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This is a scoping study in a project initiated by WWF1 and partners into the nature of rural development in Europe. The project analyses rural development policies and practices in a range of countries with a view to developing a more robust model for sustainable, integrated rural development in the European Union. 

The scoping study has been supported by WWF and the British countryside agencies and undertaken by IEEP3, CRE4 and a consortium of independent consultants in 10 different European countries, over the period May to December 2000. The countries chosen include 6 EU Member States (Austria, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, UK), 3 accession countries (Hungary, Latvia, Poland) and Switzerland, which has pursuedits own approach outside the EU. 

The aim of this study has been to investigate actors, institutions and attitudes towards rural development, in order to help clarify key issues in working towards sustainability. It has started with a broad list of potential areas of interest, as follows:

• The driving forces for rural change
• Institutions and institutional arrangements for rural development
• National perspectives on rural development principles and policies
• The role of the environment in rural development policies and outcomes
• The role of social values (participation, equity, etc) in rural development
• The resourcing of rural development policy
• The role of the urban–rural interface
• Accountability versus flexibility and innovation, in policy delivery