WE SAY WE STAY!

WE SAY WE STAY! – Unlocking the Potential of Every Territory
1. Introduction and Context

The workshop “WE SAY WE STAY! – Unlocking the Potential of Every Territory” was held on 15 October 2025 within the framework of the European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC), the largest annual event dedicated to regional policy. The session brought together regional authorities, civil society organisations, and technological innovators to discuss one of the most pressing challenges for European cohesion: how to create the conditions that make staying in rural, remote, marginalised, or crisis-affected areas a viable and desirable choice.
The session was organised by five partner regions: Umbria (Italy), Warmińsko-Mazurskie (Poland), Castilla-La Mancha (Spain), Thuringia (Germany), and Rivne Oblast (Ukraine), reflecting a diverse territorial spectrum yet united by shared demographic challenges. The running agenda of the session illustrates the organisation and time structure of the workshop.

Moderated by Vania Freitas, Secretary-General of the Assembly of European Regions (AER), the session opened by recalling that the “right to stay”—the right for people to live and work where they were born—is increasingly recognised at EU level as a core component of territorial cohesion, as highlighted by both the President of the European Parliament and the President of the European Commission in their EWRC opening speeches.

2. Objectives of the Workshop

The workshop sought to:

Examine place-based policies that effectively counter depopulation and strengthen territorial resilience.

Highlight innovative governance models involving local administrations, civil society, and private sector actors.

Present transferable practices in mobility, housing, digitalisation, social services, culture, and community empowerment.

Showcase how regions with very different contexts are implementing integrated, multi-level strategies aligned with EU Cohesion Policy objectives, particularly for the 2021–2027 programming cycle.

Emphasise the importance of inclusive services, cultural identity, and community-building as enablers for inhabitants to not only remain in their territories but thrive there.

3. Structured Summary of Regional Interventions
3.1 Umbria Region (Italy)

Speaker: Stefania Proietti, President of the Umbria Region
Topic: Access to socio-cultural and educational services in the South-West Orvietano Inner Area.

President Proietti stressed that depopulation—particularly among younger cohorts—is “the challenge of challenges” for Umbria. Out of 92 municipalities, 59 fall within the five recognised Inner Areas. For these territories, over €61 million have been allocated in the 2021–2027 programming cycle to support essential services and local development.

The South-West Orvietano area served as a prototype for Umbria’s place-based approach. A €300,000 ESF-funded project (2014–2020) enabled cultural welfare actions across the 20 municipalities, including extended opening hours for cultural and educational services, new opportunities for children and youth, and the activation of libraries, small museums, parks, and community spaces. Mobile “Bibliobus” and “Ludobus” units reached isolated villages, delivering books, games, and socio-educational support.
The project demonstrated strong community uptake, delivering 841 activities, 64 mobile-service stops, and directly involving over 1,000 children aged 0–12, representing more than 20% of residents in the Inner Area.

Recognised as a best practice, this experience inspired the 2021–2027 INSIEME Project, extended to all five Inner Areas, integrating ERDF and ESF+ resources for a total of €5.34 million. INSIEME introduces an intergenerational component, focusing on the regeneration and reuse of public cultural spaces and on reinforcing community bonds through inclusive, shared activities. The Region’s model hinges on multilevel governance, involving municipalities, third-sector organisations, and regional coordination structures.

3.2 Castilla-La Mancha (Spain)

Speaker: Ignacio Hernando Serrano, Minister

Minister Serrano emphasised the principle that EU cohesion must ensure equal opportunities between urban and rural Europe. He reported that Castilla-La Mancha has reversed depopulation trends, with an increase of 15,000 inhabitants in the most affected areas over the past three years, thanks to a combination of economic diversification, infrastructure investment, housing support, and mobility innovation.

Key measures highlighted include:

€300 million invested in road infrastructure since 2019.

€16 million in housing assistance, enabling 5,000 young people to purchase homes in smaller towns through non-reimbursable grants of €10,800, complemented by zero-interest loans covering the 20% bank deposit gap (as clarified during Q&A).

