At the end of the Cyprus Presidency we published a critical overview of the MFF negotiations. We offer below an update by Serafin Pazos-Vidal on the state and prospects of the negotiations after the summer recess, followed by Serafin’s original overview. At this stage of the MFF negotiations, MEPs are about to start voting their […]
Archives for August 2026
Multi-level Governance Architecture Matters for Leader’s Added Value
Finland – Evaluation of the regional and local rural development operating model Multi-level Governance Architecture Matters for Leader’s Added Value In recent years, there has been a strong focus on proving the added value of Leader in the rural development system. Significant steps have been taken to define the theoretical model for Leader added value, […]
Strong villages and towns: understanding the determinants of population change in EU settlements
This JRC Working Paper, Strong villages and towns: understanding the determinants of population change in EU settlements, is authored by Mert Kompil, Paola Proietti, Chiara Dorati, Chris Jacobs-Crisoni, and Lewis Dijkstra. The study examines the drivers of population change in EU settlements, focusing on villages and towns, and analyses the influence of local characteristics and […]
Policy brief: Why Europe’s future depends on its places and territories
A new ‘Territorial Thinkers’ briefing (August 2026), Why Europe’s future depends on its places and territories reflects on main messages put forward by the authors over the past 10 years and adapts them to the current situation. The authors – Peter Mehlbye, Peter Schön, Derek Martin and Kai Böhme – summarise their key observations and […]
Cohesion Policy Capacity Index (CPCI)
What makes EU funding work effectively on the ground? Strong programmes need more than funding: they also depend on the capacity of the authorities managing them. The new Cohesion Policy Capacity Index (CPCI) provides a data-driven framework to assess and compare the administrative capacity of Managing Authorities across the EU. It looks at several dimensions […]
European Local Government Report 2025
The European Local Government Report 2025 provides a comprehensive assessment of local government systems across EU member states. It examines structural data, financial trends, expenditure patterns, revenue sources, and functional responsibilities of municipalities. The report was authored by Thomas Prorok and Sofia Calzola and was published by KDZ – Centre for Public Administration Research. The report […]
Summer Academy: Sustainable Rural Development of Protected Areas – 16-20 September 2026
The 23rd Summer Academy of the Euracademy Association will take place from 16 to 20 September 2026 in Anogeia, Crete, Greece. This year’s topic is Protected Areas: Opportunities and Challenges for Sustainable Rural Development: How protected areas can contribute to sustainable rural development while addressing key challenges related to European and national policy, governance, local […]