Welcome to the European Parliamentary Research Service podcasts.

Today we'll be talking about smart villages and how they're thinking outside the box to find innovative solutions to the challenges they face.

Want to know more? Stay with us.

Rural areas can be beautiful and relaxing, perfect for a weekend away or a getaway holiday. That's at least what 80% of Europeans think.

But what about the other 20%? What about the locals?

The 93 million Europeans who live in rural areas must confront a number of important

challenges such as population ageing, lack of infrastructure, public transportation, education

and medical services, lack of job opportunities, low incomes, a digital gap, and we could go on and on. But despite these challenges, rural areas offer many opportunities.

They provide us with food and environmental resources.

They offer an alternative to overcrowded cities and help us fight climate change.

Indeed, and as more and more citizens begin to value quality of life above other

considerations such as money or career development, their pull factor is increasing. So, what is this

concept of smart villages about? Let's listen to the coordinator of smart villages within the

European Network for Rural Development.

Enrique Nieto.

Smart villages are villages that apply innovative solutions to specific challenges and opportunities

at the local level.

It can be about digitalization, the energy transition, the bioeconomy, about tourism or basic

services, among others.

Smart villages forge alliances and cooperate with other villages, cities and people outside their own territory

that can bring added value and knowledge.

So, it's all about working together and using the many possibilities offered by digital technologies to improve the quality

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