The ESIRA (Enhancing Social Innovation in Rural Areas) and SERIGO (Social Economy for Resilience, Inclusion and Good life in Rural areas) sister projects organised a joint policy workshop held on 20 November 2025 in Brussels, to explore how community-led social innovation can enhance the social inclusion of vulnerable groups in rural areas. HÉTFA is a partner in the ESIRA Horizon Europe project conducting research on community-led rural innovation spaces to enhance the understanding of the needs and challenges faced by vulnerable groups and to facilitate the upscaling and replication of social economy initiatives across rural Europe. ESIRA is also implementing innovative socio-economic initiatives in 8 EU countries, with a focus on developing local social networks in rural communities and improving the economic situation of marginalized groups. Luca Koltai, Head of Division for Public Policy and Impact Assessment represented HÉTFA during the policy workshop in Brussels.
Co-organised by the European Association of Mountain Areas (Euromontana) and the European Association for Innovation in Local Development (AEIDL), the event gathered 33 participants, including researchers, representatives from the European Commission, as well as from EU networks and civil society organisations working on social inclusion, social economy and sustainable rural development. The discussions led to a strong call for a more holistic vision to rural policy planning.
You can read more about the take-aways of the policy workshop on ESIRA’s website by clicking here.
