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Immagine del redattoreAntonio Ruiz

Europe has to reckon with the rural

In recent years, political platforms have emerged expressing great dissatisfaction with the development of rural areas. In the European Union, only 21% of the population is concentrated in rural areas, despite the fact that they represent 45% of the EU's geography. With population shrinking steadily, the future of villages is not likely to improve in any time horizon.

The massive concentration of people in a large city can make it a superpower in economic terms. However, there would be significant negative externalities: extremely expensive housing, high levels of pollution, and, as we have already introduced, the disappearance of the rural way of life. In short, the mix of economic dynamics and the neglect of political institutions in caring for rural environments has created a huge problem of sustainability at several levels. The problem is not the funding for the development of these places. Support for agriculture and infrastructure is of little use if industry and entrepreneurship are not promoted in the villages. Firstly, because young people do not want to work in this sector (only 12% of farmers are under 40), and secondly because it is less internationally competitive than industry. Although an economic transformation of rural areas may seem overly ambitious and even utopian, we need to address this issue in a serious way, taking into account the economic and social reality of these places.

Therefore, and taking into account the impossibility of applying the recipes that have worked in the big cities, we can identify the promotion of disciplines that require moving to the villages and the reduction of transport costs as two good solutions to promote entrepreneurship and the development of the economy of these places. Although most skilled jobs cannot be filled in these locations, there are other high-skilled jobs that can be very well received, such as those related to planning and improving crop efficiency, and more importantly, those based on teleworking. On the other hand, transport is another barrier not only to the mobility of local people, but also influences local commerce, increasing sales prices in comparison with large supermarkets, causing local people to go to other municipalities to shop, with negative repercussions

on the local economy. This is an issue that needs to be urgently addressed, as it is paradoxical that in poorer places, products are more expensive and more difficult to obtain. The solution to this problem does not seem simple, but it is a very necessary task, which requires a public-private partnership. For these and many other reasons, the revitalisation of rural areas is an imperative if we want a more sustainable, cohesive and prosperous European Union. The development of these regions would allow for a more robust European economy, as resilience to crises would be greatly enhanced by the reduced vulnerability of rural areas, and their greater capacity to contribute productively to the rest of society.

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