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Ageing in rural Europe: relive SILVER SMEs conference!

Euromontana and the Province of Teruel co-organised SILVER SMEs’ online mid-term conference on “Challenges and solutions to cope with ageing in rural Europe: the role of the Silver Economy” on the 21st April 2021. By 2070, 30% of Europe’s population will be aged 65 and over. Rural and mountainous areas are particularly affected by this demographic change and need to develop living environments that meet the needs of older people. SILVER SMEs’ conference provided concrete examples on how territories can address this challenge.

 

Coping with ageing in rural Europe at EU level

SILVER SMEs conference was held the same day as closure of the public consultation on the Green Paper on Ageing and just before the publication by the European Commission of its Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas in June. Guest speaker at the event, the Vice-President of the European Commission, Ms Dubravka Šuica, recognised the vulnerability of rural and mountainous areas towards demographic change and encouraged territories to “grasp the economic opportunities and innovative character of the Silver Economy”. In reference to the Silver Economy sector, Commissioner Šuica pointed out that “addressing ageing as both a challenge and an opportunity can harness the full potential of this key demographic trend, including when it comes to rural areas” which is precisely the essence of our SILVER SMEs project. Mrs Šuica also reaffirmed that the upcoming Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas will address challenges from demographic change to connectivity, low income, and limited access to services by offering a real toolbox and operational solutions to rural stakeholders.

Isabel García Muñoz, Member of the European Parliament, also welcomed the opportunities offered to rural areas under the 2021-2027 programming period and shared her hopes for rural regions to benefit from the social pillar, new tourism initiatives and the Recovery and Resilience plans. To tackle demographic change, MEP García Muñoz also called for the promotion of economic opportunities and the creation of jobs in rural and mountainous territories and encouraged stakeholders from the Silver Economy sector to participate in the coming debates of the Conference on the Future of Europe.

 

Opportunities and challenges for the development of the Silver Economy in mountain areas

The event explored how rural and mountainous areas can cope with ageing through the development of the Silver Economy by showcasing inspiring best practices such as: the small business La Exclusiva (Spain) which delivers essential products to older adults in remote villages of the Soria Province, Smarter Homes which provides businesses from the Silver Economy sector with a show flat to exhibit their products in region Dalarna (Sweden) or HealthDay an organisation supporting the development of new health businesses in Slovenia to boost innovation and develop telemedicine.

Regional policymakers and stakeholders also explained how they intend to address the challenge of ageing in the future, through SILVER SMEs’ regional Action Plans. In the region of Aragon (Spain), the Institute of Development of Aragon will for example include the ageing dimension in all its training programmes for regional businesses, in order to raise awareness on the needs of older adults and to trigger the development of new goods and services.

Yet, other interconnected challenges for rural mountainous areas were raised during the conference. In particular, the lack of digital connectivity and skills in some mountain areas was identified as a potential barrier to the development of digital innovations facilitating the daily life of older adults. Moreover, Florent Cholat, researcher at Grenoble Alps and Milano Bicocca Universities, Founder of the consulting company 45.5 Sustainable Engineering and Mayor of Champagnier, warned against the development of too many non-coordinated home services for the seniors in mountain areas, because of the risk of aggravated social isolation but also because of the environmental impacts and traffic congestion that they entail.

 

More information

You can relive SILVER SMEs’ event by reading the conference report or watching the conference recording. You can also find more information about the conference on the event web page, including SILVER SMEs results factsheet, speakers presentations and best practices videos.

The SILVER SMEs project aims to support regional policies in rural and mountainous areas by enlightening the potential for SMEs to develop new innovative products and services of benefit and joy for a senior population. By supporting the development of new SMEs in the Silver Economy, an intrinsic objective is to stimulate growth and competitiveness of rural areas and mountainous areas. This 5-year Interreg Europe project was launched in June 2018. The project leader is the Spanish province of Teruel, and the other 8 project partners come from Ireland, Slovenia, Portugal, Spain, France, Sweden and Poland.

You can subscribe to SILVER SMEs’ newsletter to stay informed about the project’s activities in the future.

                       

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6 May 2021

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We were today at the European Committee of the Regions too meet with regional policymakers from the Carpathians ⛰🤝 Thank you to Witold Kozłowski from the Małopolska region - also a new member of our Board of Directors - for our discussions!𝗪𝘀𝗽𝗼́𝗹𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗠𝗮ł𝗼𝗽𝗼𝗹𝘀𝗸𝗶 𝗶 𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗶 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗻𝗮 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗿. 👍Obecność wicemarszałka Witold Kozłowski w Brukseli podczas 163. Sesji Plenarnej Europejskiego Komitetu Regionów dała okazję do spotkania z dyrektorem Europejskiego Stowarzyszenia Obszarów Górskich Euromontana Guillaume Corradino. | Więcej 👇 ... See MoreSee Less
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One month since the #mountainconvention2024 in Puigcerdà! 🏔️ What future for #mountaineconomies? Find all the key insights in the event report! 📝🙏 Thank you to all stakeholders who shared their ideas, projects and recommendations for a brighter future in the mountains!Report 🔗 www.euromontana.org/outcomes ... See MoreSee Less
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Explore the new guide on ‘rural proofing for the evaluation of the rural perspective in laws, policies, plans and strategies’: bit.ly/3O995FiPublished by the Red Española de Desarrollo Rural (REDR), it intends to support authorities in incorporating a rural angle when designing, implementing, and reviewing policies and regulations.Find more information here: bit.ly/4ev41FK #RuralPact #RuralVisionEUELARD aisbl EESC - European Economic and Social Committee European Rural Development Network ODRAZ-Održivi razvoj zajednice Prepare AISBL Luonnonvarakeskus Smeunited Euromontana Diesis Network Wallonie.be ECOLISE EU CAP Network Netzwerk Zukunftsraum Land Vlaams Ruraal Netwerk Réseau wallon PAC Ruralni razvoj RH Ministerstvo zemědělství Netwerk Platteland / Netherlands Rural Network Maaeluvõrgustik Maaseutu - Tilaa elämälle Réseau national Agricultures et Ruralités 2023 - 2027 Deutsche Vernetzungsstelle Ländliche Räume Εθνικό Αγροτικό Δίκτυο - Greek National Rural Network Magyar Nemzeti Vidéki Hálózat CAP Network Ireland Rete Rurale Nazionale Lauku tīkls Ministère de l'Agriculture, de l'Alimentation et de la Viticulture Fondi.eu Krajowa Sieć Obszarów Wiejskich+ Rede Rural Nacional Rețeaua Rurală Națională - RRN Mreža za podeželje ... See MoreSee Less
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Today, members of the Rural Pact Coordination Group (RPCG) meet online to discuss: • The forthcoming RPCG Declaration on the future of EU rural policy, which addresses the open questions in the @European Commission’s ‘key achievements and ways forward’ report;• RPCG members’ position papers on the future of Europe’s rural areas;• RPCG members’ role in the Rural Pact Conference of April 2025;• Members’ actions to date & the Rural Pact Support Office 2025 work programme.More information at: bit.ly/4fwtjnS#RuralPact #RuralVisionEU ... See MoreSee Less
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