No C 298/32 Official Journal of the European Communities 27. 11. 89 
Opinion on the future of rural society 
(89/C 298/10) 
On 13 December 1988, the Economic and Social Committee decided, under Article 20 (fourth 
paragraph) and Article 17 of its Rules of Procedure, to draw up an Opinion on the future of 
rural society. 
The Sub-Committee on the Future of Rural Society/Environment and Agriculture, which 
was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its draft Opinion 
on 26 July 1989. The rapporteur was Mr Schnieders. 
At its 269th plenary session (meeting of 27 September 1989) the Economic and Social 
Committee unanimously adopted the following Opinion. 
GENERAL COMMENTS 
1. The analysis of the situation 
1.1. The Committee welcomes the fact that through 
its communication of September 1988 entitled 'The 
future of rural society' the Commission has drawn the 
attention of the Council of Ministers, the Member 
States and the public at large to the problems of rural 
society. A number of measures for rural areas have 
since been adopted. 
1.2. The Committee has noted with interest and 
satisfaction the work carried out within the framework 
of the European campaign for rural society conducted 
by the Council of Europe in 1987 and 1988, the results 
of which are on many points in line with the views 
expressed by the Committee in this Opinion. 
1.3. The Committee shares the Commission's view 
that rural areas fulfil a number of vital functions for the 
economic activity of their inhabitants and for society as 
a whole. Rural areas: 
— are a setting for economic activity and home for a 
large section of the population. More than half 
of the EC's population lives in rural areas, which 
account for slightly more than 80 % of the territory 
of the Community, 
— have their own characteristic cultural life, 
— provide a basis for the production of natural, 
healthy foodstuffs and raw materials, 
— preserve the natural foundations of life, such as 
water, the soil and air, 
— offer a varied cultural landscape for recreation, 
— are the habitat of a large variety of animals and 
plants. 
1.4. Rural society in the EC has for decades been 
subject to radical changes. In particular in the last 
30 years rural areas and villages have changed consider­ably. Many villages are today little more than dormitor­
ies for people who work in the urban agglomerations. 
In many villages the population is reduced during the 
day to the families of workers and older people. The 
decline is strengthened by the unfavourable demo­
graphic trend (fall in the number of births, migration 
for economic reasons). In some cases the trend has led 
to villages becoming deserted and largely losing their 
functions. 
1.5. Despite the major problems facing their popu­
lation, these areas have to assume compensatory func­
tions for the urban agglomerations. In addition to dis­
posal functions (rubbish, sewage, etc.), rural areas are 
expected to offer clean water and clean air as well as 
scenic beauty that can be appreciated particularly in 
leisure time and during holidays. Rural areas are, how­
ever, seriously affected by emissions from the urban 
agglomerations and areas with a high concentration of 
industry. Particular mention can be made here of water, 
soil and air pollution and the adverse effects of this 
pollution on flora and fauna and man himself. 
1.6. Rural society is in a period of upheaval. Since 
time immemorial the land and farming have been close­
ly interlinked. For a long time farming was the main 
occupation and source of income in rural areas. The 
rise in productivity has meant that the necessary quan­
tities of food can be produced by a declining number 
of farmers and farm workers. As a result of this rise 
in productivity, less and less land is needed for the 
production of animal and plant products. The end of 
this development is not yet in sight. According to the 
Commission's estimates, by the year 2000 between 
6 and 16 million hectares of agricultural land will no 
longer be required for food production. The release 
of agricultural land from production is being further 
boosted by the increasing unimpeded imports of animal 
feed into the Community. 
1.7. In its communication the Commission divides 
rural areas into three groups on the basis of the prob­
lems they are faced with: 
a) areas subject to the pressure of modern develop­
ment; 
27. 11. 89 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 298/33 
b) regions suffering from rural decline; 
c) particularly vulnerable areas threatened with 
depopulation. 
1.7.1. From the agricultural point of view this rough 
grouping can be further subdivided into: 
— rural areas with favourable climatic conditions, 
good soils, good agricultural structures and good 
market outlets, 
— rural areas with unfavourable climatic conditions, 
poor agricultural structures and poor market out­
lets, 
— areas occupying all positions between these two 
extremes. 
