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Spain launches a Rural Proofing project

By Laura Gascón Herrero, Provincial Government of Teruel, member of Euromontana’s Board of Directors

In Spain, the G100 Rural Proofing project aims to develop a Spanish model for rural proofing. The G100 initiative is led by the social economy NGO El Hueco and is supported by the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and the region of Navarra.

 

Rural proofing from global to national in Spain

The impact of legislation on rural areas has been analysed for more than 15 years within the OECD and in different European countries. Sweden, Finland, the United Kingdom (especially England and Northern Ireland) and within the OECD Canada and Australia are pioneers in analysing policy governance and how it affects territorial inequalities and the prosperity of vulnerable rural communities.

At European level, the 2016 Cork 2.0 Declaration called for the adoption of a Rural Guarantee Mechanism and the European Commission is currently looking at solutions to enhance rural proofing of policies in its upcoming Communication on the Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas.

In Spain, over the last few years, depopulation of rural and inland areas has become prominent in the political agenda. Spain is indeed one of the countries with the lowest population densities and rapid population decline in Europe. El Hueco has been at the forefront of developing positive forward-looking solution to address this challenge. In 2021, the NGO has convened a gender-balanced group of 100 persons (G100) from different backgrounds: farmers, academics, politicians, entrepreneurs, activists, civil servants, etc. The G100 aims to enhance rural proofing by creating a mechanism to review sectoral policies from a rural perspective, taking into account their realistic possible impacts on the development, growth, employment, social well-being and environment in rural areas. The ultimate goal of such a review is to increase our quality of life and to promote policy changes that contribute to the repopulation of rural territories.

100 stakeholders to explore policy issues and solutions

The G100 initiative wants to ensure that rural communities’ aspirations and needs are heard when designing policies and budget. This initiative also intends to promote the potential of rural areas in providing innovative, inclusive and sustainable solutions to current and future challenges.

To achieve this goal, the G100 is organised as follows:

  • Phase 1 – January 2021: Launch event of the project
  • Phase 2 – January-June 2021: Creation of a voluntary working group of 100 people, divided into 15 thematic groups (housing, governance, employability, environment, mobility, etc.) Experts will work remotely over several months to review and identify regulations and policies that influence and / or limit rural repopulation.
  • Phase 3 – June 2021: Plenary session of the 100 experts to share the diagnoses developed in the 15 groups, draw up conclusions and present them.
  • Phase 4 – July – October 2021: Elaboration of policy recommendations to address the issues identified during the review phase.
  • Phase 5 – November 2021: Public event to present the results and in particular the policy recommendations. A guide on these conclusions and on the Rural Guarantee Mechanism will be elaborated.

From my side, I am involved in the working group focused on European law. My experience in European projects and as Member of the Board of Directors at Euromontana provide me with some elements of comparison that are very useful. I remember discussions with French members of Euromontana on the legislative differences. In France for example, thanks to a different adaptation of European law, local markets and value chains are simplified and allow small producers to better promote their products. The adaptation of the European public procurement regulation in France also gives greater opportunities to use local products and to promote quality mountain foods.

 

Our national parliament already endorsed the use of rural proofing, but we need to go further in its implementation. I look forward to conducting this work, making recommendations, and seeing how we can contribute to improving the quality of life and attractiveness of rural and mountain areas in Spain. I am confident that this process can also maybe be inspiring for other members of Euromontana’s network.

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15 April 2021

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We were today at the European Committee of the Regions too meet with regional policymakers from the Carpathians ⛰🤝 Thank you to Witold Kozłowski from the Małopolska region - also a new member of our Board of Directors - for our discussions!𝗪𝘀𝗽𝗼́𝗹𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗠𝗮ł𝗼𝗽𝗼𝗹𝘀𝗸𝗶 𝗶 𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗶 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗻𝗮 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗿. 👍Obecność wicemarszałka Witold Kozłowski w Brukseli podczas 163. Sesji Plenarnej Europejskiego Komitetu Regionów dała okazję do spotkania z dyrektorem Europejskiego Stowarzyszenia Obszarów Górskich Euromontana Guillaume Corradino. | Więcej 👇 ... See MoreSee Less
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One month since the #mountainconvention2024 in Puigcerdà! 🏔️ What future for #mountaineconomies? Find all the key insights in the event report! 📝🙏 Thank you to all stakeholders who shared their ideas, projects and recommendations for a brighter future in the mountains!Report 🔗 www.euromontana.org/outcomes ... See MoreSee Less
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Explore the new guide on ‘rural proofing for the evaluation of the rural perspective in laws, policies, plans and strategies’: bit.ly/3O995FiPublished by the Red Española de Desarrollo Rural (REDR), it intends to support authorities in incorporating a rural angle when designing, implementing, and reviewing policies and regulations.Find more information here: bit.ly/4ev41FK #RuralPact #RuralVisionEUELARD aisbl EESC - European Economic and Social Committee European Rural Development Network ODRAZ-Održivi razvoj zajednice Prepare AISBL Luonnonvarakeskus Smeunited Euromontana Diesis Network Wallonie.be ECOLISE EU CAP Network Netzwerk Zukunftsraum Land Vlaams Ruraal Netwerk Réseau wallon PAC Ruralni razvoj RH Ministerstvo zemědělství Netwerk Platteland / Netherlands Rural Network Maaeluvõrgustik Maaseutu - Tilaa elämälle Réseau national Agricultures et Ruralités 2023 - 2027 Deutsche Vernetzungsstelle Ländliche Räume Εθνικό Αγροτικό Δίκτυο - Greek National Rural Network Magyar Nemzeti Vidéki Hálózat CAP Network Ireland Rete Rurale Nazionale Lauku tīkls Ministère de l'Agriculture, de l'Alimentation et de la Viticulture Fondi.eu Krajowa Sieć Obszarów Wiejskich+ Rede Rural Nacional Rețeaua Rurală Națională - RRN Mreža za podeželje ... See MoreSee Less
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Today, members of the Rural Pact Coordination Group (RPCG) meet online to discuss: • The forthcoming RPCG Declaration on the future of EU rural policy, which addresses the open questions in the @European Commission’s ‘key achievements and ways forward’ report;• RPCG members’ position papers on the future of Europe’s rural areas;• RPCG members’ role in the Rural Pact Conference of April 2025;• Members’ actions to date & the Rural Pact Support Office 2025 work programme.More information at: bit.ly/4fwtjnS#RuralPact #RuralVisionEU ... See MoreSee Less
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