The webinar “Digitalising rural areas" organised by the Directorate General for External Action of the Government of Navarra took place on Wednesday, October 7 and provided an opportunity to discuss the co-creation of the digital transformation of rural Europe and how European cooperation can help it.

MikelIrujo, Director of the External Action Service of Navarra, made the opening remarks and explained how Navarra is envisaging the support of digitalisation in the region.

The next speaker, Clive Peckham, project manager of Interreg Europe ERUDITE and CARPE DIGEM projects, stressed the importance of developing capacities to integrate new services and technologies in the rural areas. He presented some examples of rural-rural and rural-urban cooperation networks, and he pointed out the increasing need for accelerating rural areas digitalisation, and to take into account both social needs and economic returns in this process.

Gorka Azpiroz, Major of the municipality of Lekunberri offered a local perspective from a rural town in Navarra; and finally Rónán Mac Con Iomaire, Director for Regional Development, Community and Language in Udaras & municipality, Ireland, stressed the positive impact that the network of Digital Innovation Hubs in Irish areas are having in relation with innovation and entrepreneurship support.

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