1.8. Rural regions can also be classified according to 
their economic strength on the basis of the kind of 
agricultural production: 
— rural regions growing special crops (wine, fruit and 
vegetables) and areas where intensive livestock pro­
duction (pigs and poultry) predominates. In these 
areas the agricultural workforce and the value 
added in the agricultural sector are relatively large, 
— rural regions with less intensive farming and/or with 
forestry. In these regions the manpower requirement 
per unit of area is relatively low. 
1.9. The regions can also be classified according to 
non-agricultural economic activity: 
— regions in which tourism provides a source of 
income for the local population (throughout the 
year or seasonally), and 
— regions with a high unemployment rate which do 
not have alternative work for those leaving agri­
culture, 
— former industrial regions that are in decline. 
2. Measures for the development of rural areas 
2.1. The Committee considers that the future of agri­
culture and the future of extensive rural areas are closely 
intertwined. Agriculture will continue to have a decisive 
influence on economic strength, the demographic trend 
and the landscape in rural areas. Specific measures and 
strategies should therefore be developed to maintain 
and safeguard the incomes of forward-looking, full 
and part-time agricultural enterprises. In areas where 
conditions are unfavourable for agricultural production the combination of agriculture and forestry with vari­
ous forms of non-agricultural activity is of special 
importance. 
2.2. The Committee would draw the attention of the 
Commission and the Council to the fact that the income 
and standard-of-living problems in rural areas can be 
aggravated by the following developments: 
a) the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP) 
and the decisions on stabilizers of 11/12 February 
1988; 
b) the increasing competition connected with the com­
pletion of the Internal Market, which is promoting 
tendencies towards concentration and adding to the 
existing disadvantages of peripheral areas; 
c) the privileged position of the agglomerations as a 
result of technical progress, particularly in the area 
of biotechnology. 
2.3. These negative effects on rural areas must be 
prevented for the benefit of all citizens. 
2.4. The Committee would therefore call upon the 
regions, the Member States and the European Com­
munity: 
— to introduce an effective policy for rural areas by 
creating a legal framework which stimulates initiat­
ives by groups, authorities and enterprises in rural 
areas, 
— to provide the necessary funds, 
— to coordinate all policy areas so that the same end 
is served. 
Suggestions for such a policy follow below. 
2.5. The Committee would point out that the doub­
ling of the resources of the Community's Structural 
Funds decided by the heads of government should serve 
to remedy the problems arising in the less-favoured 
areas as a result of completion of the Internal Market. 
Some of the resources are already exhausted because 
they were inadequate (5 b areas). Moreover, the 
resources are insufficient to solve the additional income 
problems caused by the reform of the CAP. 
2.6. The Committee notes with regret that the 
savings so far made in agricultural expenditure have 
been paid back to the Member States without being 
earmarked for a particular purpose (for example, sup­
port for rural areas). 
2.7. To ensure stabilization of the Community, rural 
areas and agriculture, and in the interests of regional 
balance, it is more than ever necessary to speed up 
European integration in other policy areas as well, for 
example through the implementation of an integrated 
economic and monetary policy and a much more far 
No C 298/34 Official Journal of the European Communities 27. 11. 89 
reaching alignment of foreign policy, economic policy, 
social policy, environmental policy, structural policy, 
and transport policy. 
2.8. The Commission has so far submitted only a 
few minor proposals for the implementation of a 
specific policy for rural areas and these come nowhere 
near to solving the problems. The Committee empha­
sizes that it is difficult to develop a coherent rural 
area policy that can be applied to all areas of the 
Community. Therefore the regions must be left as much 
freedom of action as possible within a jointly estab­
lished legal and financial framework. 
2.9. The Committee would point out that, despite 
all modernization, agriculture (including forestry and 
fisheries, which have their own problems) and industry 
are based on opposing principles, which must be taken 
into account in any reorientation. The characteristic 
feature of agriculture is its dependence on life and living 
matter. 
2.10. The Committee thinks that a development plan 
should be drawn up by the regions in consultation 
with the representatives of the socio-economic interest 
groups in rural areas (local and regional authorities, 
workers' and employers' organizations, etc.). This 
development plan should have appropriate features, 
such as: 
— concrete ideas with regard to the link-up between 
the individual measures and programmes inside and 
outside the agricultural sector, and 
— concrete criteria regarding the conditions that must 
be fulfilled by enterprises in order to qualify for 
assistance, 
— figures concerning the funding of the individual 
measures and programmes. 
