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Supporting the Call for a White Paper on Rurality

May 10, 2016

On 19 April 2016 the coordinator of the PURPLE Lobby Group, Mathieu Simon, spoke on behalf of PURPLE at a seminar organised in the Committee of the Regions entitled “For a rural agenda in the programming period post 2020 – A White Paper on Rurality as a strategic step”. This was part of a series of presentations on the day by partner organisations of the European Countryside Movement (ECM) [which include PURPLE] outlining their specific arguments on the need for a White Paper on Rurality.

Below is a summary of Mr Simon’s speech in the session.


“The PURPLE network, the voice of Peri-Urban regions in EUROPE is convinced that the traditional rural-urban dichotomy is no longer relevant from a territorial development point of view. New ways of living serve to blur the divides between urban and rural areas, creating ever-larger and ever-more important peri-urban areas, with their own specific characteristics, problems and opportunities. Whilst the EU institutions are pushing for a strong urban agenda, we all know that some of the main challenges which cities face (economic and social development, climate change, transport and demographic change), can only be tackled through partnerships with their surrounding peri-urban and rural areas - this is the new territorial reality
On the eve of the crucial debate about the EU budget and policies post-2020 , PURPLE members believe that EU investments – including those made within cohesion and rural policies – must maintain a strong territorial and place focus with more specific attention being paid to peri-urban areas in order to better support growth, jobs and innovation both within and beyond urban centres. This is why PURPLE members actively support the European Countryside Movement call for a White Paper on Rurality that would serve as a strong signal that the challenges faced by rural areas in all their diversity, including peri-urban territories, must be taken into account at the EU level and that their inhabitants must be recognised as an integral part of the European dynamics.”

For further details about this event please use the following links.

Committee of the Regions website: http://cor.europa.eu/fr/events/Pages/For-a-rural-agenda-in-the-programming-period-post-2020.aspx

ECM website: http://www.ruraleurope.org/content/view/243/4/lang,english/