Translation of "Marginal areas and peri-urban areas " (English → French) :

14. Stresses that towns and cities can make a key contribution, as growth centres and growth drivers, to a given region; points, at the same time, to the need for it to be made possible for rural settlements to participate in integrated solutions for a given functional geographical entity by means of the fostering of partnerships and networks; stresses that larger urban centres face specific challenges because of the complexity of their social, economic and environmental tasks; sees, in this context, the endogenous potential of rural and peri-urban areas as offering an opportunity for development, although not only ...[+++]around agglomerations and big cities; notes, furthermore, the opportunity for the economic development of particularly disadvantaged regions through appropriate exploitation of, and support for, the endogenous potential of rural areas, including their environmental and cultural assets; considers also, in the context of structural and cohesion policy, urban-rural partnerships more in terms of providing rural areas with the same conditions for development and quality of life with regard to social and economic factors; calls on the Member States, given the dynamic influence of towns and cities on economic development in the regions and in stimulating the economy in surrounding rural areas, to guarantee the resources needed to implement the urban and sub-urban projects required;

In the short term, following up the Thematic Strategy on the Urban Environment[14], the Commission will support local authorities in developing sustainable urban mobility plans covering freight and passenger transport in urban and peri-urban areas.

Rural areas are characterised by a very large diversity of situations, ranging from remote rural areas suffering from depopulation and decline to peri-urban areas under increasing pressure from urban centres and outermost regions subject to particular, permanent constraints stemming from the fact that they are small, are remote from the European mainland and are widely dispersed. This calls for differentiated rural development strategies.

Rural areas are characterised by a very large diversity of situations, ranging from remote rural areas suffering from depopulation and decline to peri-urban areas under increasing pressure from urban centres.

To ensure the sustainable development of rural areas it is necessary to focus on a limited number of core objectives at Community level relating to agricultural and forestry competitiveness, land management and environment, quality of life and diversification of activities in those areas, taking into account the diversity of situations, ranging from remote rural areas suffering from depopulation and decline to ...[+++]peri-urban rural areas under increasing pressure from urban centres.

While the impact of urban (and peri-urban) food production on the urban poor needs to be recognised, actions to promote food security in poor rural areas should include livelihood diversification, together with water saving methodologies (e.g. rainfed agricultural systems, which have spill over effects on environmental sustainability, through reduction of methane emission) and more sustainable management systems (e.g. irrigation which maximise productivity per unit of water, specific agriculture practices in arid areas that reduce sal ...[+++]inisation, etc.).