The EU decision-makers created in a record time a recovery plan to combine the current and future budgetary resources. But the implementation will be challenging. Do we have enough firepower for this war?

Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, in her exclusive article for TerritoriALL explains that we do. And the Minister of Environment and Climate Action of Portugal, João Pedro Matos Fernandes, outlines the efforts of the Portuguese Presidency to make Europe more resilient and socially responsible.

Part of this future is the Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas, described by the Vice President, Dubravka Šuica, in the interview for our thematic dossier.

Enrique Nieto, from ENRD describes the public consultation that led to this vision. And we present a new Policy Brief that highlights the main challenges for rural areas.

Two Members of the European Parliament Francisco Guerreiro, Vice-Chair of the AGRI Committee, and Andrei Novakov, a member of the REGI Committee underline the linkages between Cohesion and the rural areas. Stefano Palmieri and Peter Schmidt, presidents of the ECO and NAT sections of EESC and Guillaume Cros, CoR rapporteur on CAP reform make some interesting proposals.

Eugenio Giani, President of the Tuscany Region, André Viola, President of CEPLI, Marion Eckardt, President at ELRD present the views of their networks.

Professors Miguel Freitas and António Manuel Figueiredo focus on the Portuguese perspective.

Agnes Monfret and Claudio Nichele from DG Regio and our colleagues from Interreg Europe, Interact and Urbact explain how communication changed in the times of the pandemic.

Also read: The challenges faced by European lake areas, the climate impact of spatial planning, how to involve older people in policy-making, a new ESPON research on the social consequences of the pandemic, the aspirations of the upcoming Slovenian presidency