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The Flemish Ardennes on a sunny morning

Oudenaarde, Belgium

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The Flemish Ardennes on a sunny morning
©Sami | AdobeStock

The district of Oudenaarde is the heart of the Flemish Ardennes. Aside from the towns of Oudenaarde and Ronse, the area mainly consists of rural villages. The district is bordered by the Ghent urban area in the north, with the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai metropolitan area not far away to the west. In addition to agriculture and rural tourism, there is also a lot of industrial activity, including in the textile, construction, metal and food sectors.

Examples of projects and initiatives supported by the EU

Participation of the school ‘GO! Atheneum Oudenaarde' to Erasmus

The European Erasmus programme – especially known for its student exchanges – also supports many exchange projects for secondary schools. This allowed students from the GO! Atheneum Oudenaarde to gain practical experience in home and elderly care in the Netherlands and in the tourism sector in France.

Triple C project – measures against flooding

Floods are an increasing risk due to the impact of climate change. Viaverda Kruisem, a pilot centre for vegetable cultivation, participated in the European ‘Triple C’ project, developing innovative and cost-effective measures to combat water pollution.

Small-scale rural projects - a plucking garden in Kluisbergen and iconic trees in Zwalm

The EU supports many small-scale rural projects. The Meerdoeners project created a pick-your-own garden in Kluisbergen, focusing on organic farming, while a project in Zwalm seeks to grow distinctive trees, with the aim of planting new high-profile trees in each sub-municipality.

Nature restoration in ‘bos ’t Ename’ and ‘Everbeekse bossen’

The rich nature in the Flemish Ardennes enjoy EU protected status under Natura 2000. Moreover, the EU LIFE Flemish Ardennes project contributed to nature restoration in the ‘t Ename and Everbek woodlands.

Participation of Europlasma in European research project 'Superclean'

There are many innovative companies involved in European research in the Oudenaarde region. One example is the participation of Europlasma in the research project SuperClean, which uses membranes to extract clean water from waste water, inter alia, in the steel, textiles and food sectors.

Landscape experiences in the Flemish Ardennes

The EU wants to keep rural areas alive and attractive. The ‘Beleef mee(r) in de Vlaamse Ardennen’ (Experience more in the Flemish Ardennes) project focuses on high-quality regional tourism and on immersive tourism to experience the landscape, including by creating ‘experience sites’ in Zingem and refurbishing a former signalling house in Ronse. In Brakel, a holiday home was also converted into a show house (fauna house) showcasing nature and fauna friendly building techniques.

Social and circular economy in the region of Oudenaarde

Europe is stimulating the transition to a circular economy where waste is reduced to a minimum, and products and raw materials are constantly reused. For example, the EU supported a project to promote social and circular entrepreneurship in Oudenaarde and its surroundings.

Guiding young and inactive people from Ronse to the labour market

EU support helped Grijkoort in Ronse to guide vulnerable young people, jobseekers and inactive people towards social participation, training or the labour market.

Further information
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