Rural policy in Europe

The agricultural policy in the European Union was not conceived as rural policy, but as a sectoral policy aimed strictly at the development of the agricultural sector, and especially food production and productivity. This much is clear from the Treaty of Rome onwards. Rural policy proper in the European Union started off as a policy for territorial cohesion. It was at that point a multi-fund approach was integrated in conception and in implementation as well. It was based on territorial or regional programming and horizontal–vertical partnerships. It was not aimed at sectors, but rather at all small enterprises, both farmers and non-farmers, local government, infrastructure, and some services. It was targeted at the most needy regions. The concepts behind this policy were almost completely revised in the period following Agenda 2000, and then substantially replaced with the introduction of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development that focused mainly on farmers and the environment managed by them. This chapter aims at discussing the evolution of European rural policy through the different reforms and changes that characterized the life of the European Union in the past 60 years.