Europe’s ‘Right to Stay’ agenda must ensure that people can build a future in the places they call home, with access to essential services, economic opportunities and a good quality of life, local and regional leaders stressed during a debate at the European Committee of the Regions’ Commission for Natural Resources (NAT) meeting in Castilla-La Mancha.
The debate explored how EU policies can help people live, work and thrive in their local communities while addressing demographic decline and growing territorial imbalances. Particular attention was given to rural and remote areas, where access to healthcare, education, housing, connectivity and other public services, as well as opportunities for employment, remain crucial to keeping communities vibrant. The discussion also highlighted the importance of generational renewal in agriculture and fisheries and the need for coordinated EU policies that create the conditions for people to stay in, return to or build their future in rural communities. The debate followed the adoption of the Mullingar Declaration by the CoR Bureau on 23 September, which placed the Right to Stay and the future of Europe’s territories firmly on the EU agenda.
Piotr Całbecki (PL/EPP), President of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region and Chair of the NAT commission, said: “The decline in the number of active farmers in the EU shows the need for strong territorial policies and targeted support for rural areas and communities. I expect the 2026 Report on the State of Regions, to be presented at the CoR's October plenary session, to highlight rural development and generational renewal in agriculture as key priorities. We must continue working closely with our national governments to ensure that the role of regions is clearly recognised and legally safeguarded in the next multiannual financial programming.”
For Radim Sršeň (CZ/EPP), CoR rapporteur on ‘Future of rural development’ and member of Dolní Studénky Muicipality, the Right to Stay should also be understood as a “right to return”. This means creating the conditions for young people who leave rural areas for education or employment to come back with their skills and families. He also suggested that “freedom to stay” could be a more appropriate concept than “right to stay”, as establishing a right would require a legislative basis.
Turning this freedom into reality requires good housing, education and healthcare, digital connectivity and an overall high quality of life, with particular attention to rural areas. This requires a holistic approach across different policies and EU funds, backed by effective rural proofing so that European policies and investments take account of their impact on rural communities.
The ambition goes beyond maintaining services or compensating rural areas for disadvantages. Rural communities must become places where younger generations actively want to live, work, raise families and build their future. Moving the Right to Stay agenda from strategies to concrete action will therefore require local and regional authorities to be fully involved in shaping the policies and investments that determine the future of their territories.