The European Parliament has voted on the proposal for a "Long-term vision for the EU's rural areas".

137 million people live in European rural areas, accounting for almost 30% of the European population and covering more than 80% of its territory. The proposal includes a significant acknowledgement of game management and its social, economic, cultural, and biodiversity benefits, as well as a clear emphasis on the demand to reduce problems with large carnivores. To ensure that rural areas can continue to perform these essential functions, the European Commission's communication outlines a long-term vision for the development of EU rural areas up to 2040. It identifies areas of action to be implemented so that rural areas and communities become stronger, more connected, more resilient, and more prosperous.

The Rural Pact and the EU Rural Action Plan, with tangible flagship projects and new tools, will help achieve the goals of this vision.

The proposal expressed in the European Parliament vote on 13 December reflects the complex economic and social challenges faced by Europe's rural areas. It provides several important solutions to ensure that rural communities are steered towards the green transition.

Although European rural areas are historically, geographically, and economically very diverse, they often face similar social and economic problems. For example, access to quality services of general interest, demographic decline and ageing, vulnerability to the impact of crises, and insufficient political representation are just a few of the problems affecting rural communities.

Many problems require a tailored approach based on the interests of local communities. In this context, the proposal calls for the effective application of the principle of subsidiarity to ensure that rural communities are better involved in the design, implementation, and evaluation of the EU policies that affect them.

Regarding hunting, the proposal emphasises that "sustainable hunting is important for the future of rural areas in terms of social, economic, cultural, and biodiversity conservation aspects".

This is a significant recognition for the millions of hunters across Europe who are involved in nature conservation projects that provide extensive benefits to rural areas.

Regarding environmental policies that affect stakeholders in rural areas, the proposal also draws attention to the growing conflicts with large carnivores faced by rural communities. In line with the recently adopted EP proposal "Protection of livestock and large carnivores in Europe", the 13 December proposal reiterates that "it is the Commission's duty to assess progress in achieving conservation status and, where necessary, to amend the protection status of species if the desired conservation status has been reached".

Commenting on the proposal, FACE President Torbjörn Larsson states: "The proposal excellently highlights the main problems affecting European rural areas, while acknowledging the diversity of rural areas across Europe. Among these problems, coexistence with large carnivores has become a key issue, and it is important that Regulation (EC) No. is implemented. The Commission must now address Article 19 of the Habitats Directive, taking into account the recent request of the European Parliament."

The proposal also makes reference to the EU's interest in building not only cross-border partnerships, but also partnerships beyond its borders, to promote more prosperous rural societies and economies through mutually beneficial long-term cooperation.