Towards a greater involvement of Member States, Regions and Civil Society actors in the implementation of the Long-Term Vision for the EU's Rural Areas

Key Points

The EESC:

• reiterates its support for the long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas (LTVRA) and calls for the Rural Action Plan to be enhanced and regularly evaluated to respond more effectively to the needs of the rural environment;
• stresses the importance of various stakeholders being involved at all levels to ensure the success of the LTVRA and calls for the multi-level and multi-stakeholder governance approach to be strengthened;
• supports the adoption of rural development schemes by several Member States and proposes the adoption of a European charter of rights and responsibilities for rural and urban areas;
• calls on the Commission to explore the possibility of creating a post-2027 rural development policy, specifically dedicated to the implementation of the Rural Action Plan, with adequate funding using all available funds to ensure consistent implementation of the provisions proposed in the LTVRA;
• stresses the importance of supporting family structures, modestly-sized businesses and community-based activities in the future rural development policy;
• stresses the crucial role of the European Observatory for rural development and proposes measures to strengthen funding, simplify access to EU funds and support intermediary organisations;
• welcomes the adoption of the funding toolkit for rural areas, but calls for EU funds to be strengthened and for simplification measures to facilitate access to these funds;
• stresses the key role played by local and regional organisations in supporting rural stakeholders and calls for collective action and access to the advice provided by these organisations to be strengthened;
• calls for the joint local development initiatives to be enhanced and for better communication of the long-term vision to local stakeholders.