Dear Rural Pact Community Members, 

We are pleased to inform you that the Council of the EU, under the Spanish presidency, has just unanimously adopted its conclusions on the long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas at the 'Agriculture and fisheries' Council meeting that took place on 20 November 2023.  

You can read the Council conclusions here and share them through your network: https://rural-vision.europa.eu/rural-vision_en#documents 

The conclusions, welcomed by all Member States, include crucial elements that aim to steer and inform upcoming political discussions on the ways forward for rural policies (see our dedicated news). 

This comes after a long process of consultations between Member States and all stakeholders, giving them the opportunity to voice their priorities and concerns on the future development of the EU's rural areas. The process started in 2021 with a first political discussion on the rural vision, held by the Slovenian presidency. Subsequently, a conference on the Rural Pact was organised by Sweden, and a ministerial discussion took place during the September 2023 AGRIFISH Council meeting. Last, the High-level Rural Policy Forum organised by the Spanish presidency, with the European Commission in Sigüenza (Spain) at the end of the same month, stressed the most important concerns and demands (find the highlights report of the forum for more information, available in both English and Spanish). 

Finally, the Council invites, in its conclusions, all administrations and Member States to engage in the Rural Pact. The latest Policy Briefing ‘Making the Rural Pact happen in Member States’ developed by the Rural Pact Support Office, outlines the ingredients that Member States can implement to contribute to the Rural Pact objectives at the national or regional level. 

Kind Regards,  

The Rural Pact Support Office