At a meeting of the NAT commission in Portugal Cllr Enda Stenson, Member of Leitrim County Council and EA group coordinator of the NAT commission said that the EU must invest in innovation, infrastructure to modernise the rural economy. He says rural areas across Europe are being decimated by young people leaving to find work in cities. By providing high speed broadband and services in rural areas this will help create jobs and keep people working and living in the rural communities. It is fundamental for the quality of life in these communities.
Cllr Stenson also called on efforts to keep young farmers on the land and welcomed the recent adoption of the rural development programmes by the European Commission as a first step to investing in our rural areas.
