RURAL POLICY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION - EXPERIENCES AND LESSONS FOR BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Abstract

According to the criteria applied in the EU
for the rural areas, Bosnia and Herzegovina
is a predominantly rural country. About
three-quarters of its territory consists of rural
expanses where about half the population
lives. One of the biggest structural and development
problems of the BiH society today
is a rapid decreasing of the rural population
(depopulation of villages). Population policy
in rural areas should be based on appropriate
economic, agricultural, regional, development
and cultural policy-bit different from
the previous one which squeezed young people
out of the village, agriculture and other
activities that are successfully developed in
the rural areas of developed countries. Since
the unemployment rate in Bosnia and Herzegovina
climbed to an unacceptably high rate
of 42,8% and that the largest number of unemployed
are recruited directly or indirectly
from rural areas, it is necessary to seek solutions
to fully reversed process created and encouraged
by many countries, especially those
that want to maintain or achieve rapid economic
growth.