EU rural areas must enter digital era, says Hogan

European Commissioner for Agriculture, Phil Hogan, said at the European Conference on Rural Development taking place on 5-6 September 2016 that the future of the European Union's rural development depended on digital technologies, which he considered to be essential to fill the gap with urban areas.

The conference took place in light of the challenges of the EU farming sector. It was also held almost 20 years after policy makers and farming representatives met and adopted the Cork Declaration, leading to the creation of the Rural Development policy, the second pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy.

European Commission: DG Agriculture and Rural Development: Events: Cork 2.0: European Conference on Rural Development http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/events/rural-development-2016_en.htm

ESO: Background information: The main challenges facing the CAP http://www.europeansources.info/record/special-reports-the-main-challenges-facing-the-cap/

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