On Thursday, 4 February, members of the Committee of the Regions’ (CoR) Commission for Natural Resources and their counterparts on the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture debated ways to boost recovery in Europe’s rural areas and to enable regions to continue to play their part in preparing and implementing the future common agricultural policy (CAP).
The European Commission launched a public consultation on 7 September 2020 regarding a long-term vision for rural areas. The European Commission is expected to adopt a communication on the subject in mid-2021.
Chair of the CoR Commission for Natural Resources Ulrika Landergren (Renew Europe, Sweden) took the view that the EU Recovery Plan needs to help rural areas, particularly in order to reduce the digital divide between urban and rural areas.
Rapporteur for the CoR Commission for Natural Resources on the revitalisation of rural areas, Enda Stenson (European Alliance, Ireland) reiterated the content of the opinion on this subject adopted last December. He advocated “a European rural agenda”.
Maltese CoR member Samuel Azzopardi (EPP) lamented national governments’ reluctance to involve local and regional governments in the implementation of national recovery plans.
Joan Calabuig Rull (PES, Spain), on the CoR, lamented the decline in social and territorial cohesion in Europe. He advised that the regions must be included in the European Green Deal.
Kirstine Helene Bille (Greens, Denmark) protested that none of the Greens’ demands were taken into account in the reformed CAP.
MEP Paolo De Castro (S&D, Italy) also considered it important to take regions into account in the management of the CAP and rural areas. His group has proposed that a debate on the revitalisation of rural areas be held during the next European Parliament plenary session. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)