User engagement, empowerment & territorial awareness - policy debate

How can EU tools for participation and digitalisation empower rural communities and strengthen territorial awareness - from Startup Villages and the Digital Decade to citizens' initiatives and cohesion policy funds?

Challenges identified at the first RURBANIVE policy workshop (26 May 2026), building on the Kedainiai region experience:

• Fragmented support structures and limited coordination between institutions.
• Weak integration between rural and urban development strategies.
• Parallel rather than interconnected institutional activities.
• Gaps in early-stage entrepreneurship and innovation skills.

Do these match your territory? Which matters most, and what is missing? Your input feeds the next policy workshop (December 2026) and the project's final policy recommendations, due at the end of 2027.