A long-term vision for the EU's rural areas: Council approves conclusions

The Council approved conclusions on a long-term vision for the EU's rural areas, providing political guidance to the Commission and member states aimed at further fostering the prosperity, resilience and social fabric.

Rural areas as key contributors to the EU's economies and societies

The set of conclusions, unanimously approved by EU agriculture ministers, recognises the key contributions made by rural areas to the economic strength of the EU, the green and digital transitions, and climate action. Additionally, the conclusions highlight the role of rural areas in ensuring sustainability and food security, and in preserving the cultural heritage of local communities.

The conclusions particularly stress the importance of agriculture, including in terms of ensuring the open strategic autonomy of the EU’s food systems and reducing external dependencies. This is especially important considering the current geopolitical context.

Multifaceted challenges call for a holistic approach

The conclusions highlight the complexity and diversity of rural areas, stressing the particular challenges that many of these areas are facing, such as population decline and aging, gender gaps, limited connectivity, underdeveloped infrastructure or a lack of adequate employment opportunities.

Making sure that rural voices are heard

In response to these diverse challenges, the Council calls for a holistic approach developed in cooperation with rural citizens, with the engagement of local and regional authorities and communities. Ministers also underline the important role of local action groups within the LEADER initiative and the bottom-up approach when implementing community-led local development strategies.

Better connectivity and improved digital skills

In their conclusions, ministers also stress the importance of the digital transition, innovation and connectivity, including broadband coverage. In this regard, training opportunities and the development of digital skills are highlighted as being crucial.

Investing in rural areas

Ministers recognise the importance of investments from EU, national, regional and local sources for realising this long-term vision. Streamlining funding would help address the low availability of public services, and improve infrastructure and connectivity. In this context, all relevant EU policies and instruments should be involved and contribute with the appropriate resources to support rural areas. The coherence and synergies of policies and instruments should be enhanced in this sense.

To make sure that funding is used optimally, ministers call on the Commission to set up a monitoring instrument to assess EU funding that supports rural areas and establish a procedure to ensure coherence and synergies among relevant EU policies and instruments.

Generational renewal

The conclusions also recognise that demographic changes are having a negative impact on rural areas, including leading to depopulation. Ministers therefore call for solutions aimed at attracting young people, including young farmers, to rural areas.

Solutions proposed include facilitating young people's access to funding and land, providing them with diverse work and training opportunities, and involving them in local decision-making.

Women in rural areas

Another social aspect taken into account by ministers in the conclusions is the role of women. The Council considers that supporting measures are needed to help create new work opportunities and better involve women in decision-making. The equal participation of women in farming is also an important goal highlighted by ministers in this regard.

Next steps

To help foster the resilience and prosperity of the EU’s rural areas, the Council calls on the Commission to consider developing the vision into a fully-fledged EU rural strategy, with a comprehensive and flexible approach and relevant indicators.

Additionally, the Council encourages member states to further engage in the Rural Pact and develop strategies and action plans at national, regional and local level for the benefit of rural areas.

Background

In June 2021, the Commission published a communication entitled 'A long-term vision for the EU's rural areas', aimed at creating stronger, connected, resilient, and prosperous rural communities by 2040.

The communication set out the challenges and concerns these areas are facing and highlighted some of the opportunities available to them. The EU Rural Action Plan and the Rural Pact then set out actions and tools to achieve the goals of the vision.

The results of the Rural Pact Conference held in Uppsala (Sweden) in May 2023, and of the high-level policy forum on shaping the future of rural areas, which took place in Sigüenza (Spain) in September 2023, also helped pave the way for the Council conclusions.