2.11. Given the present income and liquidity prob­
lems in almost all farms, there is a need for a medium 
and long-term structural programme for rural areas in 
order to ensure economic development. 
2.12. The extent to which agricultural structure pro­
grammes are necessary depends also to a large degree 
on the measures in the area of price and market policy. 
The need will increase if there is sustained pressure on 
prices and incomes. 
2.13. The Commission should propose specific 
measures and strategies for safeguarding the incomes of 
full and part-time family farms. For social and cultural 
reasons the landscape should continue to have as one 
of its features the largest possible number of viable 
small and medium-sized farms. 
2.13.1. Various demands will be made of agriculture 
in the future, such as: 
— food production, — production of raw materials for industry, 
— environmental protection and conservation—care 
of the cultural landscape, 
— safeguarding of a setting for leisure pursuits and 
recreation. 
2.13.2. These requirements imply a variety of agri­
cultural economic activity. In many rural areas viable 
enterprises can be created by combining different forms 
of production. 
2.14. As producers of food and raw materials for the 
population, farms need favourable basic conditions in 
terms not only of price and market policy but also of 
structural policy. 
2.15. In many areas of the Community part-time 
farming is very important from the point of view of 
safeguarding family incomes, population density and 
infrastructure as well as for conserving the cultural 
landscape with its compensating functions. The Com­
mission considers (see Green Paper) that the importance 
of part-time farming will increase further. In this con­
nection the Committee would point out that the cre­
ation of jobs is not the only precondition for part-time 
farming. Equally important is an agricultural policy 
that enables the majority of part-time farms, which are 
generally of fairly small capacity, to earn an income. 
2.16. In this connection it is necessary to determine 
in particular how important compensatory measures 
(direct income support) are for keeping a sufficient 
population in agricultural areas. The Committee would 
refer to examples in other countries, where the future 
of rural areas is safeguarded by permanent systems 
of compensatory measures combined with systems of 
appropriate farm prices. The compensatory measures 
and incentives must be such as to make up for the 
natural or structural disadvantages of family farms, 
particularly in less-favoured areas. 
2.17. The Committee would point out that there is 
a considerable time-lag before the effects of structural 
measures for rural areas manifest themselves. A devel­
opment plan for rural areas should therefore take a 
long-term approach. There must be coordination 
between policy for rural areas and agricultural policy. 
One policy measure cannot replace the other. Within 
the common Internal Market farm incomes must con­
tinue to be guaranteed by an independent agricultural 
policy. A policy for rural areas cannot replace agricul­
tural policy—it can only complement agricultural 
policy. 
27. 11. 89 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 298/35 
2.18. The aim of a policy for rural areas must be to 
maintain and strengthen the economic viability of rural 
areas, for it is precisely in rural areas that the cultural, 
architectural and scenic diversity of Europe is rooted. 
Therefore a policy for rural areas must involve coordi­
nation not just with the CAP but also with economic 
policy, regional policy and social policy at all levels. 
Only with a regional integrated development pro­
gramme can the problems confronting many rural areas 
today be solved in the long term. 
2.18.1. The development of rural areas and villages 
requires a lot of detailed work and solutions tailored 
to specific regional conditions. Cautious corrective 
measures and appropriate harmonious solutions based 
on an accurate survey of local conditions are needed; 
the aim here could, for example, be to preserve old 
buildings and existing housing and engage in judicious 
development. 
2.19. Differentiated approaches are needed to solve 
the problems in rural areas. Any strategy must be based 
on: 
— mobilization of the potential and capabilities pre­
sent in all rural areas, 
— decentralized preparation of plans tailored to local 
and regional needs, 
— active involvement of the population through exten­
sive citizen participation, and 
— safeguarding the viability of rural areas as a long-
term social policy aim. 
2.20. The safeguarding of jobs in agriculture and the 
other sectors of economic activity and the creation of 
appropriate alternative jobs for those leaving farming 
are necessary components of a coherent plan for the 
development of rural areas. 
2.20.1. The Committee calls upon the Commission 
to make a survey of the situation in all regions of the 
Community. 
2.20.2. On the basis of this survey a plan providing 
for concrete, effective and coordinated measures should 
be worked out. 
