---
id: ch7-ltvra
type: spine
title: "The Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas: four aims for 2040"
readingTime: 3
standalone: true
core: false
teaser: "Rural areas cover 83 % of the EU and are home to 30 % of its people. In 2021 the Commission set them four aims for 2040, carried by two pillars."
parent: null
diagram: fig-rural-vision
recallQ: "What are the four aims of the EU Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas, and what two pillars carry it?"
recallA: "Stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas by 2040. The vision rests on the Rural Action Plan (Commission actions and flagships, rural proofing, a rural observatory) and the Rural Pact (a cooperation framework for actors at every level)."
highlights:
  - "Presented in 2021, built on foresight and wide consultation"
  - "Four aims: stronger, connected, resilient, prosperous, by 2040"
  - "Two pillars: the Rural Action Plan and the Rural Pact"
  - "Rural proofing reviews EU policies through a rural lens"
status: accepted
concept: long-term-rural-vision
conceptTitle: "The EU Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas"
parents: eu-rural-policy
lang: en
lens: generic
depth: standard
formalism: none
visuality: balanced
lengthBand: standard
genre: explainer
state: edited
carriers: prose|table|diagram
---

**EU rural areas cover 83 % of EU territory and are home to 30 % of the EU population.** In 2021 the European Commission presented its **Long-Term Vision for the EU's Rural Areas**. It names the problems rural areas face (an older and slowly shrinking population, weak connectivity, underdeveloped infrastructure, few kinds of jobs, limited access to services) and the opportunities that the green and digital transitions open beyond farming and forestry. The vision is based on foresight and wide consultation with citizens and rural actors.

## Four aims, one horizon

| Aim | Focus in the Rural Action Plan |
|---|---|
| **Stronger** | Empowering rural communities, access to services, social innovation |
| **Connected** | Transport and digital connectivity |
| **Resilient** | Preserving natural resources, greener farming, training and diverse quality jobs |
| **Prosperous** | Diversifying economic activity, adding value in farming, agri-food and agri-tourism |

The target date is **2040**.

## Two pillars

The **Rural Action Plan** sets out Commission actions and flagship initiatives. The CAP and Cohesion Policy are described as "fundamental" to delivering it. The plan also brings two working tools. **Rural proofing** reviews EU policy initiatives for their effect on rural jobs, growth and sustainable development. A **rural observatory** collects data and analysis on rural areas. A Commission staff working document published in March 2024 took stock of 2021–2023 and listed the remaining challenges: depopulation, access to services, socioeconomic gaps, the digital divide and vulnerability to climate change.

The **Rural Pact** is a framework for cooperation between public authorities and stakeholders at EU, national, regional and local level. It invites them to act on the vision's shared goals. At the LEADER Congress of December 2023, the Rural Pact Support Office and DG AGRI described LEADER and the Pact as mutually reinforcing: Local Action Groups can bring the Pact down to the local level, and the Pact can make LEADER more visible. They cited two national and regional versions, a Catalan Rural Pact and a French Rural Agenda.

## Where PoliRural+ connects

Contributing to the vision is part of project objective O4. D2.2 asks the pilots to build rural communities that are "well-integrated with urban areas" in line with the vision, and to work on functional regions rather than administrative boundaries. The clearest national case is the Slovak pilot. Its technical pilot implements the Action Plan and Road Map of a national rural vision "as contribution to the EU Rural Pact". Its policy brief links Smart Village investments directly to the 2040 vision. The next block follows that [Slovak vision](#c/slovak-rural-vision) from dialogue to action.

**Sources:**
- D2.2 Rural-urban linkages and opportunities post COVID-19, §2 EU Policy Landscape; Annex H §3.1 Long Term Vision, §3.2 EU Rural Action Plan, §3.2.1 Review, §3.4–3.5 Rural Pact and LEADER. [PDF](https://www.poliruralplus.eu/docs/140/Attachment_0_57.pdf)
- D7.3 Policy Brief No. 1, Annex 2 Strengthening Rural-Urban Linkages in Slovakia, Strategic Alignment. [PDF](https://www.poliruralplus.eu/docs/349/D7.3_Policy_Brief_No.1.pdf)
- PoliRural+ objectives (O4) and pilot list, project fact sheet. [poliruralplus.eu](https://www.poliruralplus.eu/)