The ESPON seminar “Unleashing the potential of small places – barriers and opportunities” took place in Trysil, Norway, 10-12 September 2024, focusing on the development of opportunities and challenges small communities are facing. The event brought together European experts, policy makers and researchers to share their experiences and develop solutions to increase the competitiveness of small towns and cities. Ervin Erős, Director of CESCI Balkans, also was present at the seminar, where working groups developed proposals to improve the situation of small villages.

In the first panel, Wiktor Szydarowski, Director of ESPON EGTC, spoke about the importance of the ESPON programme in the context of the development of small villages. Anne Merete Halpern, Senior Adviser at the Norwegian Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, gave a presentation on regional development trends in Norway, while Simona Pohlová, representative of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, shared her thoughts on the future of cross-border cooperation. The session was closed by Martín Guillermo Ramírez, Secretary General of the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR), who spoke about the future of cohesion policy and its impact on small towns and cities.

The second session discussed policy perspectives for local and regional development. Sigrun Wiggen Prestbakmo, State Secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, presented the Norwegian government’s priorities for the development of small municipalities. Marina Royo de Blas, representative of DG Agri from the European Commission , gave a presentation on the long-term vision for rural areas in the EU, while Hanne Alstrup Velure, Deputy Mayor of Innlandet County, presented the possibilities for local development based on the internal resources of small communities. Finally, Turid Backe-Viken, Mayor of Trysil, presented how regional, state and EU programmes support local development.

In the third session, Dr Irene McMaster, researcher at the University of Strathclyde, presented the lessons learned from the Small Places Matter pilot action, which was implemented in the framework of the EU Territorial Agenda 2030. Nora Geirsdotter Bækkelund gave a presentation on Norwegian rural policy theories, while Lars Porsche presented the German Small Town Academy initiative.

On the second day of the seminar, participants worked in parallel working groups to develop development proposals on different topics. The main objective of the workshops was to identify and discuss successful cases of small towns and to analyse their success. In the group on competence development and talent attraction, participants analysed how to make small towns more attractive for young talent. The innovation and entrepreneurship group focused on ways to stimulate local entrepreneurship and innovation. The quality-of-life group discussed how to improve local public services, while the multi-level governance working group focused on improving cooperation between small communities and regional and national governments.

The results of the working groups were summarised in a World Café-style discussion and used as a basis for proposals for future policy actions. The proposals and policy briefs developed during the seminar will be published later by the organisers.