RURACTIVE D7.5 Policy recommendations and guidance

This deliverable presents the final policy recommendations and implementation guidance developed through the RURACTIVE project to support more just, sustainable, resilient and inclusive rural development across Europe. Based on evidence from twelve Rural Innovation Ecosystems (RIEs), territorial experimentation, policy analysis, stakeholder engagement and policy co-creation, the report translates project findings into practical recommendations for European, national, regional and local policymakers. Rather than proposing a new rural policy framework, it identifies how existing policy instruments can be better coordinated through integrated, place-based and participatory territorial governance. The recommendations cover eight horizontal priorities and six Rural Development Drivers: local services, health and wellbeing; sustainable multimodal mobility; culture and cultural innovation; sustainable agrifood systems and ecosystem management; energy transition and climate neutrality; and nature-based and cultural tourism. Key areas of focus include strengthening Rural Innovation Ecosystems and multi-level governance, advancing the Right to Stay, reinforcing intermediary organisations and local capacity, improving coherence across European policy instruments, strengthening the territorial dimension of National and Regional Partnership Plans, and developing outcome-oriented monitoring frameworks centred on accessibility, affordability, resilience, participation, wellbeing, demographic sustainability and territorial attractiveness. The recommendations are grounded in a participatory and evidence-based policy development process involving the twelve RURACTIVE Dynamos and their Local Action Plans, four RURACTIVE Forums, validation with the Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Board and external experts, and benchmarking against other Horizon Europe projects and wider European policy debates. In total, 79 proto-policy recommendations were progressively refined and consolidated into the final proposals. The deliverable also identifies implementation pathways within existing European instruments, including Cohesion Policy, the Common Agricultural Policy, LEADER/CLLD, Interreg and Horizon Europe. It highlights Functional Rural Areas, Rural Innovation Ecosystems, multi-level governance, capacity-building, fairness, inclusion and outcome-oriented monitoring as key enablers of rural transformation. The report is particularly relevant to ongoing debates on the post-2027 EU policy framework, including the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework, the future of Cohesion Policy and the CAP, National and Regional Partnership Plans, the Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas, the Rural Pact and the emerging Right to Stay Strategy. Taken together, the recommendations provide both a policy agenda and an implementation framework for strengthening territorial cohesion, resilience, competitiveness, inclusion and the capacity of rural communities to contribute to Europe’s green, digital and demographic transitions.