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SEMINAR 1998 |
THE ARKLETON TRUST
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[CONTENTS] [NEXT PAGE] |
2.2. How is EU rural development policy affected by enlargement?Rural conditions and trends in the present EU-15 differ markedly from those in the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs), which have much larger proportions of their working age populations engaged in agriculture, much lower incomes per head, major transitions in land ownership and tenure arrangements, and a diverse range of policies regarding settlement patterns and territorial development. There are many other differences - economic, cultural, institutional, historical and environmental - both within and between the CEECs, and between them and the EU-15. It is important to recognise that these conditions may need different policy approaches from those which have been essentially developed in the context of the present EU-15.The seminar sought to clarify the rural development characteristics in the CEECs and to examine the extent to which the 'rural development policy' at EU level (in so far as it exists or is emerging) is relevant to the situation in the CEECs. The nature and complexity of rural needs and circumstances in the CEECs was discussed in relation to the 'rural development' approach/content in the pre-accession measures. It is evident that enlargement will affect rural development policy and funding in the existing EU-15, most evidently through the probable adjustments in CAP (at least partly related to enlargement) and the Structural Funds. The seminar also considered the possible impacts and responses of such changes.
[The Funds] |