From agricultural politics to policies for rural areas?

The extension of the Second Pillar of the EU agricultural policy and a strengthened policy for rural areas are widely postulated. But how do the agricultural sector and agricultural policy contribute to the development of rural areas and how can rural area policies be developped effectively? This paper ilustrates that the agricultural sector and current ways of funding agricultural policy alone cannot achieve a target-oriented policy for rural areas. Although political visions regarding the further development of this policy area do stress its importance they seldom show how agricultural policy should be restructured to meet the challenges rural areas face. This paper addresses key questions and options to develop a consistent and convincing policy concept for rural areas.