A white Paper on Rural Development is to be prepared for the Government, the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mr Walsh, announced yesterday. He said the decision to prepare the paper was a response to the continuing debate at EU and national level on the socio-economic trends in rural areas and the challenge to support sustainable rural communities in the future.
He said that at EU level in the context of Agenda 2000, the European Commission is proposing an increasing emphasis on rural development policy.
The Government intends through the paper to address rural development as a broad multifunctional process involving economic, social, cultural and environmental conditions.
The paper, he said, will set out a "vision statement" of the overall objective to be achieved in rural areas in the medium to long term and the broad policy framework together with institutional mechanisms to achieve it.
The paper, the Minister said, will be prepared by an interdepartmental committee which will be chaired by the Minister of State, Mr Noel Davern.
It will co-ordinate the inputs of various Government Departments concerned and take account of proposals for a renewed system of local government to operate from January 1st, 2000.
Mr Walsh issued an invitation to all organisations, groups, and individuals with an interest or involvement in rural development to submit views or comments to the committee through the Department of Agriculture and Food.