PURPLE was delighted to see recently that a number of points it had made in a recent consultation exercise on the CoR Opinion on the Long Term Vision for Rural Areas, now appear in the version adopted at the committee stage.
PURPLE had responded in detail to the initial note provided by rapporteur Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, the President of Andalusia, with a paper consisting of a number of sections and sub-sections as well as an annex dedicated to the emerging findings of the H2020 ROBUST project with regards to rural-urban linkages and interdependencies. Those sub-sections included particular points with regard to rural proofing, the Rural Pact, rural and urban typologies and strengthening rural urban relations. Of course, it also contained background information about PURPLE and our understanding of the crucial role played by peri-urban actors and places.
The CoR Nat Committee (Committee for natural resources) from within which the Opinion has evolved has now adopted a darft version of the Opinion which will next be submitted to CoR Pleanary at its late January meeting.
It was especially heartening to see multiple references both to rural-urban linkages, and to the peri-urban itself, (absent entirely in the initial note), in the text agreed on November 23rd. We have taken the opportunity to reproduce below the articles/paragraphs which reflect, partly or wholly, points made in PURPLE's own paper. That paper is itself available in the member restricted area of the website or upon request to: info@purple-eu.org
3. stresses the need to ensure that mutually beneficial rural-urban linkages are integrated into all EU policies in line with territorial cohesion objectives by making the most of the strong interdependencies between rural and urban areas
4. recommends that the current region-city-based territorial model be changed to one based on a fair rural-urban balance, which includes compensation mechanisms to ensure, firstly, that the number and diversity of legal persons in rural areas is maintained (and increased if appropriate) and, secondly, to protect and increase biodiversity
30. stresses the importance of making the most of rural-urban interdependencies within a framework of territorial equity that takes into account that investments made in rural areas can directly or indirectly benefit urban areas
32. stresses that renewable energy production is an opportunity for rural areas to combat energy poverty and generate energy self-sufficiency in functional areas (including rural-urban areas in their sphere of influence), provided that eco-system services are properly valued and that business models retain their value within rural communities
34. notes the importance of improving transport connections with peri-urban and rural areas, primarily through regional authorities and their operational programmes, in order to guarantee coordinated, effective and efficient action
35. points out that particular attention should be paid to infrastructure and cooperation in rural border regions; emphasises the need to improve the public transport infrastructure and service system in rural areas, ensuring the development of sustainable mobility solutions that reduce travel times and of the number of connections between urban and peri-urban and rural areas
