08-05-2025
‘Necessary to implement rural proofing into all EU policies'
The vice-chair of Rural Youth Europe, Martin Sieman, has called for the EU to implement 'rural proofing' practices into all of its policies.
Speaking on a panel about generational renewal at the commission's conference on the Vision for Agriculture and Food in Brussels this morning (May 8), Sieman said that 'conflicting regulations' are contributing to the lack of availability of land.
He said: 'In many regions in Europe we have challenging natural conditions, together we called to implement some kind of a regulatory body.
'Another very interconnected problem, is the land concentration. We see with the sector-based subsidies that the incentive is for land concentration.'
'When it comes to access to finance, we've discussed a lot more targeted supports, especially for new entrants to the sector,' he added.
Rural Youth Europe is a European non-governmental organisation (NGO) that tries to create opportunities for young people in rural areas, and advocates for keeping rural areas as vibrant sustainable places to live.
According to Siemen, farms 'don't exist in a vacuum', adding that farms are part of a 'larger ecosystem'.
He said: 'We need strong rural areas. If there are no young people in rural areas, then there is also no possibility for generational renewal. We need diverse job opportunities, outside of the farming sector, because we need a bigger community that's not just farming.
'We need infrastructure, basic services and also cultural opportunities, so that the youth in rural areas can feel a sense of belonging.'
'We see all over (the EU) that housing is a big problem. Young people know at some point they want to move out from their parents' place because also not everyone can take over the farm. In the villages, often there is less possibilities to rent because prices are rising in rural areas,' he added.
EU
The president of the European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA), Peter Meedendorp, told the panel that long-term liquidity planning for farms is becoming increasingly more difficult.
He said: 'We have to continue working in this mandate make the vision a reality. That starts with the structure of the next European budget. We need to keep a harmonised and dedicated structure in order to create the structural pillar for our farms.
'There are trade-offs between the different ambitions, and there are inconsistencies between the different ambitions and we need to talk about those,' Meedendorp added.
