The European Parliament voted, on Tuesday 13 December in Strasbourg, in favour of ambitious measures for rural areas in the EU.
The report by Isabel Carvalhais (S&D, Portuguese), which analyses the European Commission’s communication on the subject (see EUROPE 13051/4), was adopted with 465 votes in favour, 29 against and 131 abstentions (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2022-0436_EN.html ).
For MEPs, immediate action is needed with clear and achievable goals: higher minimum wages, good working conditions and social inclusion, gender balance and reduction of female unemployment.
During the plenary debate, Ms Carvalhais said that the rural pact, the rural evaluation mechanism, the rural observatory and the rural action plan are very positive initiatives, “but they now need to be put into practice, with clear implementation targets”. The Commission should ensure from the outset, according to the rapporteur, that the rural territorial dimension is duly taken into account in the design of legislative action and should annually assess its implementation and impact in the CAP strategic plans, cohesion policy programmes and recovery and resilience plans.
At the same time, all EU policies and funds, both under shared and direct management, should be called upon to contribute to the development of rural areas. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)