Two of the European projects in which us are involved are listed as examples of implementation and strategic projects in the Commission Working Staff Document, accompanying document to the V Report of the European Commission on the implementation of European macro-regional strategies addressed to the Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions.
The projects are Horizon Europe Smart ERA and Interreg Alpine Space SmartCommUnity, cited respectively as implementation and strategic projects for the Danube and Baltic macro-regional strategies (EUSBSR and EUSDR, the first) and for the Alpine macro-regional strategy (EUSALP, the latter). The report covers the period 2022-2024 and aims to provide detailed information on the state of implementation of each macro-regional strategy, and to outline the prospects and expectations for the future.
Smart ERA is explicitly listed as a cross-macro-regional project: the project in fact includes specific tasks with the aim of connecting with and between different macro-regional strategies; for the Baltic macro-regional strategy, Smart ERA is included in the Policy Area Innovation and Tourism, for an inclusive and participatory digital transition aimed at countering depopulation, whereas for the Danube macro-regional strategy, Smart ERA is included in Priority Area 10 – Institutional Capacity and Innovation, also with the emphasis on increasing the attractiveness of rural areas in Europe through an inclusive digital transition.
SmartCommUnity, for the EUSALP Alpine macro-regional strategy, is cited as a strategic action aimed at creating smart, sustainable and resilient communities in the Alps, through the use of digital technologies. For EUSALP, SmartCommUnity represents a project embedded in Action Group 5, Connectivity and Accessibility, dedicated in particular to digital issues.
The inclusion of the two projects as good examples of implementation of three macro-regional strategies represents an important recognition to the two partnerships of the work carried out with and for local communities in rural and mountain areas, to support and guide them in the context of the macro-trend of digital innovation. The V Report and the Commission Working Staff Document can be found here.