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Regional divergence between different areas of CEECs has considerably risen over the integration period into Western Europe economy in last decade. The EU enlargement process thus has to pay specific attention to its regional implications and to effects on regions with lagging economic development and structural problems. Particularly mountain areas have, in general, to overcome handicaps of geographical peripheral location and low competivity. As the agricultural sector is still of significant relevance in these areas the preparation for the adoption of the EU Common Agricultural Policy is of major concern. The paper draws on a national research project, commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Resources, and investigates the support schemes for mountain areas being established in the CEECs, particularly those aiming at preserving diversified countryside and outstanding cultural landscapes, as a means to nurture overall regional development. It also focuses on the need for regional policies enlarging the scope of economic activities in the peripheral mountain areas. In this context experiences from EU countries 0on policies for mountainous and less-favoured areas (LFA) and examples of successful local approaches in EU mountain regions are used. (paper prepared for conference theme: Regional disparities, problems and policies thematic area: Problems of mountainous, rural, peripheral and other lagging regions)

The European Commission's Long-term Vision for Rural Areas, published in June 2021 and building on a previous report on the Impact of Demographic Change and a Green Paper on Ageing, underlines the importance of population trends as a key issue for EU rural policy. The increasing concern about demographic issues, especially in rural Europe, has been accompanied, and in some cases preceded, by the publication of national population strategies. This renewed interest within the European policy community probably has roots in politics rather than new research or fresh evidence. Rural depopulation is not a new phenomenon, nor is it a new research topic. Nevertheless, to better understand this renewed interest, it is instructive to review recent scholarship and consider whether there is any evidence that the processes and systems of rural and regional (demographic) development are delivering new kinds of challenges, requiring refreshed policy approaches. Having established this context, we present a comparative review of a selection of national strategies, identifying shifting perspectives on goals, the instruments proposed, and implied intervention logics. Arguably, cumulative evidence points to an incremental shift of the policy discourse away from neoliberal, Lisbon-inspired visions of rural competitiveness and cost-effectiveness and towards a quest for rural well-being, rights to basic services, and more (spatially) inclusive rural development. This increasing emphasis on qualitative change may be symptomatic of a wider shift in the zeitgeist of rural policy, reflecting a number of globalised trends, including an awareness of the potentials and limitations associated with changing patterns of inter and intra-regional mobility.

Viele ländliche Gebiete Westeuropas sind in den beiden letzten Jahrzehnten nicht mehr allein von Abwanderung, sondern verstärkt von internationaler Zuwanderung geprägt. Da diese Veränderungen weitreichende Auswirkungen auf das Selbstverständnis der BewohnerInnen haben und eine Auseinandersetzung mit "fremden" Lebensentwürfen und kulturellen Zugängen beinhalten, ist eine angepasste Integrationsarbeit in der regionalen Entwicklungsarbeit von zentraler Bedeutung. War der Diskurs über Ländlichkeit bisher vor allem durch "Homogenität" und "Tradition" geprägt, so werden diese Vorstellungen von ländlicher Homogenität und Tradition durch die stetig positiven Zuwanderungsraten in die ländlichen Regionen Österreichs, aber auch in anderen westeuropäischen Ländern wie z. B. Italien, Frankreich, Deutschland und Großbritannien herausgefordert. Die zunehmende soziale Vielfalt an Menschen mit unterschiedlicher Herkunft, Sprache und Kultur wird auch im dörflichen Leben sichtbar und beginnt die anerkannten Werte der lokalen Gesellschaft zu beeinflussen. Die Ausweitung der internationalen Zuwanderung auf nahezu alle ländlichen Regionen Österreichs unterstreicht, dass dieses Wanderungsverhalten auch zu Änderungen in der sozio-kulturellen Struktur der ländlichen Gemeinschaften führt. Aus der steigenden Zahl von Projektbeispielen aus Österreich, die sich um die regionale Integrationsarbeit bemühen, werden Initiativen mit ihren Wirkungen auf die lokale Kultur präsentiert. Diese werden in jüngster Zeit bewusst im Rahmen des Programms zur ländlichen Entwicklung über die kleinregional fokussierten Maßnahmen der LEADER-Aktivitäten unterstützt. Darin geht es vor allem darum, wie in Auseinandersetzung mit der zunehmenden Internationalisierung der ländlichen Regionen neue Repräsentationen des Ländlichen entstehen können, die sich vor allem der (Weiter)Entwicklung der interkulturellen Kompetenz in einer Region im Rahmen einer proaktiven Regionalentwicklung widmen.

