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COMPLEMENTARITIES BETWEEN URBAN AND RURAL AREAS IN PROMOTING EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL INCLUSION3. How should balanced urban and ruralpolicies for promoting employment andsocial inclusion be implemented?— 8 —3.1. POLICIES FOR COMBATING SOCIALEXCLUSION AND PROMOTINGEMPLOYMENT IN URBAN AND RURALAREAS SHOULD BE MUTUALLY SUPPORTIVE●●●Rural and urban development takes place inclose interaction and is mutually beneficial. Abalanced distribution of opportunities foremployment is crucial for sustainable developmentin urban and rural areas. Future structuralfunds programmes should encourage sustainableand integrated regional development andurban consolidation, the growth of small- ormedium-sized cities and sustainable rural developmentby creating labour-intensive projects,training for non-farming jobs and should ensureeffective transport, and communications andother essential infrastructures. Decentralisationof administration, expenditure, taxation andservices should be considered to facilitate localdevelopment.On the one hand, long-term unemployment andexperience of social exclusion in urban areas isdifferent from that of rural areas. However thepractical measures taken to resolving these problemsare largely the same, although the opportunitiesfor employment may differ greatly. Thetools and measures used in previous andongoing local employment URBAN and LEADERprojects have shown great similarities: they takeinto account local conditions, resources, networks,civic organisations and the existence oflocal community facilities. Urban and ruralmunicipalities could take account of eachother’s experiences in preventing long-termunemployment and social exclusion.Moreover, the opportunities offered by newtechnologies for ensuring continued employmentin rural and urban municipalities should beexamined. Telework and other new forms ofemployment could help to create new jobs andprovide opportunities for new ways of working.Telework also provides opportunities for existingemployees.3.2. THE OPEN METHOD OF COORDINATION AS ATOOL FOR A BALANCED URBAN AND RURALDEVELOPMENT●●●As already stated, a “one-size fit all” approachwould not solve the problems of social exclusionand employment in cities and the countryside, asthe situation varies from area to area. Culturalfactors and differences in the physical environmentfurther complicate comparisons. Nevertheless,it is very important to discuss issuesrelated to rural and urban development side byside, in order to be able to assess how EU actionsin these areas complement each other. Socialexclusion as well as unemployment requirescareful analysis in order to be able to assess theoften complex problems these phenomena entail.The Open Method of Coordination, as initiatedby the Luxembourg and Lisbon Summits, is thereforean important tool for combating socialexclusion and long-term unemployment in urbanand rural areas. Its methods and approachesshould be further developed.In addition, the national associations of localand regional authorities should be involved inthe setting up of the national action plans, aslocal and regional authorities are often key playersin implementing employment programmes andhave important knowledge on these matters.Likewise, CEMR, as their European representative,should be consulted in the definition anddevelopment of the European Employment Strategy.
COMPLEMENTARITIES BETWEEN URBAN AND RURAL AREAS IN PROMOTING EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL INCLUSION●●Here, benchmarking is a useful and importanttool for promoting employment and social inclusionprogrammes at the local and regional levels.The availability of comparative data or informationon the exchange of experience on particularfeatures of social problems in urban and ruralcommunities, and on approaches towards solvingthese, can contribute to the development ofmutually complementary approaches in differentpolicy sectors. It is important to furtherdevelop the tools applied here to make benchmarkingmore adaptable to the specific needs ofthe different areas and to simultaneously allowthe coordination of a balanced rural and urbandevelopment.The Urban Audit has produced a great deal ofinformation on the problems and developmentissues of cities. Although it is important tomonitor the development of large cities, theUrban Audit should be extended to includemedium-sized cities and the information should,in order to improve the urban - rural balance, bestudied from the perspective of the region/ruralareas adjacent to cities. Small and medium sizedtowns are important centres in predominantlyrural areas. They should receive more support inorder to maintain the viability of the surroundingcountryside.3.3. GOVERNANCE, NETWORKING ANDPARTNERSHIP AS CRUCIAL ELEMENTSFOR BALANCED RURAL AND URBANDEVELOPMENT●●Keeping in mind the principle of subsidiarity,there should be a greater recognition that localand regional authorities are at the forefront oftackling social exclusion and unemployment andthat they have an important role in finding practicaland immediate solutions. This has alreadybeen demonstrated by URBAN and LEADER programmeswhere municipalities are often themain actors in implementation processes.Cohesion policy should promote and strengthenthe roles of the local and regional authorities in●order to further develop its’ goal of social integrationand to disseminate best practice. Spatialregional planning as well as the creation andtesting of the new institutional forms and policyinstruments that integrate urban and ruralconcerns can lead to a better economic developmentof both areas. Only a comprehensive andintegrated network strategy can tackle urbanand rural issues. This should also be the natureof a European urban and rural policy, as opposedto a sector-based approach.Partnership and networking between rural andurban areas should not only be promoted atregional level but also at the interregional andtransnational levels. Good examples for this typeof cooperation have already been provided byINTERREG programmes. Networks between urbanand rural areas, especially on an EU-wide level,could facilitate mutual learning.3.4. THE CAP SHOULD EMPHASIZETHE CREATION OF A MORE DIVERSERURAL DEVELOPMENT●●There has been a strong emphasis on shifting thefocus towards rural development in the preparationsfor the reform of the common agriculturalpolicy (CAP). The CAP, as it is currently constituted,is unsustainable both within the EuropeanUnion and on a global level. It is therefore necessaryto include development measures outsideagriculture into these programmes and to supportthe experience rural areas have in the developmentof non-agricultural economic activitiesand other rural developments.The opportunities for establishing lasting andviable small and medium-sized businesses inrural areas should be supported. Such businessescontribute to a balanced development of ruralareas and their principal towns. Lessons shouldbe drawn from earlier experiences with Article33 so that development measures outside ofagriculture and forestry would be included inthis form of aid to a greater extent. This wouldmean that small businesses in rural areas would— 9 —
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