What Can We Expect for the Development of Rural Areas in Europe?—Trends of the Last Decade and Their Opportunities for Rural Regeneration

Rural areas in Europe have been undergoing structural change for years, resulting in strong
functional differentiation and fragmentation into prosperous and structurally weak areas. Rural areas
are as diverse as the challenges they face. Not only various megatrends but also social, economic,
technological, ecological, and political trends influence and shape the development of rural areas. In
order to understand the problems and causes of the current development of rural areas, this paper
provides a differentiated trend analysis for rural areas at the European level. A content analysis of
more than 70 EU-funded project reports on rural areas and rural development is carried out. The
aim is to identify trends and their drivers over the last decade and to summarize opportunities and
challenges for successful rural regeneration. These external and overarching trends, particularly in
the context of a sustainable transition, renewable energies, the emergence of new technologies and
growing awareness of environmental impacts, offer rural areas more opportunities than ever before.
The interplay between external incentives (e.g., European Union policies) and endogenous regional
development (e.g., local actors) is crucial for the successful exploitation of these opportunities for
rural regeneration.