More than 340 rural stakeholders gathered in Cork, Ireland, in early September 2016 to develop a vision for the future of EU rural areas. The Cork Declaration 2.0, under the heading "A Better Life in Rural Areas," outlines the expectations and aspirations of rural areas. Among the priorities to be addressed, it calls for policies to focus on closing the digital divide between rural and urban areas, as well as developing the potential offered by rural connectivity and digitization. In order to increase complementarity and coherence, emphasis was placed on the need for integrated approaches and interaction between different policy fields.
