Activities of Franc BOGOVIČ related to 2021/2254(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
A long-term vision for the EU's rural areas (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on a long-term vision for the EU's rural areas – Towards stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas by 2040
Amendments (40)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 a (new)
Citation 14 a (new)
— having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 15 November 2017 on an Action Plan for nature, people and the economy;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 a (new)
Citation 14 a (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 8 March 2022 on the role of cohesion policy in promoting innovative and smart transformation and regional ICT connectivity (2021/2101(INI));
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 19 a (new)
Citation 19 a (new)
— having regard to the "Bled Declaration for a Smarter Future of the Rural Areas in EU", signed on 13 April 2018 in Bled, Slovenia;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Believes that local and regional communities, together with local businesses, NGOs and Local Action Groups understand the challenges of rural communities in detail; emphasises that the rural proofing mechanism should be made mandatory, so that regional, national and EU authorities and institutions would be obliged to take into account the impacts of proposed legislation and other non-legislative measures, which are particularly influencing rural areas, on such areas;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for a strong rural dimension in future cohesion policy regulations, which should include dedicated funding to that end; suggests that 305 % of the European Regional Development Fund and Cohesion Fund should be earmarked for rural areas, in addition to other beneficial investments for rural areas, particularly those encompassing more than one region;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Underlines the fact that the main objective of the long-term vision should be to fight depopulation, ageing and rural abandonment, including through investment in infrastructure and the provision of services, economic diversification, job creation and innovative mobility solutions in mobility, as well as in the energy sector;
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Underlines the importance of smart specialisation strategies for the future of rural areas, with particular regard to young people and to innovation, knowledge sharing and cooperation, including the Start-up Village Forum and the European Smart Villages Forum;
Amendment 63 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Calls for smart villages to be mentioned as a flagship project, rather than action under the “research and innovation for rural areas” flagship; underlines the importance of public - private partnerships within the smart villages ecosystem, as key opportunities for job creation, innovation, depopulation and rural attractiveness;
Amendment 65 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8 b. Highlights the democratising and de-radicalising effect that the bottom-up approach of smart villages can have for a rural population that has taken ownership of its community;
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 c (new)
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8 c. Emphasises that strong and vital rural communities, as well as municipalities and regions that mainly cover rural areas, are crucial for the cohesion within the EU, therefore they should be supported in any way possible;
Amendment 76 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Recognises that tourism can create significant opportunities for rural areas and can represent an important source of income for rural communities; points out that the sustainable development of sea or freshwater recreational fisheries and in particular of angling tourism can contribute to the development of rural areas by attracting tourists over an extended period of the year; underlines the close links between nature conservation and restoration, thriving fish stocks and recreational fishing opportunities; notes that some projects can bring together nature conservationand restoration initiatives and the development of sustainable angling tourism; underlines that such projects can also help making rural areas more resilient to external shocks such as climate change; emphasises that the EMFAF and other EU structural funds should increasingly support such projects; highlights the role of Fisheries Local Action Groups to develop such activities in rural and remote areas;
Amendment 80 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9 b. Calls on the Commission to improve the collection of data on the environmental, social and economic impacts of recreational fisheries and angling tourism on rural areas and to propose tangible measures to further develop these activities in rural and remote regions, in particular where their potential is underexploited;
Amendment 83 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Believes that connections between rural and urban areas must be addressed in a complementary manner in order to implement rural strategies and action plans accordingly; underlines the importance of partnerships across rural areas and remote areas in particular; emphasises the importance of fighting the digital divide between urban and rural areas, especially as regards high-speed broadband connectivity and the promotion of digital skills with initiatives such as “the digital voucher” which can raise the level of digital skills development in rural areas; believes that the EU structural funds should be used for financing specific programmes of digital literacy in rural areas;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that policies and actions at EU level combined with national and regional ones are key to securing the prosperity and well-being of rural European citizens, as well as tackling the challenges they face, namely population decline and ageing, fewer quality job opportunities, a lack of access to high- quality services of general interest, climate and environmental pressures, lower connectivity, particularly lack of high- speed broadband, and limited access to innovation;
