Rural district description

The Slovak pilot operates at national scale and addresses one of Europe’s most territorially diverse rural contexts, ranging from mountain and sub-mountain territories to productive lowlands, peri-urban areas and small towns. Slovakia’s highly fragmented municipal structure, demographic decline and ageing in many rural regions, as well as uneven access to services, employment, housing, mobility and digital infrastructure, make the country an important testing ground for a strategic and integrated approach to rural attractiveness. Building on earlier work developed under the PoliRural initiative, the pilot updates and operationalises foresight findings in light of current policy, governance and investment challenges.

Challenge description

A central objective of the pilot is to transform the “Vision for More Attractive Rural Areas in Slovakia, 2040” from a strategic document into a functioning platform for coordinated territorial action. This requires stronger alignment between national ministries, self-governing regions, municipalities, civil society organisations, youth representatives, academia, businesses and sectoral actors around shared development priorities. The pilot seeks to overcome persistent policy fragmentation and institutional silos while strengthening the connection between rural needs and decision-making, financing mechanisms and governance reforms. Particular attention is given to the everyday realities experienced by rural communities, especially regarding access to public services, sustainable mobility, demographic resilience, opportunities for young people, social inclusion and territorial cohesion.

The pilot also contributes to the broader debate on the future governance of rural areas in Slovakia by promoting more participatory, evidence-based and place-sensitive policymaking. Through foresight methods, stakeholder engagement and multi-level cooperation, it aims to create stronger links between long-term visioning, practical implementation and public investment planning. The process supports the emergence of a more coherent national narrative on rural development, capable of connecting economic competitiveness, environmental sustainability, quality of life and social resilience within a shared territorial framework.

Anticipated result

The anticipated outcome is a strengthened cross-sector governance framework for rural development in Slovakia, including improved stakeholder cooperation, enhanced national contribution to the European Rural Pact and a more coherent basis for future territorial and institutional reforms. In the longer term, the pilot is expected to contribute to better coordination across public institutions, stronger integration of rural perspectives into national policymaking, and increased practical relevance of rural policy for local communities and regions across the country.

Open call

Outreach Call project DigiStake

Led by CEDASK

To enhance stakeholder cooperation, digital transformation, and rural-urban collaboration, in Slovakia an online platform www.atraktivnyvidiek.sk was improved, serving as a central digital open hub for engagement, knowledge sharing, best practices exchange and digital innovation in rural development.

A series of digital skills workshops and capacity-building sessions were conducted to empower stakeholders with the necessary competencies to navigate the digital landscape. These efforts improved awareness and adoption of digital tools among rural communities, allowing them to take full advantage of technological advancements.

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