Promotion of new economic sectors beyond agri-food, such as pharmaceuticals and heavy industry, to create employment in rural areas.

Demand-responsive mobility solutions, including school taxi services, optimising public expenditure and maintaining connectivity.

Minister Serrano underlined that while data is essential, political leaders must be present on the ground to understand real needs, ensuring that all population groups—youth, elderly, rural women—benefit equally.

3.3 Warmia and Mazury Region (Poland)

Speaker: Monika Michniewicz, Manager, Federation of Social Organisations (FOSA)

Michniewicz presented the Regional Support Zone, implemented to address the region’s acute ageing challenge, with nearly 25% of the population over 65. The model focuses on near-home social services, enabling dependent individuals to receive care close to their communities while supporting working family members.

The model is built on three pillars:

Information

Education

Accompaniment

A major challenge was bridging gaps between the fragmented health and social systems. FOSA developed “circles of support” that convene social workers, medical staff, volunteers, and even local shopkeepers to serve families in crisis. Sustainability is ensured through over €2 million in funding, aligned with EU policy goals for deinstitutionalisation and community-based services.

Michniewicz stressed that the model combines demographic data with university-led qualitative research and continuous dialogue with local actors.

3.4 Rivne Oblast (Ukraine)

Speaker: Tetyana Simchuk

Simchuk explained that resilience must “grow from within communities.” Despite the ongoing crisis, Rivne has developed a Resilience Center model, growing from a single pilot in 2023 to 31 centers by 2025, reaching extremely small and remote communities.

These centers provide:

Psychological support

Legal aid

Social services

Community activities

The model operates with 145 civil society specialists, in partnership with local authorities. Rivne’s approach demonstrates that significant progress can be made without large budgets or ideal conditions, relying instead on co-creation with local populations and activation of civil society as a “hidden engine” for sustainable community development.

3.5 Thuringia Region (Germany) – SMARTinfeld

Speaker: Jan Bose, CEO, Alpha-Omega Technology
Material: Slides and background note on SMARTinfeld


THURINGIA

Bose presented the SMARTinfeld project, a pioneering smart village initiative in Martinfeld (population 600). Started in 2016 with the conversion of street lighting to LED, the project expanded into a full IoT testbed supported by LoRaWAN, open-source components, and open-data principles.

Key steps (from slides):

2016–2018: Planning and completion of LED conversion.

2018–2022: Expansion to sensors and APIs for smart applications.

2023: Winner of the German Land of Ideas – Digital Places award.

2022–2024: Further use cases including fire brigade smoke alarms and a streetlight-control app.

2026 plan: Integration of as many local data sources as possible.

Use cases include:

Traffic counting

River-level and flood monitoring

Weather and energy monitoring

Bose emphasised that rural areas—despite limited resources—offer agility, fast decision-making, and freedom for experimentation. SMARTinfeld produces plug-and-play blueprints that can be replicated across Europe. Public-private cooperation with the municipality of Schimberg enabled innovation, talent retention, and cost-effective digital transformation.

4. Focus on Umbria Region: From Prototype to Integrated Territorial Strategy

Drawing on the documents and slides provided, Umbria’s contribution stands out for its:

4.1 Integrated Territorial Strategy

Umbria applies Integrated Territorial Strategies, acknowledging that no single intervention can reverse demographic decline. The Region has committed over €61 million (2021–2027) to support essential services and local development in the five Inner Areas.

4.2 Prototype: The South-West Orvietano Experience

The ESF-funded project (€300,000) demonstrated how socio-cultural-educational services can act as enablers for community well-being. Activities reached even the most isolated settlements through mobile units, fostering intergenerational relations and reducing disparities in service access. Key operational features included:

A vast area covering 20 municipalities, 1,000+ km², almost 60,000 inhabitants.

A governance model based on:

Mayors’ Assembly

Lead Municipality (Orvieto)

Third-sector organisations

Regional coordination structures

A multilevel governance model recognised as replicable.