2.20.3. It is absolutely essential that corresponding 
measures be introduced in all Member States. In order 
to prevent certain regions from being disadvantaged, 
the Commission should lay down clear assistance cri­
teria which should, however, allow account to be taken 
of specific national or regional circumstances. 
2.21. Rural areas and agriculture are today, though 
to varying degrees, caught up in the conflict between 
economic growth and the environment. Farmers in 
particular can expect to be faced shortly with more stringent environmental protection obligations (see in 
this connection inter alia the Commission's proposal 
for a Council Directive concerning the protection of 
fresh, coastal and marine waters against pollution cau­
sed by nitrates from diffuse sources (1). 
2.21.1. These obligations are often specific to a par­
ticular location. This means reduced competitiveness 
for farmers in certain regions or even just in parts of 
local authority areas. In view of the production press­
ures in agriculture and the already unfavourable income 
situation, farmers subject to such location-specific obli­
gations (which do not apply to other farmers) may be 
unable to continue farming. 
2.21.2. From the point of view of agriculture the 
decisive factors will therefore be what obligations and 
farming restrictions are introduced and how the prob­
lem of the resulting drop in income is solved. The 
Committee calls upon the Commission to draw up 
proposals in cooperation with the Member States. 
2.22. Agriculture and forestry and rural areas also 
fulfil many functions for urban agglomerations and the 
people living there. To ensure that these functions can 
continue to be fulfilled the economic handicaps arising 
out of the obligations imposed on farms must be com­
pensated for. To this end criteria for an allowance 
based on the burdens involved must be worked out 
without delay. 
2.22.1. Obligations and restrictions on farming must 
not lead to distortion of competition in the Community. 
2.23. A point to be borne in mind in connection with 
the concrete proposals made below for strenthening 
rural areas is that the need for services and structures 
to ensure a good quality of life in rural areas can 
vary according to geographical situation and altitude. 
Account should also be taken of the social and cultural 
diversity of the population of the European Com­
munity. All kinds of cooperation between enterprises 
in the form of cooperatives and other legal structures 
are of special importance and should be promoted 
financially and through legislation. 
3. Specific comments on the areas of action 
3.1. Reorientation of the common agricultural policy 
3.1.1. After the limitation of agricultural expendi­
ture, action to safeguard incomes and improve agricul­
tural structures must not be forgotten in the reorien-
(!) OJ No C 54, 3. 3. 1989; ESC Opinion (OJ No C 159, 
26. 6. 1989). 
No C 298/36 Official Journal of the European Communities 27. 11. 89 
tation of the CAP and the related measures. Here more 
attention than hitherto must be paid to environmental 
protection and less-favoured rural regions. 
3.1.2. Many of the measures listed by the Com­
mission in connection with reorientation of the CAP 
have either not yet been implemented at all (e.g. conver­
sion and extensification of production) or are not 
applied uniformly in all Member States and in all 
regions (e.g. set-aside). 
3.1.3. Steps to eliminate production surpluses (e.g. 
by set-aside) and under-employment in agriculture 
mean a release of labour, particularly in less-favoured 
agricultural regions. Since an exodus of these workers 
would permanently weaken the structures of these 
regions, new jobs must be created locally. Particular 
emphasis should be placed on promoting employment 
in environmental protection and nature conservation, 
forestry and related industries, and services, including 
tourism. 
3.1.4. A long-term market policy can be developed 
for any product. The measures introduced in the milk 
and beef sectors prove this. The Committee would in 
particular urge the Commission to continue promoting 
the production of quality products. 
3.1.5. The Committee is, however, of the view that 
a quality policy must be comprehensive if it is to be 
effective. Quality labels and marks are a step towards 
improving the marketing of agricultural products and 
the processed goods derived from them. The decisive 
factor is, however, the creation (by the policy) of the 
necessary basic conditions so that the quality standards 
achieved in food production in agriculture and industry 
can be maintained and improved, for example, by com­
mon minimum quality regulations, by better guidelines 
for remuneration for quality and by considerably step­
ping up quality research. The aim must be to increase 
value added in agriculture in a way that has an impact 
on income, by improving the quality of production. 
3.1.6. The Committee rejects the view that a quality 
policy should apply only to less-favoured areas remote 
from the market. A comprehensive quality policy is 
needed. In most less-favoured regions quality products 
have a tradition that must be maintained and developed. 
