On 5 April 2022, the network Population Europe hosted a high-level expert meeting to which SHERPA project was invited to present its contribution to the debate on the long-term vision for rural areas.
The meeting was organised in the context of the project ‘Regional population diversity and social cohesion in the local context’ currently being implemented by Population Europe. The event aimed to set the agenda for a series of follow-up workshops on the topics of this project until mid-2023.
About 20 professionals in science, policy and civil society were invited to reflect upon the following questions:
- Where do we stand in achieving the EU’s long-term vision for stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas?
- What are the key issues that are currently a challenge for rural and underserved areas in terms of population developments?
- Are regions experiencing strong population decline going through similar processes and can they be compared?
SHERPA was represented by the Project Coordinator, Elodie Salle of ECORYS. Ms. Salle highlighted the work carried out by the SHERPA MAPs on the Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas, through the publication of the SHERPA Discussion and Position Papers. She referred specifically to the contributions of the MAPs with regards to the demographic challenges.