HCC's role and expertise in the Smart Rural 21 and Smart Rural 27 Projects
As the National Expert for Romania, HCC played a central role in both Smart Rural 21 and Smart Rural 27, two successive European Commission preparatory actions designed to advance the Smart Villages concept and its integration into EU and national rural policies. The projects were funded by DG AGRI and implemented by partners under the coordination of E40 Group.
Role in Smart Rural 21
In the Smart Rural 21 preparatory action, HCC acted as the national contact and country expert, responsible for promoting, evaluating, and supporting the Smart Villages initiative in Romania.
Key activities included:
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National-level promotion and awareness-raising: HCC disseminated the Smart Villages concept to rural communities, local authorities, and national networks such as the National Rural Network (NRN) and LEADER associations, ensuring wide participation in the project’s village selection process.
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Evaluation and village selection: HCC assessed applications from interested rural communities and contributed to the selection of Romania’s participant and “Come Along!” villages, using evaluation criteria on motivation, innovation potential, governance capacity, and readiness for transition.
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Local engagement and data collection: HCC worked directly with selected villages to collect data on community challenges, digital capacity, and smart initiatives, contributing to the EU-wide database on Smart Villages.
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Policy mapping and knowledge contribution: HCC authored Romania’s “What’s Happening in My Country” overview, summarising the state of play of smart rural development, local innovation initiatives, and CAP-related opportunities.
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Representation and exchange: HCC participated in European workshops and online exchanges, linking Romanian experiences to broader European learning.
Role in Smart Rural 27
Main responsibilities:
Building on the first phase, HCC continued its work in the Smart Rural 27 preparatory action, which aimed to prepare Member States for the post-2020 CAP Strategic Plans and strengthen policy support for Smart Villages at national and regional levels.
Main responsibilities:
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Stakeholder Mapping and Engagement: HCC conducted an in-depth mapping of national stakeholders, identifying policymakers, managing authorities, rural networks, LEADER and municipal associations, and local innovators relevant to Smart Villages policy and implementation.
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Village Evaluation and Smart Village Mapping: HCC analysed and identified existing and emerging Smart Villages or “villages-in-transition” in Romania, contributing to the EU geomapping tool and to the identification of lighthouse examples of good practice..
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Policy Evaluation and Advisory Work: HCC analysed CAP-related measures, national support schemes, and other funding mechanisms to identify entry points for Smart Village interventions, contributing to Romania’s Smart Villages Factsheet and Roadmap.
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Knowledge and Policy Transfer: Through structured interviews, policy analysis, and synthesis reports, HCC contributed Romanian insights to the European Smart Villages Observatory, helping shape EU-level recommendations and policy frameworks.
Expertise Demonstrated
Rural Systems and Policy Expertise: Deep understanding of EU and national rural development frameworks, including CAP, LEADER, and Smart Village policy instruments.
Stakeholder and Community Engagement: Proven capacity to bridge local realities with European policy, engaging both local communities and national decision-makers in participatory, future-oriented dialogue.
Evaluation and Foresight: Strong analytical skills in assessing community readiness, policy effectiveness, and innovation potential at both village and systemic levels.
Strategic Facilitation and Policy Integration: Ability to translate field-level findings into actionable recommendations, informing Romania’s contribution to the Smart Villages policy agenda and the European Smart Villages Observatory.
Highclere Consulting served as the National Expert for Romania in the European Commission’s Smart Rural 21 and Smart Rural 27 projects, contributing to both local-level engagement and national policy development for Smart Villages. HCC’s work combined on-the-ground research and village assessment with strategic policy analysis and stakeholder facilitation, helping connect Romanian rural communities to European innovation networks and influencing how Smart Villages are embedded in national CAP frameworks.