3.1.7. To what extent incomes in rural areas can be 
improved generally or regionally by greater promotion 
of 'regional' markets is a question that must be exam­
ined on a product-to-product basis. Only after such an 
examination should the Community lay down detailed 
targets. A decisive factor is that in the Internal Market 
trade marks should have sufficient importance to 
improve the marketing of agricultural products. Pro­
vision should be made for appropriate assistance to help organizations of agricultural producers develop 
marketing concepts. 
3.1.8. The Committee would point out once again 
that reductions in the volume of production and the 
subsidized export of EC agricultural products will be 
successful only if proper agreements are reached within 
the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 
on a balanced system of world trade. 
3.1.9. Agriculture in the Community is in the hands 
of families who run their own farms or leased farms. 
In almost all Member States farmers' families provide 
90 % or more of the agricultural manpower. Agriculture 
should therefore be further developed in line with new 
scientific knowledge so that the landscape and rural life 
are attractive and offer prospects for the future. 
3.1.10. The Committee recommends the Com­
mission to devise systems for compensating farmers for 
their triple role as food producers and preservers of 
the natural environment and the landscape, insofar 
as market policy and price policy provide insufficient 
compensation. Existing measures (less-favoured areas) 
should be expanded. 
3.1.11. The reform of the CAP is creating difficulties 
for agricultural producers in some less-favoured areas 
where, in some cases, there is a deficiency in supply, 
e.g. beef production in Greece and set-aside problem: 
Italy and other regions. These problems need to be 
solved. 
3.2. Community action in the forestry sector 
3.2.1. The Committee would refer to its detailed 
Opinion on the Commission document entitled 'Com­
munity strategy and action programme for the forestry 
sector'^). The importance of forestry for rural areas 
in particular and for the European Community as a 
whole cannot be rated highly enough. 
3.2.2. An important first step was taken in this area 
with the recent adoption of Regulations on forestry and 
the decision to set up a permanent forestry committee. 
The Committee calls upon the Council and the Com­
mission to go beyond previous proposals and develop 
a comprehensive longer-term programme for afforest­
ation, for reforestation and for the improvement of 
existing forest and brushwood areas. The objective is 
to utilize for forestry and renewable raw materials the 
nearly 16 million hectares of land to be taken out of 
agricultural production (see 1.4). Moreover in many 
countries of the Community there are extensive areas 
(') ESC Opinion (OJ No C 139, 5. 6. 1989). 
27. 11. 89 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 298/37 
which up until several centuries ago were covered with 
high forest and which are now waste or barren land. 
An extensive forestation programme backed with Com­
munity funds, given our responsibility for preserving a 
livable environment for the coming generation, is an 
obligation that the Community can no longer shirk. 
With such a programme: 
a) jobs would be created on a large scale; 
b) a considerable contribution would be made to 
ensuring a healthy climate; 
c) a contribution would be made to preserving the 
soil and to water management which would pay 
dividends for the coming generation; 
d) coverage of the basic requirements of raw materials 
and energy would be improved in the long term; 
e) the conditions for tourism and leisure pursuits 
would be improved; and 
f) the landscape would be improved, not so much by 
a monoculture of fast-growing timber as by mixed 
forest appropriate to the location. 
3.2.3. The measures introduced so far need to be 
expanded. Such a programme should take a long-term 
approach and be implemented as soon as possible, with 
close cooperation between the regions concerned, the 
Member States and the Community. 
3.3. Protection of the rural environment (see draft 
Opinion on environment and agriculture) 
3.3.1. The Committee would point out that protec­
tion of the rural environment involves not just measures 
relating to agriculture and forestry. Agriculture and 
forestry often suffer from water and air pollution from 
many sources (domestic households, transport and 
industry) located particularly in the agglomerations. 
3.3.2. On the other hand, the rural environment can 
be endangered by inappropriate facilities for tourism, 
production of energy, etc. The Committee would 
observe that these problems need to be given more 
attention than in the past. 
3.4. Energy and rural society 
3.4.1. The Committee calls upon the Commission to 
submit a programme on renewable raw materials and 
their use for energy production; the programme should 
promote this application on a sustained basis. Demon­
stration programmes are not enough by themselves. 
