EU Policy Framework for Ecosystem Services Promoting Rural-Urban Synergies

Abstract

This chapter offers a review of eight selected European Union policies and strategies which, to a greater or lesser extent, engage with ecosystem services (ESS). The review reveals three types of policy reference to ESS. Some policies include explicit objectives and mechanisms designed to underpin different types of ESS; others mention ESS explicitly but without suggesting specific policy actions. Lastly, implicit mentions of ESS functions also appear without any direct mention of the term. Our analysis seeks to examine the extent to which EU policies with an explicit or implicit focus on ESS might better secure rural urban synergies. Findings suggest that EU policies which focus on ESS are more likely to support rural-urban synergies if they have eco-social objectives, for example sustainable agriculture or rural development, as outlined for example in the Farm2Fork Strategy and the Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas. Such policies foresee functioning rural-urban links including producer-consumer relations and the economic interaction of rural and urban dwellers. Policies more narrowly concerned with the biological functioning of ecosystems, such as the Soil Strategy or the Biodiversity Strategy are less synergistic, not least because their arena of operation remains predominantly rural