Brussels, 23/11/2005 (Agence Europe) - On 22 November, the agriculture ministers of the EU reached an agreement on the "strategic guidelines of the Community for the period 2007-2013 for rural development programming". This more "political" document comes on top of the regulation already opted by the Council instituting the new European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) for the period 2007-2013 (EUROPE 9030 and 8974).
The strategic orientations identify important fields for the Community's priority is to be achieved, in particular as they relate to the Gothenberg sustainable development objectives and the renewed Lisbon strategy for growth and employment. They reiterate a few fundamental principles: - agriculture, a determining factor in the quality of the landscape and the environment; - the European agricultural model, reflecting the multi-functional role played by agriculture in the wealth and diversity of the countryside, food products and the cultural and natural heritage; - the reforms of the CAP of 2003 and 2004, which represent a major step forward to improve the competitiveness and sustainable development of agricultural activity in the EU. This document gives a detailed explanation of the three areas of intervention of the new rural development programme: - "the competitiveness of agriculture, foodstuffs and forestry"; - "the management of the area and the environment"; -"quality of living in diversification in rural areas".
The text goes on to specify that according to the OECD's definition, which was based on population density, rural regions represent 90% of the territory of the EU25. Furthermore, 19% of the population lives in predominantly rural areas, and 37% in areas with a significant rural component. These regions produce 45% of the gross added value (GAV) of the EU25 and 53% of employment, but they tend to lag behind when it comes to a number of socio-economic indicators, including structural indicators, compared to non-rural areas.