Council Conclusions of 22 July 2003 — Employment in rural areas under the European Employment Strategy
Date: 2003-07-22
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: European Employment Strategy, rural region

6.8.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 186/3

ANNEX

Member State

Representing

Name

Replacing

Belgium

Employers

Mr ABELSHAUSEN Werner

Mr BELLEFROID Jos, alternate

Belgium

Workers

Mr ENGELEN Hugo

Mr HAAZE Guy, alternate

Denmark

Workers

Ms WILSTER Lisbeth

Mr FRANK Jens, member

Germany

Government

Mr WINKLER Günter

Ms WERKER Vera, member

Germany

Employers

Ms HÖRDER Alexandra

Ms ROTHER Friedericke,
alternate

Spain

Government

Mr GÓMEZ DE VILLALOBOS
Gonzalo

Mr GARCÍA VILLAR Francisco,
member

Ireland

Ireland

Italy

Government

Mr HUGHES John

Mr O'LEARY Brendan, member

Government

Mr LANDERS Vincent

Mr MURRAY Thomas, alternate

Workers

Mr TRERÉ Graziano

Mr AMMANNATI Sergio,
member

Portugal

Government

Mr DE MATOS DE COSTA Luis Mr MELO ALBINO Francisco,

Portugal

Workers

Ms SANTOS Maria Leonor

member

Mr GUERRA DE OLIVEIRA
Evaristo, member

Sweden

Workers

Ms KJELLSTRAND Erika

Mr DERGEL Leif, member

COUNCIL CONCLUSIONS

of 22 July 2003

Employment in rural areas under the European Employment Strategy

(2003/C 186/03)

WHEREAS:

land, which can only be ensured by maintaining a suitable level
of employment.

strategy (EES)

its meeting in Lisbon in 2000, under

the European
At
employment
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.

launched at

special

life has

its own particular

Rural
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
significantly
rural employment, which varies
from one Member State to another as to numbers of people
intensity, workers' average age and
employed, employment
relative percentages of employed and self-employed workers.
Categorisation of rural areas could be a useful tool in estab-
lishing a comparable basis for the collection of statistics and
framing specific rural policies.

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

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.

C 186/4

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

6.8.2003

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.

in a

The partial switch from product to producer support under the
revised common agricultural policy makes it necessary to
activities
rethink,
fresh light, policy
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.

to support

as reaffirmed at
Barcelona in 2002;

its meetings in Stockholm in 2001 and

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

the purposes of

CALLS ON the Commission to carry out an in-depth assessment,
inter alia for
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;

for young farmers

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

setting up in rural areas,

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, diver-
sification 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.

financed by the Structural Funds,

the
Among operations
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,

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;

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