Commissioner Hogan welcomes the Cork Declaration on the future of rural areas

European Commissioner for Agriculture, Phil Hogan, welcomed the Declaration entitled "A Better Life In Rural Europe" presented to him by the participants of the Cork 2.0 Conference. "I believe that the Declaration will feed into our deliberations of the future of the CAP”, declared Commissioner Hogan at the end of the two day Conference gathering over 300 stakeholders. This Declaration comes 20 years after the original Cork Declaration of 1996 that established the basis for the EU's rural development policy. Its 10 points advocate for investing in the potential of rural areas, not only in terms of jobs and growth but also for better integration into other policies. With 85% of the EU territory managed by farmers and foresters, they are the guardians of the countryside and have a key role in providing important public goods in terms of protecting the rural environment. Ensuring fair and transparent contractual relations within the supply chain remains also one of the Commission's concerns.

Further information on the drafting and the Conference is available online.