To promote the right to stay, that is, the right to live and/or return to live, in small municipalities in inland and rural areas, institution should provide for investment and services, but they also need to build trust, engage communities and recognise their own social, cultural and environmental value. Rural and remote municipalities are often and because of multiple different reasons affected by economic and demographic decline and limited access to public services, That is why institutional efforts could focus on outlining common principles – community participation, collaboration between local stakeholders, openness to external expertise and strengthening local capacities – which can be adapted to different local contexts.
The European Union has launched a public consultation as part of the ‘Right to Stay – Your Region, Your Future’ initiative, aimed at gathering diverse European experiences to define a supranational strategy addressing territorial disparities and the issue of the ‘right to stay’. Within this framework, ARCO has worked on and studied a number of good practices in Italy, Spain and Lithuania that can help to outline principles, rather than replicable models, by promoting small, rural and remote contexts.
Every region has its own specific potential, which can be unlocked through integrated measures that simultaneously address the built environment, the social environment and public services. Unfortunately, however, the narrative surrounding rural areas often focuses on their structural disadvantages, rather than on the energy, wealth and potential they represent in terms of social, environmental and economic innovation.
Which, then, are the measures and policies that can be promoted at local level to counteract the processes of marginalisation affecting rural areas, thereby expanding people’s opportunities to live, work and build their future in the places they call ‘home’?
1. The experience of the Special Office for the Reconstruction of the ‘Crater’ Municipalities in Abruzzo: the role of the three dimensions of the built environment
The Local Development Unit has initiated a dialogue and collaboration with the Special Office for the Reconstruction of the Crater Municipalities (USRC) in Abruzzo, where the reconstruction following the 2009 earthquake provided an opportunity for territorial and social regeneration.
In particular, the USRC’s experience demonstrates that reconstructions that follow a crisis should not be limited to the physical rebuilding of buildings, but requires a series of integrated interventions across the three dimensions of the built environment: the economic dimension (such as spaces for commerce and industry), the social dimension (cohesion and identity) and the environmental dimension (sustainability).
Among the municipalities supported by the USRC, the municipality of Gagliano Aterno – a small mountain village of 250 inhabitants – exemplifies the transformative potential of approaches that combine physical and non-physical regeneration. Thanks to collaboration between the local council, the University of Turin and the local community, the village has launched initiatives focused on participation, social inclusion and the promotion of cultural heritage, running in parallel with reconstruction efforts.
Over the last four years, the municipality has attracted new residents, seen the emergence of new economic activities, associations and community spaces, and on 30 September 2025 was awarded the ‘New European Bauhaus – Boost for Small Municipalities 2025’ prize for the regeneration of small municipalities.
2. The experience of the Society and Enterprise Development Institute in Lithuania: the role of the younger generation
Among the international initiatives studied by the Local Development Unit, the Society and Enterprise Development Institute (SEDI) addresses the issue of the social environment from the perspective of the younger generation.
The right to stay also depends on young people being able to envisage a future for themselves in the areas where they grew up. SEDI promotes projects that offer young people concrete opportunities for participation and autonomy, through small grants aimed at bringing community ideas and initiatives to fruition.
Young people are directly involved in the planning, resource management and organisation of activities, developing skills and strengthening their sense of belonging to the local area, and SEDI supports them by teaching them how to draft and develop projects and by establishing links with policy-makers to ensure that young people’s voices are heard in the political arena.
SEDI has also developed youth employment and summer volunteering programmes aimed at young people aged between 14 and 18, with the aim of creating a lasting bond with the local area even after they move away for educational reasons.
Listening to young people’s ideas and building relationships based on trust can therefore be a key factor in reversing the trend of depopulation in small towns.
3. The experience of the Consello de Contas de Galicia: the role of independent audit institutions
The Audit Section of the Consello de Contas de Galicia is an independent audit institution whose remit has gradually expanded in recent years to include the assessment of the effectiveness, efficiency and economic, social and environmental impacts of public policies.
Galicia is facing significant depopulation in rural areas. For this reason, the Consello de Contas has developed monitoring and evaluation tools that enable a comparison of economic performance, public service delivery and the outcomes of territorial policies across different municipalities.
The audit work highlighted three key elements:
- the need for integrated, multi-level strategies to address the demographic challenge;
- the importance of institutional quality, collaboration and administrative capacity;
- the importance of evaluation and the availability of meaningful indicators to guide public policies.
What role, then, for Europe?
By examining best practices and comparing the key players involved, we can draw some conclusions as to the role the European Union can effectively play in supporting small municipalities, namely:
- strengthening the administrative and institutional capacities of small municipalities;
- promoting networks for territorial cooperation and the exchange of best practices;
- supporting social, technological and entrepreneurial innovation in rural areas;
- linking policies for small municipalities with global challenges such as demographic transition and climate change;
- defining minimum standards for essential services and paying greater attention to the quality of public services.
All these experiences were presented during the workshop “Right To Stay And Live In Small Municipalities: Evidence And Experiences On The Role Of Built Environment, Social Environment And Public Services”, organised by ARCO’s Local Development Unit in collaboration with the Consello de Contas de Galicia during the 23rd European Week of Regions and Cities, held at the European Parliament in Brussels on 13 October 2025. Participants included Marianna Stori from the Special Office for the Reconstruction of the Crater Municipalities (USRC) in Abruzzo, Aistė Rutkauskienė, co-founder of the Society and Enterprise Development Institute (SEDI) in Lithuania, and Simón Rego Vilar, senior civil administrator and chair of the Audit Section of the Consello de Contas de Galizia.