4.3 Results and Community Reception

The community’s response was overwhelmingly positive:

841 activities implemented

Over 1,000 children and youth reached

20% coverage of the resident 0–12 population

Enhanced family support and reduced inequalities through free access to services

Strengthened social links following the socio-educational disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic

4.4 Evolution: The INSIEME Project

INSIEME scales up the initial experience to all Inner Areas with €5.34 million (ERDF + ESF+) and introduces:

An intergenerational dimension

Recovery and reuse of public cultural and heritage spaces

Activities designed to promote inclusion, creativity, and community belonging

A dual focus on “container” (infrastructure) + “content” (activities), amplifying impact

INSIEME is considered a core pillar of Umbria’s Inner Area strategies for the current programming period.

5. Questions from the Audience and Responses

The audience engaged actively, raising questions on housing incentives, target group selection, healthcare disparities, and project sustainability.

5.1 Housing and Financial Incentives (Castilla-La Mancha)

Clarifications included:

Youth housing aid (€10,800) is non-reimbursable.

Zero-interest loans help cover the 20% deposit banks traditionally do not finance.

5.2 Criteria for Target Groups (Italy, Poland, Spain)

Poland (FOSA): Combination of demographic data, academic research, and local input.

Italy (Umbria): Focus on children was demographic, with added family and community benefits.

Spain (Castilla-La Mancha): Political insight and grounded presence complement data-driven analysis.

5.3 Healthcare Access in Rural Italy

President Proietti highlighted structural underfunding due to demographic criteria and called for national reform. She presented:

Telemedicine as a bridging solution.

Use of shared educational infrastructure (e.g., nurseries offering foreign language instruction).

Community energy initiatives to reduce costs and attract residents.

5.4 Overall Balance of Depopulation Measures (Castilla-La Mancha)

Minister Serrano cited:

200 projects across 26 areas,

Positive demographic trends,

Targeted tax reductions (e.g., a 25% adjustment),

A warning regarding potential reductions in the Common Agricultural Policy budget.

5.5 Third-Sector Involvement and Integrated Projects (Umbria)

Stefania Proietti elaborated that:

Third-sector organisations act as inclusion drivers, innovation hubs, and providers of essential services in marginalised areas.

Integrated ERDF–ESF+ projects improve implementation scope but require strong administrative coordination.

INSIEME is expected to enhance quality of life, reduce isolation, and strengthen social ties.

5.6 Transferability and Impact of SMARTinfeld (Thuringia)

Bose noted:

Success factors include agile decision-making and willingness to experiment.

Challenges include limited rural resources and insufficient attention to rural digitalisation.

SMARTinfeld’s open-source and open-data approach enables replication across Europe.

6. Conclusions and Key Takeaways

The workshop demonstrated that the right to stay requires a holistic approach, combining infrastructure, services, governance, culture, and community empowerment. Despite different contexts, several common messages emerged:

Key Takeaways

Integrated, place-based strategies are essential.
Regions must combine multiple policies—services, mobility, housing, digitalisation, culture—to effectively counter depopulation.

Multilevel governance models work.
The success of Umbria, Warmia-Mazury, and Rivne shows that collaboration among municipalities, regions, civil society, and local actors strengthens implementation capacity.

Digital infrastructure is no longer optional.
SMARTinfeld demonstrates how even small municipalities can become innovation leaders through open-source, scalable, and cost-effective solutions.

Social services and community-building are foundational.
Access to education, culture, and social welfare—particularly near-home and inclusive services—plays a central role in creating a sense of belonging.

Targeted incentives matter.
Housing support, tax benefits, and opportunities for youth retention have proven effective in Castilla-La Mancha and could inspire other regions.

Civil society is a hidden engine of resilience.
From Poland’s circles of support to Rivne’s rapid expansion of Resilience Centers, community actors are indispensable for reaching vulnerable populations.

Small communities can lead transformation.
Rural areas, often perceived as lagging, can act as testing grounds for innovation thanks to their agility and close community ties.

Overall, the WE SAY WE STAY workshop provided compelling evidence that rural and remote territories possess significant untapped potential.
Harnessing this potential requires coordinated, multi-actor, multi-level efforts, precisely of the kind showcased by the partner regions during the EWRC 2025.