The Rural Agenda of Catalonia

The Rural Agenda of Catalonia identifies the needs and challenges of rural areas to ensure their living and development conditions, and is a key element for planning the country’s territorial balance and cohesion policies.

In Catalonia, two out of three Catalan municipalities have fewer than 100 inhabitants/km2, more than half of which do not reach 20 inhabitants/km2. Furthermore, there are 336 municipalities with fewer than 500 inhabitants, which occupy an area of 35% of the country but represent 1% of the population.

The Rural Agenda of Catalonia has been drafted following the framework of the European Parliament’s initiative to develop a European Rural Agenda that promotes socioeconomic development, economic growth and diversification, social well-being, nature protection, and cooperation and interconnection with urban areas.

Its development originated from the Interdepartmental Commission on Rural Depopulation, chaired by the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, which entrusted the coordination of the document to a Drafting Committee formed by the Association of Rural Initiatives of Catalonia, the Catalan Association of Municipalities, the Association of Micro-villages of Catalonia, and the Advisory Council for Sustainable Development. Furthermore, social and economic agents representative of the rural world have formed the Driving Committee of the Rural Agenda and participated throughout the entire drafting process of the Rural Agenda of Catalonia. More than 1,200 people and over 350 entities participated in the various workshops organized throughout the territory to address the numerous challenges facing the rural world.

As a result of this process, a total of 892 actions, of which 277 are priority and 59 have been identified as strategic. These actions are organized around seven major challenges:

1. People, well-being, and demographic challenge.
2. Ecological transition.
3. Connected territory.
4. Agri-food system.
5. Forest management.
6. Innovation and social and economic revitalization.
7. Governance.

Following the participatory process carried out between 2021 and 2022, the Government of the Generalitat recognized the Rural Agenda of Catalonia through Agreement GOV/108/2022, of May 24, and committed to promoting actions within its competence. To respond to citizens’ demands collected in the Rural Agenda, the Generalitat, through Agreement GOV/153/2022, of July 19, in relation to the Interdepartmental Commission for Rural Governance modifies the name and functions of the Interdepartmental Commission on Rural Depopulation, increasing its attributions in the coordination, implementation, and evaluation of the Rural Agenda of Catalonia.

The deployment of the Rural Agenda of Catalonia will be carried out through an action plan, which will define the actions to be undertaken and which the different departments of the Generalitat must continue to develop to achieve the identified challenges. Furthermore, the Interdepartmental Commission for Rural Governance will ensure the monitoring, fulfillment, and evaluation of the objectives set in the Plan, will propose government actions to promote territorial balance and economic and social development, and will supervise that no government action contradicts rural development objectives. Through the Agenda and under the coordination of the Commission, direct action will be taken to address the demographic challenge, which threatens the depopulation of many towns in Catalonia. Action will also be taken to accelerate the ecological transition and boost the agri-food sector and forest management, and investments will be made in innovation, connectivity, and economic and social revitalization.

In parallel, the Driving Committee of the Rural Agenda, formed by social and economic agents representative of the rural world, will also ensure the monitoring and fulfillment of the objectives of the action plan of the Rural Agenda of Catalonia.

What is the Driving Committee of the Rural Agenda of Catalonia and how does it work?

The Driving Committee of the Rural Agenda of Catalonia, formed by social and economic agents representative of the rural world, is an body for the promotion, monitoring, and evaluation of the deployment and fulfillment of the actions of the Rural Agenda of Catalonia. At the same time, it works on proposals for internal organizational improvement to make its work more efficient.

Its functions focus on:

• Disseminating the Rural Agenda of Catalonia.
• Promoting the actions of the Rural Agenda of Catalonia.
• Evaluating the degree of compliance by the different institutions and socioeconomic agents.
• Participating in the coordination bodies of the different administrations with responsibilities in the scope of the Rural Agenda of Catalonia.
• Influencing public policies, both in denouncing situations that generate social exclusion and in proposing social inclusion policies within rural areas.
• The creation of specific working groups as agreed by the Commission itself,
• Appointing the Commission’s representatives in the different areas of debate, dissemination, and/or representation

The Driving Committee has agreed to create four Working Commissions to improve the coordination and efficiency of its work:

• Working Commission for Communication
• Working Commission for Rural Proofing
• Working Commission on the issue of Water
• Working Commission to develop the monitoring platform for the implementation of the Rural Agenda from society

The Driving Committee is a collegiate body, formed by representatives of the 37 entities and associations from across the territory that initially promoted the Rural Agenda of Catalonia:

1. Council of Official Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Navigation of Catalonia
2. Open Administration Consortium of Catalonia
3. Òmnium Cultural
4. País Rural
5. Third Sector Table
6. Association of Women of the Sea
7. Association of Women of the Rural World
8. Catalan Federation of Forest Owners Associations (BOSCAT)
9. Federation of Agrarian Cooperatives of Catalonia (FCAC)
10. Federation of Pedagogical Renewal Movements of Catalonia (FMRPC) – Secretariat of Rural School of Catalonia (SERC)
11. Fundació i2CAT
12. Young Farmers and Ranchers of Catalonia (JARC)
13. Catalan Scouts and Guides
14. Metropolitan Strategic Plan of Barcelona (PEMB)
15. Farmers’ Union (UP)
16. Network of Cooperative Ateneus of Catalonia
17. Network for Nature Conservation (XCN)
18. CECOT
19. Workers’ Commissions (CCOO)
20. Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise of Catalonia (PIMEC)
21. Landscape Observatory
22. General Union of Workers (UGT)
23. Catalan Youth Agency
24. Confederation of Rural Tourism and Agritourism of Catalonia (TURALCAT)
25. Federation of Craft Artisans Associations of Catalonia
26. Institut d’Estudis Catalans
27. Museum of Rural Life
28. Street Arts Platform (PAC)
29. Network of Cities and Towns towards Sustainability
30. Network of Music Festivals of Catalonia (XAFEC)
31. Federation of Municipalities of Catalonia (FMC)
32. Institut Ramon Muntaner (IRMU)
33. Association of Micro-villages of Catalonia (MdC)
34. Catalan Association of Municipalities (ACM)
35. Association of Rural Initiatives of Catalonia (ARCA)
36. Advisory Council for Sustainable Development (CADS)
37. Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda (DACC)