SMART ERA cited as exemplary in Commission's report

New report on the implementation of EU macro-regional strategies praises SMART ERA

The European Commission has praised SMART ERA as a notable project in its 2025 report on the implementation of EU macro-regional strategies. The report, which emphasises digitalisation, was published on 13 May and states in Chapter 6 titled Promoting cohesion and place-based development:

'The macro-regional strategies support the objectives of EU cohesion policy and ensure these objectives are tailored to the specific needs and priorities of their regions. The Alpine Strategy promotes the concept of smart villages, increasing their visibility at a European level, and is also included in the long-term vision for rural areas. The cross-macro-regional SMART ERA project, funded by Horizon Europe, aims to combat rural depopulation by increasing the attractiveness of rural areas'.

The European Commission publishes the report every two years. It assesses the progress of the EU Strategies for the Baltic Sea Region, the Danube Region, the Adriatic and Ionian Region, and the Alpine Region. The four existing strategies cover 19 EU Member States and 10 non-EU countries, with a combined population of around 360 million.

Peter Niederer of the Swiss Centre for Mountain regions, responsible for SMART ERA's EU-Macroregional networking, said,

'We are pleased that the Horizon SMART ERA project and its cross-macro-regional networking have been recognised as exemplary in the European Commission's report on the implementation of the EU macro-regional strategies. Our efforts to bring together the EU strategies for the Baltic Sea Region, the Danube Region, the Adriatic and Ionian Region, and the Alpine Region around the themes of smart villages and smart communities are beginning to bear fruit. This is a very rewarding outcome'.

Access the full report here.

SMART ERA is an EU co-funded Horizon Europe project running from January 2024 to December 2027. It involves 25 partners from 10 countries.

Contacts:

Project coordinator:
Matteo Gerosa, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, gerosa@fbk.eu

Communication Manager:
Costanza Danovi, Fondazione ICONS costanza.danovi@icons.it

Project website: https://smartera-project.eu/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/smart-era/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/SMART-ERA/61566678548553/

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