3.5. Regional policy 
3.5.1. A major requirement, if rural areas are to 
remain populated and the population density is not to drop below a critical threshold, is that the people in 
rural areas should have suitable living conditions. 
3.5.2. Village development and renewal must be 
based on utility for the inhabitants and on their housing 
requirements and their need for a feeling of security, 
closeness to nature and joint responsibility. Only such 
an approach will lead to the desired identification with 
the village as home and so ensure that it remains popu­
lated. Specific State aid is needed to this end. The 
Community should introduce appropriate incentives to 
encourage the Member States to take such action. 
3.53. Economic development must be ensured in 
rural areas. To this end existing enterprises must be 
safeguarded and new ones developed. Highly skilled 
jobs and corresponding training places must be created. 
Adequate transport links should be developed and 
maintained. 
3.5.4. The Committee is in favour of aid for infra­
structure projects in rural areas which is coordinated 
with productive investments. This must not, however, 
lead to 'underprovision' of infrastructure. The Com­
mittee calls upon the Commission to submit a pro­
gramme on which the minimum infrastructure require­
ments for a 'human' existence in rural areas (churches, 
schools, authorities, health care, roads, etc.) are laid 
down so as to ensure even development of the regions 
at least as far as basic services are concerned and at the 
same time provide the necessary stimulus for productive 
investments, which may then entail additional special 
infrastructure. 
3.5.5. Where essential services in the rural areas are 
concerned, profitability cannot be the sole criterion in 
determining their levels. Social factors must also be 
borne in mind. 
3.5.6. The opening-up of economic prospects 
depends on both the nature and the scale of the infra­
structure investments. Regardless of whether they are 
concerned with transport, energy supplies, telecom­
munications or equipment for small and medium-sized 
enterprises (SME), including those in the crafts sector, 
infrastructure investments always make a decisive con­
tribution to increasing productivity and thereby also 
to regional economic growth and an improvement in 
incomes. 
3.5.7. The Committee considers it essential that the 
regional and local authorities and the representatives 
of the economic and social interest groups should be 
directly involved in the planning of the measures and 
in particular in the preparation of their implementation, 
so as to ensure optimum adaptation to the requirements 
and realities of the regions in question. 
No C 298/38 Official Journal of the European Communities 27. 11. 89 
3.5.8. With the present structure the setting-up of 
additional feeder services is essential in many rural 
areas if the inhabitants are to have access, at affordable 
cost, to services that are no longer directly available 
locally. Self-help measures, such as community buses 
for commuters and taxi cooperatives, should also be 
promoted in order to improve communications. 
3.5.9. The Committee is in favour of the introduction 
of business start-up aids (regardless of the type of 
business unit chosen) for example in the form of non­
repayable subsidies or loans that do not have to be 
repaid if a certain number of permanent jobs depending 
on the size of the loan are created. In this context it 
may also be necessary to revise the tax legislation in 
order to encourage self-help measures for improving 
the infrastructure. 
3.5.10. Another possibility would be to hold compe­
titions for self-help measures. These could provide ideas 
for improving living conditions and the quality of life 
in rural areas. The results of the competitions should 
be disseminated in rural areas. 
3.5.11. The Committee thinks that when new 
government agencies or offices are to be set up the 
authorities should as a matter of principle give consider­
ation to locating them in rural areas. 
3.5.12. Another possibility would be the designation 
throughout the Community of additional areas where 
the environment is in need of special care, e.g. national 
parks. People who live and work there, i.e. farmers, 
should be engaged to look after these specific areas. As 
a result of this alternative source of income, farmers in 
these areas would be less dependent on the prices of 
agricultural products. 
3.5.13. Settlement planning and physical planning 
should ensure that the growing urbanization is checked 
and the landscape preserved. Where possible aban­
doned industrial sites, including railway and dock sites, 
should be considered for new buildings instead of agri­
cultural land. As little land as possible should be used 
when building roads and motorways. Improving exist­
ing roads should have preference over the construction 
of new roads. In addition, attention should be paid to 
reducing noise nuisance. In the case of dwellings, too, 
the emphasis should be on preservation and refurbish­
ing. New buildings should be in harmony with existing 
buildings and the regional architectural style should be 
maintained. 
