<p> Workshop 2 Rural-Urban dimensions: towards more territorial and social cohesion! JDE 63 3 – 6 p.m.</p><p>Organised by Rurality-Environment-Development, the European Countryside Movement and the EESC's section for Agriculture, Rural development and the environment (NAT)</p><p>Background</p><p>Current policies generate significant regional imbalances that tend to widen over time. This lack of territorial, economic and social cohesion affects many territories, in rural areas as well as in urban areas and their peripheries. Their inhabitants see a deterioration of their living environment in terms of health services, mobility, security... The same is true of the quality of the basic infrastructure essential to development, such as high speed broadband. This gives inhabitants cause for concern and frequently results in a feeling of abandonment and doubt on the European project. The workshop will browse through the negative consequences of today's inconsistent policies and assess the possible remedies to better inclusive and integrated policies.</p><p>Methodology</p><p>The Workshop is built in three parts:</p><p> illustration of the local difficulties encountered by citizens, </p><p> questioning the orientations taken in the implementation of policies (regional, rural, social, international agreements) and their lack of integration,</p><p> proposing recommendations by exchanges with a panel of authorities and representatives of civil society.</p><p>Expected output</p><p>The objective is to identify two or three key recommendations to rebalance rural and urban dimensions in policy making with a special emphasis on those that could mobilize civil society. These recommendations will be proposed for inclusion in the list which will be formally adopted in follow-up to the Civil Society Days by the Liaison Group between the EESC and the civil society organizations.</p><p>Programme</p><p>Moderator: Brendan Burns, EESC Member, President of the Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment (NAT)</p><p>15h00 Introduction</p><p>15h15/ 1. What expectations from the civil society to reinforce territorial and social cohesion?</p><p> Eduardo Francés Conde, Member of the National Board, Red Estatal de Desarrollo Rural (REDER)  Robert Levesque, Director of the Studies Department, Scafr-FNSafer: land management, stake of the rural-urban dialogue  Klaus Ehrlich, General secretary, European Federation of Rural Tourism - EUROGITES : a more sustainable tourism for a better mutual understanding</p><p>16h00/ 2. Which prospects for the European policies for the development of the rural territories? Which transversal approach? </p><p> Sofia Björnsson, EESC Member, Rapporteur on “From Cork 2.0 Declaration to concrete actions”  Guillaume Cros (PES/FR), Vice-president of the regional Council of Occitanie, rapporteur on “The CAP post 2020”, European Committee of the Regions</p><p> Debate</p><p>16h40/ 3. Debate : Towards more territorial and social cohesion! Which recommendations for a balanced territorial development of urban and rural poles?</p><p>Opening speech</p><p> Jose Enrique Garcilazo, PhD, Head of Unit, Rural and Regional Programme, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) </p><p>Debate with the participation of:</p><p> Tom Jones, EESC Member, Rapporteur on “Villages and small towns as catalysts for rural development, challenges and opportunities”  Franc Bogovič, MEP, Member of the Regional Development Committee of the European parliament, Vice-president of the Intergroup « Rural, mountainous and remote areas » (RUMRA)  Gérard Peltre, President, International association Rurality-Environment- Development (R.E.D.)  Helyn Clack, President, Peri-Urban Regions Platform Europe - PURPLE  Michel Baylac, Vice-president, Economic, social and environmental Committee of the Region Occitanie</p><p>17h55 / Conclusions</p><p> Rapporteur: Patrice Collignon, Director, International association Rurality- Environment-Development (R.E.D.) </p><p>Interpretation from ES/DE/EN/FR into ES/EN/FR</p>