
24 de July de 2025
The projects "Magical Autumn in the Ambroz Valley", "Onconature", "New molecular tools for rapid monitoring of honey bee diseases" and "Hanging pedestrian walkway and sections of pedestrian path with soft pavement" are finalists in the 2025 "Europe feels" competition for European funds.
- The projects "Magical Autumn in the Ambroz Valley", "Onconature", "New molecular tools for rapid monitoring of honey bee diseases" and "Hanging pedestrian walkway and sections of pedestrian path with soft pavement" are finalists in the 2025 "Europe feels" competition for European funds.
- The winner of the competition will be revealed in October 2025 in the town of Santa Coloma de Gramenet, as part of the 2025 "European Funds Annual Event".
- In the 2024 edition, two rural projects were awarded: “Millo e Landras” and “Somnia”.
The #EuropeFeels2025 contest , organized by the The Ministry of Finance has already announced the finalists of this third edition, and among them are four rural initiatives that have received support from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development ( EAFRD ) .
In this new 2025 edition , the competition is once again seeking projects that have received funding from European funds. These include shared management funds— ERDF (including the European Territorial Cooperation Goal), ESF+, ISF, IGFV, AMIF, FEMPA, JTF, EAFRD , and EAGF —as well as projects from the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RTRP), funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility ( Next Generation – EU ). The competition's objective is to highlight the results of support from European funds in Spain.
These new projects, selected in their respective categories based on their themes , demonstrate how European funds contribute to the development of rural areas through new perspectives based on innovation.
#EuropeFeelsClose
In the #EuropeFeelsClose category, two projects have been recognized for developing local and regional strategies to help address specific integration challenges in their respective areas:
Magical Autumn in the Ambroz Valley : a project that transforms this Extremadura valley into a setting for culture, nature, and civic engagement every fall, as well as a tourist destination. The project was selected for transforming the region into an international tourist attraction that breaks with seasonality. European Funding: EAFRD.
Onconature : an integrative oncology center located in Órgiva (Granada), offering personalized healthcare in a natural setting, combining medical treatments and complementary therapies. European funding: EAFRD.
Both projects reflect how rural areas can be a space for well-being, creativity, and community connection.
#EuropeFeelsGreen
In the #EuropeFeelsGreen category, a project that focuses on biodiversity has been selected:
New molecular tools for rapid monitoring of honey bee diseases (GO BEERISK) : This Task Force is an initiative of the University of Granada that focuses on research to protect these key pollinators for agriculture and rural ecosystems in this region from disease. European funding: EAFRD.
#EuropeFeelsConnected
Finally, in the #EuropeFeelsConnected category—which recognizes projects aimed at sustainable and inclusive development in rural areas, or supporting local and regional strategies that help address specific development challenges in certain areas—the following were recognized:
A suspended pedestrian walkway and soft-surfaced path sections , a project located in Torrenueva Costa (Granada), improves accessibility to La Joya Beach. The project promotes sustainable tourism that respects the natural environment and also makes it the first beach in Spain to connect the urban center and the coast. European Fund: EAFRD.
These four projects are a testament to the positive impact that EAFRD funds have on rural areas, supporting initiatives that protect the environment, improve services, and strengthen the social fabric.
Previous editions
Last year, in 2024, two rural projects were honored at the "EuropaSeSiente" Awards, among all the finalists: Millo e Landras (Galicia) and Somnia (Valencia). Millo e Landras won in the #EuropaSeSiente Verde category, and Somnia won in the #Europasesiente Cercana category.
Meanwhile, in its first edition in 2023 , there were 3 projects that were finalists: Cielos Andaluces, Broadband extension in municipalities (Asturias): Adamo , and Living Museums (Castile and León and Galicia). Finally, Adamo won the #EuropeFeelsClose category for his project to expand broadband in rural municipalities in Asturias, where he brought fiber optics to nearly 30,000 families in hard-to-reach areas, significantly contributing to the fight against depopulation.
The 2025 edition will be held in October in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, as part of the "Annual European Funds Event."