Cork Conference

Ireland frome 7th to 9th Novembre, 1996

The Cork Conference represents the first action of a new conscience on the presence of the man on the rural territories.

The awareness that 80% of the European territory are a rural territory and that it entertains the 25% of the population it need a new and different attention on management of it.

A political management of the matter that must interest the whole European territory that, also for the variability, it represents a landscape of ancient history and tradition on which to redirect the social and economic systems of the future.

RURAL EUROPE FORUM


THE CORK DECLARATION - A LIVING COUNTRYSIDE
The European Conference on Rural Development

Aware

that rural areas - which are the home of a quarter of the population and
account for more than 80% of the territory of the European Union - are
characterised by a unique cultural, economic and social fabric, an
extraordinary patchwork of activities, and a great variety of landscapes
(forests and farmland, unspoiled natural sites, villages and small towns,
regional centres, small industries);

Believing

that rural areas and their inhabitants are a real asset to the European
Union, and have the capacity to be competitive;

Mindful

that by far the largest part of rural Europe is covered by agricultural
land and forests, which have a strong influence on the character of
European landscapes, and that agriculture is and must remain a major
interface between people and the environment, and that farmers have a duty
as stewards of many of the natural resources of the countryside;

Recalling

that agriculture and forestry are no longer predominant in Europe's
economies; that their relative economic weight continues to decline, and
that, consequently, rural development must address all socio-economic
sectors in the countryside;

Conscious

that European citizens pay growing attention to the quality of life in
general, and to questions of quality, health, safety, personal development
and leisure in particular, and that rural areas are in a unique position
to respond to these interests, and offer grounds for a genuine, modern
development model of quality;

that the Common Agricultural Policy will have to adapt to new realities
and challenges in terms of consumer demand and preferences, international
trade developments, and the EU's next enlargement; that the shift from
price support to direct support will continue; that the CAP and the
agricultural sector will have to adjust accordingly, and that farmers must
be helped in the adjustment process, and be given clear indicators for the
future;

Expecting

that the justification for the compensatory payments of the 1992 CAP
reforms will be increasingly challenged;

Persuaded

that the concept of public financial support for rural development,
harmonised with the appropriate management of natural resources and the
maintenance and enhancement of biodiversity and cultural landscapes, is
increasingly gaining acceptance;

Recognising

that, while successive reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy and
European rural development policies have improved transparency and
effectiveness, a number of inconsistencies and overlaps have developed and
legal complexity has grown;

Determined

to promote, in all possible ways, local capacity building for sustainable
development in rural areas, and, in particular, private and
community-based initiatives which are well-integrated into global markets;

Announces

the following ten point rural development programme for the European
Union:

Point 1 - Rural Preference

Sustainable rural development must be put at the top of the agenda of
the European Union,
and become the fundamental principle which underpins all rural policy
in the immediate future
and after enlargement. This aims at reversing rural out-migration,
combating poverty,
stimulating employment and equality of opportunity, and responding to
growing requests for
more quality, health, safety, personal development and leisure, and
improving rural well-being.
The need to preserve and improve the quality of the rural environment
must be integrated into
all Community policies that relate to rural development. There must
be a fairer balance of
public spending, infrastructure investments and educational, health
and communications
services between rural and urban areas. A growing share of available
resources should be
used for promoting rural development and securing environmental
objectives.

Point 2 - Integrated Approach

Rural development policy must be multi-disciplinary in concept, and
multi-sectoral in
application, with a clear territorial dimension. It must apply to all
rural areas in the Union,
respecting the concentration principle through the differentiation of
co-financing for those
areas which are more in need. It must be based on an integrated
approach, encompassing
within the same legal and policy framework: agricultural adjustment
and development,
economic diversification - notably small and medium scale industries
and rural services - the
management of natural resources, the enhancement of environmental
functions, and the
promotion of culture, tourism and recreation.

Point 3 - Diversification

Support for diversification of economic and social activity must
focus on providing the
framework for self-sustaining private and community-based
initiatives: investment, technical
assistance, business services, adequate infrastructure, education,
training, integrating advances
in information technology, strengthening the role of small towns as
integral parts of rural areas
and key development factors, and promoting the development of viable
rural communities and
renewal of villages.

Point 4 - Sustainability

Policies should promote rural development which sustains the quality
and amenity of Europe's
rural landscapes (natural resources, biodiversity and cultural
identity), so that their use by
today's generation does not prejudice the options for future
generations. In our local actions,
we must be aware of our global responsibilities.

Point 5 - Subsidiarity

Given the diversity of the Union's rural areas, rural development
policy must follow the
principle of subsidiarity. It must be as decentralised as possible
and based on partnership and
co-operation between all levels concerned (local, regional, national
and European). The
emphasis must be on participation and a 'bottom up' approach, which
harnesses the creativity
and solidarity of rural communities. Rural development must be local
and community-driven
within a coherent European framework.

Point 6 - Simplification

Rural development policy, notably in its agricultural component,
needs to undergo radical
simplification in legislation. Whilst there should be no
renationalisation of the CAP, there must
be greater coherence of what is presently done through many separate
channels, a limitation
of EU law on general rules and procedures, more subsidiarity in
decisions, decentralisation of
policy implementation and more flexibility overall.

Point 7 - Programming

The application of rural development programmes must be based on
coherent and transparent
procedures, and integrated into one single programme for rural
development for each region,
and a single mechanism for sustainable and rural development.

Point 8 - Finance

The use of local financial resources must be encouraged to promote
local rural development
projects. More encouragement must be given to using financial
engineering in rural credit
techniques in order to mobilise better the synergies between public
and private funding,
reduce financial constraints on small and medium size enterprises,
promote productive
investment, and diversify rural economies. Greater participation by
the banking sector (public
and private) and other fiscal intermediaries must be encouraged.

Point 9 - Management

The administrative capacity and effectiveness of regional and local
governments and
community-based groups must be enhanced, where necessary, through the
provision of
technical assistance, training, better communications, partnership
and the sharing of research,
information and exchange of experience through networking between
regions and between
rural communities throughout Europe.

Point 10 - Evaluation and Research

Monitoring, evaluation and beneficiary assessment will need to be
reinforced in order to
ensure transparency of procedures, guarantee the good use of public
money, stimulate
research and innovation, and enable an informed public debate.
Stakeholders must not only
be consulted in the design and implementation, but involved in
monitoring and evaluation.

Conclusion

We, the participants at the European Conference on Rural Development
assembled in Cork, urge Europe's policy-makers:

to raise public awareness about the importance of making a new start
in rural development policy;

to make rural areas more attractive to people to live and work in, and
become centres of a more meaningful life for a growing diversity of people
of all ages;

to support this ten-point programme and co-operate as partners in the
fulfilment of each and every one of the goals, which are embodied in this
declaration.

to play an active role in promoting sustainable rural development in
an international context.

Guido Bissanti