Remote mountain and rural areas and peripheral, outermost and artic regions are subject to objective constraints such as a lack of critical mass (demographic or economic), difficult accessibility, etc. Conversely, congestion and pressure on natural resources (air, water, soil) are at the same time increasing in urban areas.
The CAP should operate in close conjunction with regional and cohesion policies to ensure balanced territorial development as both a consideration and a requirement for any political decision that has a local impact.