On July 19, 2024 in Despotovac, the RurALL project was presented to the representatives of public institutions, business sector, population from rural areas, associations of farmers and the media. The attendants were addressed by the deputy mayor of the municipality of Despotovac, Mr. Nemanja Radovanović, and the project coordinator of the Regional Economic Development Agency for Šumadija and Pomoravlje - REDASP, as the Serbian partner in the consortium.

REDASP representative presented the main goals of the project and the activities that will be implemented during the project in the territory of the municipality of Despotovac. The activities will aim to develop a management model and local policy for solving the problem of depopulation in rural areas, with a special focus on utilization of the potential of unused buildings and turning them into functional and attractive spaces. The planned activities are very significant for the territory of the municipality of Despotovac, bearing in mind the natural characteristics of the territory and the problem of depopulation.

The representative of the municipality of Despotovac particularly emphasized the problems faced by the local self-government with numerous abandoned and insufficiently used buildings in public and private ownership, but also the lack of financial and systemic solutions for the revitalization of those buildings. In previous decades, many facilities in the rural areas of the municipality of Despotovac served the purpose of economic and social development of the local community, such as cooperatives of agricultural producers, cultural centers, hunting lodges, housing and schools, which are abandoned nowadays and unused for the purpose for which they were built. The reason for the above is the departure of many of the rural population to larger cities and EU member states. That is why this project is important for the municipality of Despotovac to mitigate the negative economic and demographic trends to a certain extent. During the presentation, it was highlighted that it is important to involve the wider local community in solving the problems and finding the best possible solutions. That is why experts from different fields, decision makers and residents of all ages and social structures will be engaged during the implementation of the project.

Despotovac Municipality, together with the Regional Economic Development Agency for Šumadija and Pomoravlje is a member of a large consortium of 14 partners and 7 associated partners from 11 countries, on the RurALL project which is financed within the Interreg Danube Region Program.