Main issuesAgriculture & Rural development

Agriculture and rural development: quality & sustainability 

Rural areas account for 91% of the territory of the European Union and are home to more than 56% of the population. European agriculture, its significance, social status, political weight and technological level, have undergone considerable change over the past decades. The strengthening of a fair and sustainable EU rural development policy lays therefore at the heart of AER's action.

Recent and ongoing initiatives
  • AER members' consultation on draft CAP regulations
    Access to the details of the consultation is restricted to AER members: please, log-in.
Please, send your contributions by 13 January to Estelle DELANGLE.

        

  • AER seminar on CAP & non-EU regions
AER organised a seminar on the impacts of the CAP on third countries on 24 March 2011.

This event aimed at discussing how non-EU regions voice their interests and how they may influence EU policymaking. It sought also to analyse how candidates or potential candidates can best orient their agricultural and rural development policies with views to future enlargements of the EU.

The conclusions of the seminar served as a basis to the AER answer to the EC consultation on IPA that closed in April 2011.

What's new in Europe?

The Common Agricultural Policy is due to be reformed by 2013:

  • By 1 Jan. 2014, CAP reform should be in place. 

 

AER publications
  • Conclusions of the AER seminar on CAP & non-EU members

  • AER answer to the EC consultation

    AER answer to the EC consultation on the impacts of the scenarios presented in the communication of 18/11/2011
  • AER position on the CAP post-2013

    AER official position on the future CAP, based on several declarations adopted since 2002 and on the reflection work carried out by the AER Working group on agriculture and rural development.
  • AER survey on Rural Development

    In Spring 2009 AER launched a Europe-wide survey on rural development policies in order to prepare its position on the future CAP. The summary of the survey's results was published in September 2009.
girl with orange flowers
Lyashko for "Snapshot Europe!" ©AER
Working group

The working group on rural development is chaired by Jan Jacob van Dijk, Regional councillor, Province of Gelderland (NL).

graph showing interactions between ecosystem services and human well-beingIn addition to improving the quality of agricultural products (in terms of taste, sugar content and so on), genetic diversity represents a natural insurance against pests and diseases. It also provides a genetic pool that facilitates adaptation to changing environmental conditions, including those brought by climate change.
Source: Millenium Ecosystems Assesments
Other relevant publications & useful links
  • European Commission: CAP reform webpage
  • Partner network: RUR@CT
logo du réseau ruract
 
 
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