The main vision of the Collaborative Working Environments Unit of the EC, DG INFSO (defined through multiple and diversified works, such as the Rural@Work family of AMI communities) on the ICT application to rural settings is: “to develop Information Society in rural areas, to foster European development and integration, to increase competitiveness of European companies, to stem rural depopulation and to diversify income and employment opportunities in rural areas”.

“Rural” in Europe counts for 80% of European area and 22% of European inhabitants. Rural development is not only about a competitive European agriculture, but each day it is focusing more on meeting the expectations of citizens in rural areas, aiming to a deeper integration into today’s society and promoting economic development. The large opportunities that technological progress is offering to address key societal challenges still require significant progress of state of the art technologies for its application to rural areas and its transformation into products and services that address their specific situation.

[Objectives+Info]