• The event will take place from September 27 to 29 in Sigüenza (Guadalajara) and is open to public participation, which can be registered until November 30.
• The objective is to promote a political debate, within the Council of the European Union, on the content of the long-term vision for rural areas and the actions to be undertaken.

Rural areas represent more than 341 million hectares of the European Union (EU), representing 83% of its total area. 30.6% of the EU population lives in rural areas. Most of them are over 50 years old.

Such data In 2021, they underpinned a communication from the European Commission on the long-term vision and strategy for the European Union 's rural areas until 2040. The communication, "Long-term Vision for Rural Areas", implemented both the development of a Rural Pact and a Rural Action Plan by the European Union.

As part of the activities organized by theSpanish Presidency of the European Union , starting July 1, our country is organizing a high-level conference in Sigüenza (Guadalajara) from September 27 to 29. The purpose of this conference is to develop concrete measures within the European Council for this long-term vision.

Goals

The High-Level Forum on Rural Policy is organized by the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the European Commission, together with the Rural Pact Support Office . This meeting provides an opportunity to bring together key stakeholders in the rural development policy agenda to prepare for a fruitful debate within the EU Council that will help Member States take action to strengthen rural areas.

Thus, the Forum sets itself the following objectives:

1. Enable policy exchanges between national authorities to contribute to the EU Council conclusions on the implementation of the long-term vision.
2. Share experiences with policies derived from EU funds to help implement the rural vision in key areas where the Rural Pact can add value.
3. Establish a dialogue among Member States to establish improved multi-level governance frameworks and participatory structures to listen to the voices of rural stakeholders.

Attendance and registration

The Forum aims to bring together around 200 participants, comprised of policymakers and public authorities (from both Spain and the 27 EU Member States) working on agricultural and rural development policies at the European level. It will also include participation from European networks, regional and local authorities, stakeholder groups, civil society organizations, and academic institutions working on the areas underpinning the agreement.

The registration period ends on June 30th here .