Kick-Off Event in Panonska vas

From 12 to 14 May 2025, the Municipality of Moravske Toplice, as the lead partner of the project, proudly hosted the official kick-off event of Danube4Rural.com in the idyllic rural setting of Panonska vas.

This three-day international gathering brought together representatives of all 12 project partners and 11 associated strategic partners from 11 Danube Region countries, united by a common goal: to revitalise rural communities through innovative policy approaches tailored to the needs of remote workers and forward-looking employer organisations.

What happened during the event?

The programme was carefully designed to lay a strong foundation for the collaborative journey ahead. Key highlights included:

• Introductory presentations by project partners, outlining organisational capacities and pilot region profiles

• Thematic workshops focused on transnational governance, policy hub development, and research-based policy design

• Hands-on sessions on communication and stakeholder engagement strategies

• Team-building activities that helped create trust and cross-border cohesion among partners

• The 2nd Steering Committee (SCOM) meeting, where key implementation steps were discussed and validated

• Informal networking opportunities, fostering exchange of ideas, practices and mutual inspiration over shared meals and relaxing moments

Strong energy and shared commitment

The high level of participation, dynamic interaction and openness throughout the event clearly demonstrated the partners’ readiness to co-create innovative, locally grounded policies that will support rural regions in becoming more resilient, inclusive and future-ready. The event also served as a first real-life test of the project’s guiding principle: that collaboration across borders and disciplines is the key to tackling structural rural challenges