European Landowners' Organisation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The European Landowners' Organisation (ELO) is a vountary organisation that represents the interests of the owners and managers of rural land, and rural businesses, within the EU. It was created in 1972, at the time when the United Kingdom was joining the EEC, as a European extension of the British Country Landowners' Association. It aims to promote "a prosperous and attractive European countryside", and lobbies to advance its aims at local, national and European levels. It is a member of consultative committees and working groups within the EU, and draws its 54 members from bodies in each of the 25 EU member states and candidate countries.
The ELO's main concern is to ensure that rural areas are developed in a way that balances economic acticity with conservation of the rural environmental and heritage. It targets seven main areas: the environment, agriculture and rural development, forestry, renewable energy, private business, enlargement of the EU, and trade.
Its 54 members from all over Europe give it a powerful and efficient network to better understand, to explain and to influence EU decisions. Joining ELO is not only a question of defending certain interests, it is also and more accurately a way to work towards a future of balanced development for Europe.
