In several Eastern and Southern EU countries there is a steady flow of young people leaving their hometowns to find work in distant cities. This is a worrisome trend. An ever-increasing global food demand will require in the near future that all agricultural surfaces be cultivated.
To abandon large production areasis a luxury that the EU cannot afford. In order to attach young workers to their rural territories, or to bring them back if they are already gone, the availability of good job opportunities is a necessary condition but not a sufficient one. Education and health services, ICT links, even cultural activities have to reach a minimum level that makes living in these places not only acceptable but indeed attractive.
Download — EESC opinion: Towards a more balanced territorial development
"Cohesion policy 2028–2034: A new fund, a new framework, a new role for civil society?" brings together EU institutions, social partners and civil society representatives to reflect on the future of cohesion policy in the next Multiannual Financial Framework. The hearing explores proposals for reforming cohesion funding and governance, assesses the implications of the new framework through the National and Regional Partnership Plans and examines how civil society organisations can play a stronger role in the design, implementation and monitoring of cohesion policy. The discussion aims to identify how cohesion policy can continue to deliver territorial, social and economic cohesion while responding to new challenges and transitions facing the European Union.
