Agriculture & Rural developmentDéveloppement rural et AgricultureLandwirtschaft und ländliche Entwicklung

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Agriculture & Rural development

Agriculture and rural development: quality agriculture and sustainable rural development at the heart of AER member Regions' interests

 

Rural areas cover more than 80% of the territory of the European Union. There is a widespread, however faulty conviction that they are responsible only for food supply. In reality, they consist of many different environments: while the food production still remain the main sector of local population's activity, cultural heritage and industrial production sites, often planted outside urban centres, generate a high development potential for rural land as well. Moreover, rural areas play a crucial role in keeping a global ecosystem in balance. It is proved that a number of present environmental problems such as climate change, air pollution, soil erosion and low water quality are due to the very intensive way in which we use our lands.

 

Some current EU policies developments, including the CAP reform are likely to promote more sustainable development of rural areas. The general tendency is to move towards a system concentrated less on market and more on development and environmental issues. The new CAP should contribute to the preservation of biodiversity of European rural areas, to the improvement of natural conditions and to the reduction of European dependence on food and energy. European regions are strongly concerned by the current reassessment of CAP and the future of RD policy. This page will provide you with some of the most relevant information on actions undertaken by the EU in the field of agriculture and rural development, as well as on the AER positions and conferences devoted to these issues.

 

Main events
  • Conference on future of rural development, Lillehammer (N), 27 February - 1 March 2008
Recent news and Rural Development Newsletter

      URGENT! Partner search for the FUPEC Project - "Future Development Models for Small Peripheral Centers" (Interreg IVC)

      The Pielinen Karelia Center for Regional Development (FIN) is looking for partners for the FUPEC, Interreg IVC project, aiming to promote best practices among small peripheral rural centers (rural towns and municipalities). The utmost objective is to create a new community-based, integrated and dynamic model to exchange experience in the field of cultural heritage, recreation facilities, communication technologies and high quality ecologic housing, and to strenghten in such a way a brand name of rural communities as a perfect place for high quality living.

      For more information, please contact directly Hannu RYHANEN (North Karelian College, Nurmed): hannu.ryhanendelete_me(at)joensuudelete_me.fi; + 358 50 369 14 09. Deadline to submit a partnership proposal is 21 August 2008.

       

      NEW! Partner search for Interreg IVC project

      The department of agriculture in Lazio region (IT) would like to submit a project proposal in the field of Environment-Risk prevention in the Interreg IVC call expected next Autumn. The overall objective of the project will be to improve food safety through a better management of environmental resources. Project abstract available here! If you are interested in this idea and would like to take part in the project, please contact:

      Mr. Stefano CORONATI, Lazio Regional Representative - EU affairs. +3228909614 scoronatidelete_me(at)regione.laziodelete_me.it

      Newsletter

      (reserved to AER members, please log-in)

      Newsletter August 2008
      RURACT

      Please refer to the AER specific webpage on RUR@CT

      Main AER positions
      Final Conclusions of the AER Conference on rural development (Oppland-N, 29/02/2008)
      Conclusions of Kriti conference (GR), 15 - 16 October 2006
      Final conclusions of the Conference on the promotion of competitive regions, 24 November 2005, Devon (UK)
      Declaration on the future of rural areas adopted in Bari, 13 - 15 May 2004
      AER Interim Report on the revision of CAP, adopted by Committee C in Pecs and amended by the General Assembly, Naples (2002)
      AER Rural Development Working Group
      • Next meeting of the working group: Linz, Upper-Austria, 28 October 2008 - 16:00

      The working documents of this meeting can be found here. Please log-in if you wish to access these papers.

      AER events / actions
      • Conference on regional labels, Kriti (GR), 2006
      • Conference on the role of rural areas in the Lisbon Strategy, Devon (UK), 2005
      • Conference on traditional quality agriculture and GMO free zones, Brussels (B), 2005
      Relvant links
      Relevant links on agriculture and rural development
       
       
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