The European Parliament welcomes the Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas developed by the European Commission since 2021 but suggests going further. This is the message sent by MEPs in the report adopted in plenary session in December 2022 on “a long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas – Towards stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas by 2040”.

In its report, the European Parliament welcomes the measures implemented by the European Commission, in particular the establishment of a Rural Action Plan, a Rural Pact and a Rural Observatory. MEPs also stress the importance of better coordinating the use of funds in rural areas to make them more effective. In addition, they insist on the fact that the specific challenges of certain territories, such as mountains, require tailor-made solutions.

While the Commission wishes to start evaluating from this year the actions implemented in favour of rural areas, with a view to improving post-2027 measures, the European Parliament calls for more earmarking of funds in the next programming period. It invites the European Commission to launch a study on the feasibility of earmarking for rural areas, and more particularly for areas subject to geographical constraints such as mountains, within the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund.

Euromontana welcomes the European Parliament’s report and shares this long-standing recommendation. The sustainable and prosperous development of mountain territories requires strategic investments, in particular for the green and digital transitions. If the creation of the policy objective “A Europe closer to the citizens” in the new Cohesion Policy can support mountain territories, it is essential to guarantee investments under the other priorities, as was also recently underlined by Mrs Maupertuis, President of the Regional Assembly of Corsica, in her opinion to the European Committee of the Regions.