The territorial rural development policies of the european union: A twenty-year balance in Castilla y León

Abstract

Specific farm policies have not revitalized Castile and Leon rural environments, whose physical and structural characteristics limit their productive possibilities in the EU competitive market. Faced with this situation territorial polices for rural developments have been considered adequate for enhancing competitiveness by helping restructuring, diversifying economic activities emphasising endogenous potentialities, maintaining population in rural areas, and increasing quality of life in them. An assessment of the results obtained within the LEADER framework in the last two decades indicates that rural tourism has benefited, and that there has been a boost for the farm activities, especially trade and marketing activities, which small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have started and that have led to employment gains. However, the benefits have been located in few places, only those that boast high sizes, and have not achieved a visible reduction of rural inequalities nor have translated in an active participation in European networks of multinational cooperation.