Amendment 95 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses the importance of entrepreneurship, social economy and social innovation including the silver economy, especially when it comes to implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights in rural areas; emphasises that special attention should be put on the investments in the long-term care of the elderly;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights the central role rural areas can play in addressing societal challenges, by providing ecosystem services to mitigate climate change and environmental deterioration, ensuring sustainable food production, preserving rural heritage, andproviding unique cultural landscapes for leisure and recreation purposes, as well as contributing to a just, green and digital transition;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses that rural areas are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of crisis, such as the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine but are also capable of offering new opportunities in response to such crisis; emphasises that rural areas have a key role in ensuring food security as well as independence from fossil fuels or energy imports;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses the importance of implementing a rural proofing mechanism for EU initiatives so as to assess their potential impact on rural areas; urges the Member States to promote the development and implementation of effective mechanisms for rural proofing at national level and calls on the Commission to assist them; emphasises that the rural proofing mechanism should be made mandatory, so that regional, national and EU authorities and institutions would be obliged to take into account the impacts of proposed legislation, which is particularly impacting rural areas, on such areas;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Underlines the need to support young people in order for them to remain in rural areas; stresses that particular attention should be paid to overcoming the challenges of young people in their access to capital, higher education, lack of business skills and insufficient succession plans; points our that encouraging farm succession, including young farmers in a policy mix, from housing, social security, health services to education should be a priority; stresses the need to maintain a high-quality agricultural education system, including vocational training;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Underlines the central role agriculture plays in rural areas; insists that sustainable agriculture in ensuring high-quality, diverse and sufficient food and biomass resources in a sustainable manner, in providing jobs and cultural landscape for recreational use; insists that sustainable agriculture, in its three pillars (economic, environmental, social), providing fair income to farmers, is crucial for the vitality of these territories;
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Recalls that the coexistence of people and large carnivores, particularly wolves, can have important implications for Europe’s rural areas, particularly with regard to traditional agriculture, and on other socio-economic activities; calls on the Commission and the Member States to take concrete measures to address these issues, so as not to endanger the sustainable development of rural areas, while recognising the available flexibility within the Habitats Directive;
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Notes that species that are designated as requiring special protection in the Habitats Directive have in some regions of Europe attained good conservation status and could thus endanger other wild species and traditional farming practices, calls on the Commission to develop an assessment procedure to enable the protection status of species in particular regions to be amended as soon as the desired conservation status is reached;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Stresses that diversification of and innovation in the rural economy based on local potential are crucial to drawing opportunities from the digital and green transition; calls on the Member States to put in place measures to support the fair transition and diversification of the rural economy, as well as to support job creation in rural areas;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. RegretUrges that the work of rural women is still not properlybetter recognised; calls on the Commission and the Member States to take action to design and implement measures to fight gender gapsclose gender gaps; stresses that gender mainstreaming should be applied at every level, be it in the planning, definition and implementation of policies, in gender monitoring, in gender-sensitive institutional transformation or in gender awareness raising;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Regrets thatUrges the work of rural women is still not properlyto be better recognised; calls on the Commission and the Member States to take action to design and implement measures to fightclose gender gaps;
Amendment 310 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Highlights the central role of rural areas in the transition to a low-carbon and digital economy; stresses that initiatives in rural areas, such as renewable energy infrastructure,, investments in high-speed broadband infrastructure and bioeconomy must contribute effectively to the economic and social vitality of such areas;
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Highlights that rural areas suffer higher risks of social exclusion and energy poverty owing to longer distances to be covered and mobility constraints; points out that new and innovative rural mobility solutions and investments are needed to achieve equitable growth, in harmony with a sustainable energy transition;
