16/03/2023 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday, 15 March, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) adopted an opinion in which it stresses, “Secure and sustainable access to digital infrastructure, skills and services [is] vital to accelerat[ing] the development of Europe’s rural areas”. On that note, the adopted opinion makes the argument that the ‘Long-Term Vision for the EU’s Rural Areas up to 2040’—presented by the European Commission in June 2021—will only be able to be effectively implemented if better use is made of the ‘smart village’ concept and partnership tools, such as Links between activities for the development of rural economy (LEADER) and Community-Led Local Development (CLLD). Furthermore, the opinion adds that cooperation among municipalities to solve issues of common interest and create a decision-making process based on open data is also essential to bridging the development divide between rural and urban regions. (TM)