C 270/22
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
13.7.2022
45. stresses that the primary objective of spatial and transport policy should be maximising the possibilities to meet needs, with a minimum of transport; rationalisation is important in this regard;
46. recommends that multimodal mobility solutions should also take into account the contribution that ‘mobility as a service’ (MaaS) models can make in transitioning towards more energy and climate sustainable physical connectivity; for example, on-demand services and shared mobility connecting rural communities with transport hubs, particularly bus and rail stations, can boost the use of sustainable transport;
47. agrees with the Commission that digitalisation plays a key role in the development of rural areas, enabling them to use innovative solutions to improve their resilience and harness their potential; calls, therefore, for particular attention to be paid to promoting frameworks that allow public action to be supplemented by private financing for digital infrastructure.
While the latter are not competitive enough from the point of view of private investment, they are nevertheless highly competitive from a social and regional perspective.
Broadband is vital for rural areas to access different services and to resolve the issues arising from the digital gaps several communities face;
48. stresses that investment in digital infrastructure is not sufficient if it is not accompanied by sufficient digital training and up-skilling, especially in rural areas.
This is also very important in the light of increasing global cybercrime and, in particular, in view of the need to ensure that local businesses that are part of the food chain are sufficiently cyber-secure;
49. notes that rural areas have been particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the fact that their economies are much less diversified, many workers in these areas are key workers and they have poor internet infrastructure; however, the effects of the pandemic in terms of increasing teleworking offers opportunities to counter rural depopulation and generate innovative rural social and economic activities in the long term; therefore suggests considering, among other measures, promoting high-quality co-working spaces in rural communities, or creating tax incentives, to encourage private companies to allow employees to work in geographical locations of their choice;
50. considers that, in the spirit of President von der Leyen’s thinking of ‘leaving no one behind’, we need tools to ensure that there are ‘innovation ecosystems’ in each territory that offer opportunities for all entrepreneurs and all rural micro-enterprises and SMEs, boosting these small rural businesses; there must also be a sufficient provision of training, including in digital skills and other soft skills relating to open innovation, interregional and international cooperation, and intercultural communication;
51. welcomes the increased support for bottom-up initiatives such as LEADER/CLLD — which defines the role of local action groups — and ‘smart villages’, and encourages further use of the lessons learned from these programmes and approaches; draws attention, in this context, to the benefits of innovation-based regional development, focussed on local skills and engagement; competent bodies at regional and national level should be alert to innovative ideas from local stakeholders and support them where possible;
52. calls for the inclusion of the contribution made by cultural heritage and cultural, artistic and creative professionals to building a sustainable and prosperous future and to improve the touristic attractiveness of rural areas, that will also improve the economic well-being of these settlements;
53. considers the Communication’s recognition of the role of sustainable agricultural and forestry management in terms of resilience to the climate emergency and its associated risks, and in protecting biodiversity, to be of great value;
54. highlights that the green and digital transitions should also ensure more resilient and fair societies that take into account the needs of all members of the rural community, including those of disadvantaged groups and of those living in less developed areas and in deep poverty.
Emphasis should therefore be placed on making the digital and green transitions just and inclusive;
55. considers that agriculture should be able to keep playing a central role in rural areas; calls on the Commission to ensure that the strategic plans that each Member State will have to develop under the new common agricultural policy (CAP) are properly drawn up, with the aim of ensuring that the European primary sector heads in the direction indicated in the Green Deal, the Farm-to-Fork Strategy and the Biodiversity Strategy, and that they allow for local strategies based on the characteristics of each region and the promotion of typical local products;