​During the November 2017 Plenary Session members of the European Committee of the Regions adopted the opinion on the revitalisation of rural areas through Smart Villages, drafted by EA member and member of the Leitrim County Council Cllr Enda Stenson.

In the opinion, Cllr Stenson proposes expanding the notion of Smart Villages to that of Smart Rural Areas and incorporating the initiative into the European Rural Agenda, so as to also encourage and develop synergies between neighbouring small villages within Smart Rural Areas. He also calls the stakeholders to start the preparatory work as soon as possible to put a sustainable and effective programme for Smart Villages in place for the next funding period.

“With this opinion we welcome the European Commission’s initiative on EU Action for Smart Villages which recognises the need for targeted actions to support the revival of rural areas as sustainable places in which to live and work. Enhancing rural prosperity and the viability of rural areas are among the most urgent tasks, since a more balanced territorial development is the basis for achieving greater socio-economic and environmental sustainability,” said Mr Stenson.

He also added: “However I should say that we regret the lack of ambition outlined in the paper, which represents a compilation of pre-existing initiatives. In this text we call for greater ambition and the development of a targeted and forward-looking policy on Smart Villages with a view to the post 2020 period, which builds on the need to consolidate the full range of place-based EU smart instruments.” “As the rapporteur, I would like to draw attention to the importance of close coordination at all levels of governance, with due respect for the principle of subsidiarity in order to define “bottom up” and “place based” solutions. The rural proofing should be integrated into the policy and training to be provided to target groups such as farmers”, Mr Stenson concluded.