{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2006-702/annex/division-2/division-2.2",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2006-702/annex/division-2/division-2.2.json",
  "legislation": "eudn/2006/702",
  "legislation_title": "Council Decision of 6 October 2006 on Community strategic guidelines on cohesion (2006/702/EC)",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2006-702",
  "path": "annex/division/2/division/2.2",
  "kind": "division",
  "number": "2.2",
  "heading": "Support the economic diversification of rural areas, fisheries areas and areas with natural handicaps",
  "text": "Cohesion policy can also play a key role in support of the economic regeneration of rural areas, complementing the actions supported by the new rural development fund (European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development — EAFRD). This complementary approach should seek to support the restructuring and diversification of the economy in Europe's rural areas.\nThe synergy between structural, employment and rural development policies needs to be encouraged. In this context, Member States should ensure synergy and consistency between actions to be financed by the ERDF, Cohesion Fund, ESF, European Fisheries Fund (EFF) and EAFRD on a given territory and in a given field of activity. The main guiding principles as regards the demarcation line and the coordination mechanisms between actions supported by the different Funds should be defined at the level of national strategic reference framework/national strategy plan.\nFor cohesion policy, action in favour of rural areas or for areas with natural handicaps, including many island regions, should contribute to the creation of new opportunities through the diversification of the rural economy. This includes efforts to support the provision of a minimum level of access to services of general economic interest in order to attract firms and qualified personnel and to limit out-migration. In this context, connectivity to the main national and European networks is necessary. In addition, cohesion policy should support the endogenous capacity of rural territories by promoting, for example, product marketing at national and global level, and favouring process and product innovation in existing economic activities.\nAchieving the necessary critical mass to deliver services efficiently — including services for a healthy workforce referred to above — is a particular challenge. Ensuring universal access to all services, particularly in very sparsely populated areas, may be achieved by investing in development poles in rural areas (for example in small and medium-sized towns) and by developing economic clusters based on local assets combined with the use of new information technologies.\nMany rural regions depend heavily on tourism. These regions require an integrated approach dedicated to quality, focusing on consumer satisfaction and based on the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. Actions should take advantage of, and seek to preserve and develop natural and cultural assets which can have important positive spin-offs by protecting habitats and supporting investment in biodiversity. The integrated approach should aim to have a positive impact on the tourism sector, the local economy, the people working in the tourism sector, visitors and the local population, as well as the natural and cultural heritage.\nWith regard to the fisheries sector, the economic restructuring of fisheries-dependent coastal areas and the smaller islands is often a particular challenge for geographic reasons, and cohesion policy can play an important role as a complement to the actions supported by the EFF.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f1",
      "text": "Council Regulation (EC) No 1685/2005. OJ L 277, 21.10.2005, p. 1."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudn/2006/702/annex/division/2/division/2.2",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-11-01T15:17:27.846378+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}