass provides policymakers, researchers, and rural communities with a structured approach to assessing rural diversity and designing place-based policies.
Linking Science and Civil Society
A crucial aspect of the GRANULAR project is its collaboration with the European Rural Parliament (ERP). While ERP amplifies the voices of rural communities in policymaking, GRANULAR provides scientific data, methodologies, and tools to enhance understanding. This synergy ensures that policies are not only well-informed but also grounded in real-world rural experiences.
Key benefits of this collaboration include:
- Improved rural proofing at various governance levels.
- New datasets and methodologies to better capture rural complexities.
- Stronger dialogue between policymakers and rural communities.
The Future of Rural Policy
As the European Commission continues to develop its Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas (LTVRA), tools like the GRANULAR Rural Compass will play a critical role in shaping policies that are more inclusive, data-driven, and adaptable. By linking scientific research with grassroots advocacy, this tool empowers rural stakeholders to actively participate in decision-making processes, ensuring that the future of rural Europe is resilient and sustainable.
The ERP Mid-Term Event demonstrated the importance of these efforts, highlighting the need for continued collaboration between research initiatives like GRANULAR and rural advocacy networks like PREPARE. With better data, better tools, and stronger networks, rural Europe is poised for a future of greater innovation, sustainability, and inclusion.