The president of Generalitat, Ximo Puig, announced that the Consell will approve a preliminary draft of the Comprehensive Law on measures to counter depopulation in the Valencian Community in September. The Consell president spoke during a corporate visit to La Vall d’Alcalà, where Marina Alta hosted mayors from towns with fewer than 1,500 residents.
Puig stressed that the Anti-Depopulation Agenda is a concrete objective and an urgent priority for the Valencian Government. He said it lies at the heart of policy and aims to reduce regional gaps by boosting equality and opportunity across all areas of the community.
The regional leader described the meeting as highly productive for gaining a firsthand understanding of the realities and needs of small municipalities in Marina Alta. Discussions focused on improving communication, sustaining economic activity, and fostering population retention in rural areas.
Incentives for education and health personnel and commitments to maintain public services in rural districts
Puig reiterated the Consell’s resolve to implement structural measures that address the depopulation challenge, calling it a long-term concern that requires public action. He noted that while demographic declines persist, they can be tackled through coordinated policy and steady investment, rather than resignation.
He described the Population Reduction Act as a vehicle to strengthen and celebrate rural identity, underscoring that the Valencian Community cannot be understood without its inland towns, including La Vall d’Alcalà and many others inland. This recognition reinforces the need for targeted actions that support rural life while integrating it with regional growth plans.
cross-cutting framework
The new regulatory framework aims to align Consell policies with a cross-sector coordination approach, ensuring basic benefits, essential public services, and equal opportunity across the Valencian Community. The law seeks to provide tools that enable a comprehensive response to depopulation by supporting ongoing projects, launching new measures, and coordinating efforts across public institutions and agencies.
Affirmative action will be extended to groups in need, with initiatives designed to advance equality, reduce gender gaps, and prevent social and financial exclusion. Administrative capacity will be strengthened in the smallest municipalities, and policies will reinforce the economic fabric, social economy, and diversification of traditional and emerging sectors. The law also emphasizes benefits from green transition, digitalization, and technological innovation as engines of rural renewal.
Central to this initiative is the Avant 20-30 Strategy, a collaborative plan developed with the president of five Valencian public universities. The strategy includes more than 200 concrete actions across economic, social, cultural, environmental, and governance dimensions aimed at reversing depopulation trends.