3.6. Measures to help small businesses 
3.6.1. The scope for providing finance under the 
Community's regional policy should be expanded and the simultaneous use (concentration) of several avail­
able Community financial instruments in the structural 
sphere should be geared to the needs of SME, including 
cooperatives. 
3.6.2. SME finance requirements for setting up the 
business, for switching to another line of production 
and for expansion and rationalization investments 
should be covered through a supplementary Com­
munity loan and interest subsidy programme. 
3.6.3. It should be made easier for SME to accumu­
late funds for investment by allowing tax deferment on 
investment reserves. 
3.6.4. Improvement of SME equity capital base could 
be promoted by preferential tax treatment of retained 
profits. 
3.6.5. SME should receive special concessions 
regarding the writing-off of research and development 
(R & D) investments and taxation of profits and return 
on capital from successful innovation. 
3.6.6. The Committee considers that, besides agri­
culture, the services sector in particular is a key factor 
in all future developments in rural areas. Rural areas 
have suffered considerable economic and cultural disad­
vantages as a result of the centralization of services. It 
would be a step forward for many regions and the 
people living and working there if the level of service 
infrastructure of earlier years could be restored (e.g. as 
regards local authorities, schools, etc.). 
3.6.7. The Committee does not think that rural tour­
ism can offer promising prospects in all rural areas of 
the Community. The Committee would point out that 
in this sphere in particular the development potential 
depends on whether the pollution emanating from the 
urban agglomerations can be kept out of the areas in 
question (pollution of the sea and surface water, dam­
age to forests, etc.). 
3.6.8. Greater efforts should, however, be made to 
boost tourism in a number of rural areas. To this 
end it is necessary to implement certain infrastructure 
measures. In particular, it is necessary to promote hotels 
and holiday flats, etc. in the country and open up hiking 
trails. It would also seem expedient to develop facilities 
for a broad range of leisure pursuits in keeping with 
the landscape of the region, e.g. fishing, hunting, etc. 
3.6.9. Organized tours through regions that are par­
ticularly attractive from the scenic, historical or cultural 
point of view (hiking, riding, excursions, nature trails, 
27. 11. 89 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 298/39 
etc.) as well as hunting activities are key elements in a 
package of tourist facilities that goes beyond mere 
board and lodging. 
Nevertheless, there has to be a limitation on the pro­
motion of such activities in the more popular areas. 
Otherwise the quality of life of the resident population 
can be seriously damaged by high traffic density, litter, 
noise and pressures for additional development. 
3.6.10. In some regions rural tourism has appreciable 
economic importance and employment potential {cf. 
recent examples in Italy). Initiatives in this sphere and 
a specific range of products and services could in general 
enhance the economic viability of certain regions. 
3.6.11. Tourism in rural areas can also be developed 
by making use of houses and flats in old town centres 
and villages or. barns and other accommodation on 
farms—not just for farm holidays but also as bed and 
breakfast facilities after the Irish or British model, e.g. 
for hikers. 
3.6.12. In order to improve the prospects for tourism 
in rural areas the central, regional and local authorities 
should work out plans providing for a well-developed 
road network and good bus and train links. 
3.6.13. The Committee would suggest that the Com­
munity pay subsidies for self-help measures which pre­
serve and improve the infrastructure, for example 
through: 
— the preservation of existing buildings, 
— the creation of living accommodation for young 
families, with use being made of existing buildings 
(refurbishing of old buildings, protection of ancient 
monuments and historical building, etc.), 
— promotion of cooperatives, in particular in the ser­
vices sector, or other associations for the provision 
of infrastructure that is lacking, 
— improvement of medical care, 
— incentives for establishing or maintaining in oper­
ation retail groceries or other shops that meet 
everyday needs, or the introduction of mobile shops 
serving rural areas. 
3.7. The dissemination of new information and tele­
communications technology 
3.7.1. Modern information and telecommunications 
technology, appropriately applied, means that in many 
areas of economic activity the bridging of physical 
distances (also in connection with economic interpen-
etration) no longer poses any problems. The Committee 
calls for greater encouragement of the use of this tech­
nology, particularly in economic activities in rural areas. In this way tendencies towards concentration 
can be counteracted. This calls, however, for targeted 
development and aid. The provision of information on 
existing technologies, such as Minitel in France and the 
'telecentres' in Potugal, would also be of value here. 
