Countering the abandonment of town centres

23.5.2017

Question for written answer E-003471-17
to the Commission
Rule 130
Françoise Grossetête (PPE)

For decades, town centres have increasingly been abandoned, particularly as a result of the expansion of shopping centres to the detriment of local businesses, in France and Europe as a whole.

This is seriously jeopardising the viability of town centres, while undermining social cohesion and impoverishing many areas within them. There are also serious ramifications for the environment, since the relocation of shops to urban outskirts means that people must travel significantly greater distances, thus increasing CO₂ and NOx emissions.

What does the Commission therefore intend to do to halt and correct this trend that is so dangerous for our regions?

What solutions does the Commission intend to implement to re-establish independent shops and improve the status of shopkeepers?