News

The PURPLE Annual Activity Report for 2021 has now been formally adopted and is available here for download,

The four-page paper summarises highlights of the network's activiities over the preceding twelve months and includes detail of what has been done by both the PURPLE Working Group and the PURPLE Lobby Group.

The introductory message, by PURPLE President Mrs Helyn Clack, includes a reflection on the ways in which the network's work continued despite the multiple and prolonged impacts of COVID. Mrs Clack goes on the highlight the importance of work undertaken as part of the Horizon 2020 project ROBUST on rural-urban linkages and synergies, and also refers to the numerous public consultation responses which were submitted over the course of the year.

In normal circumstances, the PURPLE General Assembly (GA) elects a President and Executive Board every two years. In light of the COVID pandemic, the elections due to be held in 2021 were deferred for a year, with nominations invited in advance of the summer 2022 GA.

On the occasion of the 35^th General Assembly held on June 15th in Brussels, elections for the period 2022-24 took place with the following results:

• Mrs Helyn Clack had indicated her desire to continue as network President in advance of the meeting. There were no other applications. Approved unanimously, Helyn Clack (Surrey, South East England) confirmed as President.

• Herr Rouven Koetter had indicated his willingness to serve as a network Vice-President in advance of the meeting. Approved unanimously, Rouven Koetter (FrankfurtRheinMain) confirmed as Vice-President.

• Mr Petr Springinsfeld indicated his wish to serve as an Executive Board member. Approved unanimously, Petr Springinsfeld (South Moravia) confirmed as Executive Board member.

• Mr Paul Van der Sluys expressed his willingness to continue as network Treasurer and ex-officio Executive Board member. There were no other candidates.  Approved unanimously, Paul Van der Sluys (Flanders) confirmed as Treasurer.

PURPLE produces an Annual Activity Plan (AAP) in order to shape delivery of its three-year Work Plan. The 2022 AAP was adopted in June 2022 and follows the same format as the 2020 and 2021 versions with detail updated to reflect policy and practice developments over the intervening period and to address arising issues.

The 2022 AAP includes a number of issues directly carried forward from the previous versions  where restrictions on holding physical events and meetings have caused the network to defer prevously agreed actions. For example, the 2022 version includes aspirations to kickstart a number of "thematic working groups" as well as to intensify work in disseminating and building upon the work and findings of the ROBUST project.

It also restates PURPLE's commitment to explore further opportunities to participate directly  in the EU Horizon Europe and Interreg Europe programmes alongside ongoing knowledge exchange and influencing work via the network's Working Group and Lobby Group respectively.

PURPLE is delighted to announced that the reports which it authored as a key element of the Horizon Europe project ROBUST have now been approved by the assessors appointed to oversee the project's delivery.

PURPLE has published four key deliverable reports as outputs within Work Package 6 of the project:

• A series of five complementary "Topic Papers" gathered together into a single document
• A guidance document on governance arrangements relating to rural-urban linkages and synergies
• A series of Policy Recommendations which make specific reference to 20+ EU level policy instruments
• A project Manifesto - calling for 30+ specific actions to be taken forward to build upon ROBUST's work and findings

The assessors' report concludes that the Topic Papers report: "is very convincing and of great use for policy makers at EU, national and sub-national levels or anyone else with an interest in how policy might be contextualised in the context of rural-urban linkages and synergies between rural and urban actors, interests and places".

The Policy Recommendations are described as "well prepared", constituting "a rich set of policy recommendations arising from the work and findings of the ROBUST project and arrived at over a period of four and half years between June 2017 and November 2021".

The Manifesto meanwhile is judged to be "an important and extremely practical study that can serve not only as a set of rules and guidelines for policymakers, but also as a map of directions for further research useful for the scientific community".

PURPLE President Mrs Helyn Clack is delighted to announce that the 35th PURPLE General Assembly will take place in Brussels on June 15th 2022 with a gathering for all current members and invited guests due to take place on the preceding evening.

The General Assembly meeting will be the first occasion since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic that members have been able to gather together in one place and to meet face to face.

Further practical details will be made available in due course, in case of any queries in the meanwhile, please contact: info@purple-eu.org

The PURPLE Working Group continues to follow developments with the new Interreg Europe programme for 2021-27 as the opening of its first call for proposals approaches on April 5 2022. 

Working Group members have continued to deliberate upon possible topic areas with a clear peri-urban dimension upon which there may be opportunities to collabrate across regions from north, south, east and west Europe.

In the run-up to the call's launch and its accompanying public event, members are looking at the possibility of developing viable project ideas based around subjects such as:

• Peri-urban landscape governance strategies
• Peri-urban mobility plans
• Strategies for managing peri-urban land use
• The role of peri-urban rail systems and services as part of broader regional development strategies

Further ad hoc and more formal meetings are scheduled to take place between now and the first application deadline on May 31 2022. Anyone who is interested in becoming involved in this work is invited to contact Vincent O'Connell at secretarygeneral@purple-eu.org