Moves addresses the growing democratic disengagement and institutional fragility in the remote and peri-urban areas of Italy (mountainous regions of Lazio), Albania (peri-urban and mountainous areas around Tirana) and Portugal (northern rural mountainous regions of Cinfães and Aldeia, Viseu district). These territories face common challenges such as depopulation, limited access to services and the exclusion of young people, women, the elderly and minorities from civic life.



MOVES aims to fill these gaps by promoting active citizenship, inclusive participation and increased cooperation between citizens and local institutions. The project adopts a transnational and modular structure, ensuring adaptability and cross-border learning. Through participatory forums, civic education modules, co-design workshops and local action laboratories, MOVES promotes democratic values and bottom-up governance models tailored to the social and geographical specificities of each area. Activities include transnational exchanges, online and in-person training courses, public consultations and local action initiatives.
By anchoring change in both grassroots initiatives and governance structures, MOVES is designed not only as a time-limited intervention, but as a catalyst for long-term democratic renewal in Europe's underserved rural and mountainous regions.