Urban sprawl spreading to countryside

Ireland’s urban sprawl is developing mainly in remote countryside areas, says the European Environment Agency (EEA).

“This socio-economic development may be encouraged by rural development funding provided under the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy”, said Professor Jacqueline McGlade, EEA Executive Director.

Brussels is watching, literally: EU policy-makers can now see how their decisions in areas such as agriculture and transport impact on the EU’s land resources and the wider environment, from the EEA’s first digital map which shows changes in landscapes since 1990.