In recent years concern about social exclusion processes has reached also rural areas. The rising unemployment and the limited opportunities for young people have turned the attention of policy analysis to this social group and to processes of social exclusion under these specific regional conditions. The results presented are drawn from the EU-project "Policies and young people in rural development" under the 4th Framework programme (FAIR6 CT-98-4171) where different aspects of economic and social integration/exclusion of young people in rural areas and their recognition in rural development programmes of the EU has been analysed. The paper focuses on the scope to enhance the aspect of young people integration in rural/regional programmes. To this end, it starts with a presentation of the policy background and its evaluation, particularly with regard to its rising priority over the last EU-reforms. It continues with the investigation of selected exemplary cases of policy measures and initiatives specifically addressing young people in rural development provided by the seven project partners study areas. The concluding part draws on evaluation studies on rural development programmes all over the European Union with regard to youth participation and explores the scope for future strengthening of respective activities and inclusion of young people concerns in rural development programmes. Experiences from this analysis suggests that with fundamental changes in the market structures and relations programmes targeted at specific rural areas cannot neglect the emerging interrelations to other areas. Hence a rural policy addressing the needs of young people has to address directly its insertion into the regional framework and its relation to regional policy. (Paper for conference theme "Socio-economic cohesion and regional/local development", thematic area Socio-economic exclusion")

The renaissance of rural, mountainous and remote regions of Europe : a call for action / Andrea Membretti, Thomas Dax, Anna Krasteva -- Reframing remote places and remoteness as a collective resource and value for Europe / Andrea Membretti, Thomas Dax, Ingrid Machold -- Rural, mountain and remote regions should be treated as the core of Europe and the role of migration need to be considered for recovery and development / Susanne Stenbacka, Ulf Hansson -- It is time for a new rural and mountain narrative / Thomas Dax, Cristina Dalla Torre, Ingrid Machold -- International migration to rural and mountain areas is an important but neglected phenomenon / Ulf Hansson, Ingrid Machold, Thomas Dax, Per Olav Lund -- Migration impact assessment as a powerful tool for evaluating the comprehensive effects of migration on local societies and economies / Birgit Aigner-Walder, Marika Gruber, Rahel Schomaker -- Inclusion of migrants in rural and mountain territories is a multi-level and multidimensional process / Jussi P. Laine -- International migration has to be considered as just one form among diverse mobilities / Tobias Weidinger, Stefan Kordel -- Rural-Urban relationships are a fundamental asset in terms of policies aimed at the inclusion of remote places within a metro-montane framework / Ayhan Kaya, Anna Krasteva, Susanne Stenbacka -- The social and economic development, attractiveness, and collective well-being of remote, rural and mountain regions closely depend on the foundational economy / Filippo Barbera, Maria Luisa Caputo, Simone Baglioni -- The COVID-19 pandemic: threats and opportunities for remote, rural and mountain regions of Europe, and for their inhabitants / Marika Gruber, Nuria del Olmo-Vicén, Raúl Lardiés-Bosque -- Clearing the 'smoky skies' / Fabrizio Barca -- Tying territory, society and transformation together : a manifesto with an integral approach / Manfred Perlik -- The need for a less territorial, more people centred and relational approach / Annelies Zoomers -- Reconstruction of remoteness as a new centrality and dialogical co-creation of living together / Anna Krasteva, Andrea Membretti, Thomas Dax.

What does rural development policy aim to achieve, and how does it go about it [...]