Rural cohesion
a catalyst to the revival of the EU in a post-pandemic Europe
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60054/PEU.2022.9.98-108Keywords:
Rural Area, Pandemic, REACT-EU, Resilience, European Integration, RevivalAbstract
30% of the EU population resides in rural areas. However, the disparities between rural regions and urban centres which have become marked since the 2008 financial crisis has further exacerbated after the recent Covid 19 pandemic. In order to have an efficient expansion mechanism, initial resilience is of paramount importance, for which the rural structure in terms of economic and political policies has to be sustainably developed. Admittedly, the rural centres close to the urban areas have developed resilience and dynamism, while the more remote rural areas have not been able to bounce back in terms of employment and productivity post-pandemic. The long-term developments of globalisation, information technology and climate change before the pandemic have made these differences within and between rural and urban areas even more pronounced. Since the EU is not just a trading block, support for such holistic reforms aimed at rural integration and empowerment should take centre stage in a post-pandemic Europe. This paper will critically analyse the Common Agricultural Policy and the Cohesion Policy of 2021-27 which needs to be revisited and critically analysed. The author will link and juxtapose these reforms with the REACT (EU Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe) to address the contemporary concern of rural integration within the EU.
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