Radim Sršeň, Member of the European Committee of the Regions and Deputy Minister of Regional Development of the Czech Republic, called for stronger coordination, innovation, and investment in rural areas during the European Startup Village Forum 2025 held in Brussels.
Sršeň welcomed the growing coordination between the European Commission and the Joint Research Centre (JRC), highlighting that such cooperation is vital to ensure that existing EU tools and initiatives are used effectively. “We need innovation and startups in rural areas. We need it for the long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas, which aims to create strong and vibrant rural communities by 2040 — because rural areas are not museums,” said Sršeň.
He emphasised that while the EU already offers multiple strategies and instruments these are often underused or fragmented. “We must push all levels of government to use these tools and make sure they work together in synergy. Otherwise, even the best initiatives lose their impact,” he said.
Innovation, education, and quality of life go hand in hand
Sršeň underlined that innovation must be rooted in education and local empowerment. “From kindergartens to basic schools, we must show children that there is a future in rural areas. In my region, we run programmes on robotics and competitions for children to inspire them. Regions and municipalities must create the spaces and opportunities for innovation to grow,” he explained.
He further highlighted that quality of life is the number one factor in attracting and retaining people in rural areas: “Innovation is about improving quality of life — through e-health, better transport, remote work opportunities, and broadband connectivity. The question is whether innovation brings people, or people bring innovation — in truth, it’s both.”
Changing the image of rural life
Sršeň noted that the perception of rural areas must evolve. “We can have all the infrastructure and services, but if young people don’t see rural life as attractive, they won’t return. Having taught at university for 19 years, I see that around 40% of students are open to returning to the regions. We need to make rural areas great again — even sexy — because the new generation values balance, purpose, and community.”
Cohesion and competition must work together
Addressing the future of EU funding and policy design, Sršeň warned against setting cohesion and competition in opposition. “When I sit in the Czech Republic as Deputy Minister for Regional Development alongside colleagues from Economy and Industry, I see that they don’t think in terms of cohesion. They want excellence — everything in Prague. But we need to bring investment to lagging regions. With tools like regulatory sandboxes, we can help those most in need. If cohesion and competition keep working against each other, we’ll keep closing and reopening the same gaps endlessly.”
Sršeň concluded by stressing the importance of sharing successful local stories and scaling up good practices across Europe: “It’s time for local and regional leaders to ‘write the book’ on rural innovation — to show that it works.”
Background information
The European Startup Village Forum is a high-level event dedicated to exploring the dynamics of innovation and entrepreneurship in rural areas. Organised by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), the Forum brings together researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and rural stakeholders to share insights, experiences, and strategies for building thriving rural innovation ecosystems.