Council Conclusions

of 22 July 2003

Employment in rural areas under the European Employment Strategy

(2003/C 186/03)

WHEREAS:

At its meeting in Lisbon in 2000, under the European employment strategy (EES) launched at its meeting in Luxembourg in 1997, the European Council set the goal of full employment and, as a medium-term target, an employment rate of 70 % by 2010, as pointed out in the working paper submitted by the Greek Presidency on 7 May 2003.

Environmental protection, animal welfare, agricultural product quality improvement, countryside conservation and protection of the cultural heritage, of biodiversity and of rural tradition and culture, aspects seen by Europe's citizens as being looked after by the farming population, require custodianship of the land, which can only be ensured by maintaining a suitable level of employment.

Rural life has its own particular special features, with considerable differences being observable across the Union in the organisation and structure of the population and of rural society. Such differences are particularly marked in the structure of rural employment, which varies significantly from one Member State to another as to numbers of people employed, employment intensity, workers' average age and relative percentages of employed and self-employed workers. Categorisation of rural areas could be a useful tool in establishing a comparable basis for the collection of statistics and framing specific rural policies.

The ageing of the farming population is observable, to varying degrees, throughout the Union and poses one of the main problems faced by rural areas.

Maintaining employment in rural areas depends on economic activity and, in large part, both on having young people set up there and on creating conditions conducive to the presence of women on the land and, hence, on measures to support those two groups of workers.

The impending enlargement of the European Union poses a particular challenge for farming, in view of the increase in agricultural area and in numbers working in agriculture as well as the considerable disparity in earnings and productivity, partly for historical reasons, between farmers in the new and in the present Member States.

The partial switch from product to producer support under the revised common agricultural policy makes it necessary to rethink, in a fresh light, policy to support activities connected with the maintenance and protection of rural areas; there is a need here to support agricultural employment but also to step up measures designed to open up new employment opportunities alongside farming.

Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 on support for rural development includes provision for support for, on the one hand, investment in agricultural holdings, the installation of young farmers and vocational training, and on the other, diversification of agricultural and related activities, in order to develop multiple activities or alternative sources of income, as well as incentives for tourist and craft businesses.

Among operations financed by the Structural Funds, the adoption of the Leader initiative saw the introduction of a new approach to rural development policy, allowing for real participation by local communities in the planning and promotion of an integrated development strategy,

THE COUNCIL:

REQUESTS the Commission to make allowance for the primary sector's special features in pursuing the employment objectives set by the European Council at its meeting in Lisbon in 2000, as reaffirmed at its meetings in Stockholm in 2001 and Barcelona in 2002;

INTENDS to encourage exchange of information on individual experience of planning and promoting integrated development strategies;

CALLS ON the Commission to carry out an in-depth assessment, inter alia for the purposes of submitting a report, of employment prospects in rural areas further to reform of the common agricultural policy and the Union's enlargement process, with particular reference to youth employment and the employment of women, and to initiate discussion on the creation of appropriate statistical tools for rural areas;

HIGHLIGHTS the need to implement measures providing support for young farmers setting up in rural areas, in particular by improving infrastructure there and by introducing and disseminating new technology, to help them start up and facilitate generation change;

CALLS ON the Commission to follow up the Agriculture Council conclusions of 27 May 2002 on incorporating the gender perspective, in order to consolidate the economic and social cohesion processes under way, by means of increasing involvement of women in rural development activities;

CALLS ON the Commission to examine alternatives to farming and flexible forms of employment in rural areas, in order to stem the rural exodus and strengthen the economic and social fabric of such areas, as part of a multifunctional approach already accepted by Member States and by the Commission itself;

CALLS ON the Commission to consider more flexible management methods and financial arrangements for the LEADER instrument, which has an important part to play in the definition of local development and job-creation strategies in rural areas.