Promoting social inclusion in rural areas with INSPIRE in Lublin, Poland
Hosted by the European Rural Development Network (ERDN), the partners of the INSPIRE project met for the second time since the kick-off in October 2024. On 9 and 10 April, partners from 11 countries gathered in Lublin, Poland, to review progress and discuss future directions.
The first day of the meeting featured discussions on the project's progress so far and an interactive session on the INSPIRE territorial typology of European rural areas. The project has already reached some key milestones, including the large-scale mapping of social services in rural Europe, the conceptual framework of social inclusion dimensions, and the launch of the project website. Participants also had the opportunity to learn more and interact with partners from INSPIRE's sister projects, ESIRA and SERIGO, which shared early lessons from their activities regarding engagement and co-creation in rural areas.
On the second day, the partners visited Parczew, the soon-to-be pilot rural area in Poland, through a dedicated field trip. The partners met with local policy stakeholders and discussed the needs of the local communities, as well as envisioned pilot activities under the Polish Smart Village Lab, which will be run by ERDN. Partners also visited a factory in which many people from the surrounding villages are employed, and had a tour in a childcare and education facility in the village of Hołowno.