Volonteurope: Policy brief on rural isolation published
Following the launch of this policy brief at a Volonteurope seminar in Rome in September, Volonteurope and its members have been working to further develop their thinking on the problem of rural isolation in Europe and to produce a series of recommendations.
This updated version contains minor revisions and a new case study from Volonteurope’s UK member Community Service Volunteers (CSV).
‘Rural Isolation of Citizens in Europe’ aims to explore the problem of, and solutions to, rural isolation. It reviews current EU policies that address rural isolation and includes a series of successful and innovative case studies from civil society. These are projects that engage citizen-volunteers and effectively address the challenges of rural isolation. Examples from Volonteurope’s members and partners in the United Kingdom, France, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Netherlands and Italy show that civil society organisations, with appropriate support, can make a real, lasting and positive change to the lives of people of all ages in rural communities across Europe. The document also sets out a range of recommendations for addressing the problem of rural isolation.
The seminar in Rome marked the start of Volonteurope’s two-year campaign on the issue of rural isolation. In the context of this campaign, Volonteurope and its members and partners will be taking part in a series of activities aimed at tackling the issue of rural isolation and keeping it high on the policy agenda at both a national and European level.
Over the course of the next two years, Volonteurope will work with partners from different sectors to develop this policy brief.
‘Rural Isolation of Citizens in Europe’ – full report.
‘Extending the Family: Enlargement and Migration in the European Union’ – full report.
