The CEOE has presented a plan to combat depopulation in rural areas. It proposes tax and labor incentives for businesses, prioritizing citizen security, and improving digital connectivity. The goal is to stabilize the population and attract investments to inland Spain, where demographic decline is most acute.
Connectivity and security as technological levers 🌐
The employers' association calls for priority investment in telecommunications infrastructure, with high-speed internet as a basic requirement. Without fiber optics or stable mobile coverage, any digital business or telework is unfeasible in rural areas. Strengthening citizen security is also key: surveillance and rapid response generate trust so that families and entrepreneurs settle outside large cities.
Carrot and stick to keep companies from fleeing to the asphalt 🏢
The CEOE demands incentives for companies to stay in the countryside, without mentioning whether they will also subsidize the coffee with milk at neighborhood council meetings. Meanwhile, in depopulated Spain, the internet connection remains slower than the rumor that the wolf is coming. Perhaps the next step will be to ask for free wifi in hunting grounds to attract digital nomads with shotguns.