The Smart Village Forum is the largest annual event dedicated to rural communities. It is a unique communication and business platform, bringing together mayors, vice-mayors, councilors, public administrators, architects, the business environment, investors, but also politicians and members of parliament. Also representatives of clusters, LAGs (Local Action Groups), experts from agriculture and other fields, professional associations and representatives of the university and academic environment. We promote development policies and the exchange of best practices.
Under the title “How do we transform our locality into a Smart Village?“, this year’s debates focus on the capacity of EU, national and regional programs to support local communities with practical measures and public policies aimed at investing in more attractive and greener geographical areas, also in digital infrastructure. In this respect, the new cohesion policy and the new generation of EU programs for 2021-2027, as well as EU financial instruments, will be key to the development of smart communities.
Non-reimbursable external funds are the main source of funding for local development and investment. To support their investment projects, urban as well as rural localities have as their main source of funding these public external funds, together with related national co-financing.
The main problem for urban localities with the status of cities is that there has been a sharp drop in the own revenues collected in local budgets and thus in the financial capacity to implement projects financed by non-reimbursable external funds, with the risk that they may be blocked. In order to ensure the continuity of projects that may be developed in the 2021-2027 programming period, we have prepared the second edition of the Smart Village Forum to prepare a portfolio of projects whose implementation can start in 2022. These measures are necessary following the completion of the NRRP in view of the adoption of the operational programs for the 2021-2027 programming period.
The Smart Village Forum also serves as a space to promote debates on funding and collaboration between the public and private sectors, but also to encourage business networking, social networking and volunteering.
Smart Village editions are oases of intelligence, but also unique moments of fun. Together we strengthen our relationships at the Gala Dinner or the Mayor’s Gala, where we party, arrange festive events, beer, wine tasting, music evenings etc. So, come join us in the Smart Village community?