Rural Development in the European Union

Each year the Commission publishes an Agricultural Annual Report on the agricultural situation in the European Union. A large part of the report is devoted to statistical information on Community agriculture. This is drawn up on the basis of information from Eurostat and data collected by the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development. Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development also devotes a special annual publication "Agriculture in the European Union - Statistical and economic information", separate from the Agricultural Annual Report, to a wide range of subjects, including the economic situation in agriculture, structures, trade, markets, financial aspects and rural development. With the evolution of the Common Agricultural Policy, rural development gained in importance and information needs have also evolved. For this reason, DG Agriculture and Rural Development has prepared a specific report aiming to provide, on a regular basis, a comprehensive set of information on rural areas and the implementation of the EU's rural development policy.