3.7.2. The Committee supports all steps undertaken 
by the Commission for the dissemination of new tech­
nologies which include the necessary specialized infor­
mation and advisory services. 
3.8. Educational and vocational training policy— 
social policy 
3.8.1. The Committee is in favour of maintaining 
and expanding the schools infrastructure in rural areas. 
It should be ensured that there is at least basic provision 
of education and vocational training in villages and 
local authority areas. The same applies to hospitals, 
old people's homes, etc. 
3.8.2. School education and pre-school education 
should be combined with the possibility of whole-day 
care. 
3.8.3. To improve education in rural areas encour­
agement should be given to educational establishments 
with boarding facilities, so that education can be pro­
vided in rural areas even up to higher level. This would 
also enable young people from the cities to pursue their 
studies in the country. 
3.8.4. The Committee also considers that in particu­
lar the education of children and the care of the old 
should be improved, for example by: 
— promoting self-help in the education of children, 
— setting up children's play groups and nursery 
schools, and 
— improving financial and medical support in the care 
of the old, etc. 
3.8.5. In the area of specific vocational training, 
emphasis should be placed on encouraging training 
centres in those areas where there are insufficient train­
ing places or insufficient training places geared to the 
future. 
3.8.6. Consideration should be given to how far 
associations performing important functions in rural 
areas (sports clubs, cultural societies, hiking clubs, etc.) 
can be assisted. 
3.8.7. Basic care for the old in rural areas should be 
geared to people's needs and improved through the 
provision of appropriate domiciliary services and to 
construction of old people's homes in rural areas. This 
No C 298/40 Official Journal of the European Communities 27. 11. 89 
will enable old people in need of care to remain in their 
familiar surroundings. The same observations apply, 
mutatis mutandis, to the disabled. 
3.9. The reform of the Structural Funds and financial 
assistance for rural society 
3.9.1. At its meeting on 11 and 12 February 1988 the 
Council agreed to double the Structural Fund commit­
ment appropriations by 1993. This is welcomed by the 
Committee. The aid criteria, however, exclude agri­
culture in wide areas of the Community. The Com­
mittee therefore calls upon the Council and the Com­
mission to provide for adequate funds for assistance to 
agriculture and rural areas in accordance with objec-
Done at Brussels, 27 September 1989. 
The Commission's communications on the future of 
rural society and on environment and agriculture are 
clearly related. The Economic and Social Committee 
has taken account of this logical connection by issuing 
two separate Opinions, but drawn up simultaneously 
by the same Sub-Committee. 
The Committee has noted with interest and satisfaction 
the work carried out in the framework of the European 
campaign for rural society organized by the Council of 
Europe in 1987 and 1988, the results of which coincide 
in many respects with the views expressed by the Com­
mittee in this Opinion. tives 1, 5a and 5b. The financial arrangements for 
assistance to agriculture in the 5b regions are at present 
quite inadequate. The funds saved by the Community 
on the market should be made available for implement­
ing the policy on agricultural structures. 
4. This Opinion highlights some of the measures 
necessary for the future of rural society. The Committee 
recognizes that many of them will cost the tax payer 
a good deal of money and therefore cannot all be 
implemented at the same time. 
The Committee therefore asks the Commission to carry 
out a cost/benefit analysis, taking into account long-
term waste disposal costs and social costs, in order to 
establish the optimum priorities. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Alberto MASPRONE 
1. Preliminary comments 
1.1. Natural disasters can do great damage to the 
environment. It is essential to be able to predict and 
control them and mitigate their consequences. 
It is mankind who, through carelessness and unthinking 
attitudes and actions, disturbs the harmony of the 
environment, thus impairing his own quality of life. 
This means: 
— all human activities: production, consumption, etc., Opinion on environment and agriculture 
(89/C 298/11) 
On 13 December 1988 the Economic and Social Committee, acting under Article 20, fourth 
paragraph, and Article 17 of its Rules of Procedure, decided to draw up an Opinion on 
environment and agriculture. 
The Sub-Committee on Rural Society/Environment and Agriculture, which was responsible 
for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its draft Opinion on 26 July 
1989. The rapporteur was Mr Burnel. 
At its 269th plenary session (meeting of 27 September 1989) the Economic and Social 
Committee adopted the following Opinion unanimously.