Four years was enough to question the negative adjectives applied to Spain. Neither Spain was emptied, nor was Spain emptied. Better, Spain Countryside Viva. That demonstration in Madrid (March 31, 2019) was the starting point of a mobilization that ended decades of ignorance of local authorities and the national media, and remained committed to urban reality alone.
We are at a turning point. Organized by FEMP IV. Confirmed at Congress on Population Reduction and Demographic Struggle. The road to recovery has just begun, and not even in the whole of Spain. Follow the flow of going to cities; and even there are more than twenty-seven state capitals losing population. But as Frances Boya, general secretary of Reto Demographico, puts it, “only towns with a project will survive.” Many have it and others strive to have it. Municipalities and Provincial Assemblies are trying to claim available funds despite a shortage of technicians. There are hundreds of non-governmental organizations working in the region. And a legion of entrepreneurs who are hopeful and demand help from governments and simplify procedures. For example, legalizing abandoned farms due to the historical depopulation of more than half a million in Galicia alone today, according to Xunta’s estimates. Or “liberating” the houses that would be demolished if left uninhabited and where people who want to live in the countryside can take shelter. Covid has helped change the idea that the rural world is more suitable for health, including mental health, rather than multiplying the population.
Experience was exchanged at this Congress of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces. Castilla La Mancha unanimously passed the pioneering Population Reduction Law. Extremadura followed Galicia, assuring that it rewards birth more than anyone else. Other Communities like Andalusia want to regain ground. Valencia discovers that it has two realities: a country on the coast and a very different country in its desolate interior. And such.
is examined Tax benefits for those living in rural Spain because they have services further away and their assets are a guarantee for the environmental care of a country that is deeply regionally unstable: Eighty percent of Spaniards live in only twenty percent of the territory.
A government announcement lifts the spirits: High-speed Internet access is already available, via Hispasat, with a direct subsidy to set up equipment and pay the monthly bill. “We will now be able to stop depopulation by connecting all corners of Spain at high speed,” says Miguel Angel Panduro, CEO of Hispasat.
It is comforting to follow such a congress as institutional consensus has been achieved. It has nothing to do with the dialectical conflict and polarization that exists in parliaments, although the assemblies and municipal councils demand more funds from the Autonomous Communities and in return more money from the State for providing services that do not correspond to them. This consensus is the guarantee of progress: let’s see who opposes the passing of laws that are in high demand. “During these years, the rural complex of being a townsman dropped. “Laws and regulations now need to be approved after examining them with a rural magnifying glass,” said Miguel Gracia, president of the Diputación de Huesca. We are entering a new time. There are many problems, yes, but there is also hope.
Source: Informacion
Dolores Johnson is a voice of reason at “Social Bites”. As an opinion writer, she provides her readers with insightful commentary on the most pressing issues of the day. With her well-informed perspectives and clear writing style, Dolores helps readers navigate the complex world of news and politics, providing a balanced and thoughtful view on the most important topics of the moment.