Amendment 336 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Highlights the importance of access to basic services in rural areas; emphasises the need for innovative approaches in the field of mobility, education, child care and elderly care as well as by tackling the healthcare challenges;
Amendment 344 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Stresses that the digital transition brings about new opportunities for rural areas, which are only accessible if there is adequate, stable and accessible broadband coverage; highlights that the development of digital capacities in rural areas is, among other things, linked to an increase in their attractiveness; warns of the risks of the widening of the rural digital gap as a result of the lack of 5G coverage, and calls on Member States to mobilise all available instruments to prevent it; stresses the importance of the timely revision of the state aid guidelines for broadband which should allow for incentivising the roll-out of 5G networks in rural areas which are not served by the market;
Amendment 352 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Welcomes the objective of the 2030 Digital Policy Programme that by the end of the decade all populated areas in the EU should be covered by 5G; calls on the Commission to promote, as part of upcoming legislation, measures that ease the roll-out of 5G networks in rural areas in particular through reducing or removing burdensome and lengthy administrative procedures;
Amendment 365 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Draws the attention to the situation of livestock producers who live in regions recently repopulated and colonised by large carnivore species and who are under constant attack and at risk of attack by large carnivores, in protecting their livelihoods and homes from Europe's ever increasing population of large carnivores; emphasises that effective population management measures are urgently needed in order to guarantee the economic vitality of affected regions, ensure biodiversity and prevent rural abandonment;
Amendment 391 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Emphasises the swift implementation of the Connecting Europe Facility as a key enabler of cross-border network deployment, which will in turn have a positive impact on connectivity in rural areas;
Amendment 392 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Urges Member States to address the specific challenges of rural areas during the implementation of the current multiannual financial framework programmes and to provide the investments needed for social inclusion and job creation, in order to foster competitiveness and enable a just digital and green transition; calls to focus in particular on the roll-out of smart villages post-2020 and rural innovation hubs to contribute to the digitalisation of rural areas;
Amendment 395 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Urges Member States to address the specific challenges of rural areas during the implementation of the current multiannual financial framework programmes and to provide the investments needed forand facilitate access to the investments needed to increase farm economic and environmental performance and social inclusion and job creation, in order to foster competitiveness and enable a just digital and green transition;
Amendment 402 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Calls for smart villages to be mentioned as a flagship project, rather than action under the “research and innovation for rural areas” flagship; underlines the importance of public - private partnerships within the smart villages ecosystem, as key opportunities for job creation, innovation, depopulation and rural attractiveness; believes that the Smart Cities Marketplace* digital platform, established by the Commission, could serve as a blueprint for further development of the smart villages ecosystem, therefore encourages the Commission to coordinate further development of smart villages in the same manner as was the case of the initiatives for smart cities; *https://smart-cities- marketplace.ec.europa.eu/
Amendment 407 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)
Paragraph 22 b (new)
Amendment 411 #
23. Regrets the persistent obstacles to the multi-fund approach, which hamper the deployment of integrative approaches in rural areas; calls on the Commission to improve synergies and coordination between EU funding instruments, such as the regional and cohesion policy, the Common Agricultural Policy, and the Next Generation EU recovery instrument, and with national instruments, and to pursue simplification, in particular for smaller projects, which are key for rural areas;
Amendment 428 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Highlights the Commission study’s conclusions on LEADER’s effectiveness in delivering solutions for sustainable rural development; calls on Member States to support LEADER/Community-Led Local Development (CLLD), thereby facilitating and promoting multi-fund approaches; stresses that the LEADER/CLLD funding tools should also be used for further development of smart villages; considers that the meaningful earmarking of assistance for CLLD under all relevant funds at EU level, including the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), would contribute to stronger and more sustainable territorial development; suggests that 35 % of the European Regional Development Fund and Cohesion Fund should be earmarked for rural areas, as well as 10 % of the EAFRD for CLLD in the post-2027 CAP reform;
Amendment 441 #
26. Stresses that empowering rural communities, which requires capacity building, particularly in the most remote and less populated areas, will promote greater social cohesion and a stronger sense of belonging; emphasises that strong and vital rural communities, as well as municipalities and regions that mainly cover rural areas, are crucial for the cohesion within the EU, therefore they should be supported in any way possible;