A seminar on “A drained and ageing Europe: What job opportunities do young people need in order not to leave the villages?” (Part 2) was held from 16-17 February 2026 in Florence / Italy. The seminar was organised by MCL / EFAL (Movimento Cristiano Lavoratori (Christian Workers Movement) / Ente Nazionale per la Formazione e l'Addestramento dei Lavoratori (National Board for the Education and Training of Workers)) in collaboration with USO - CCFAS (Unión Sindical Obrera - Centro Confederal de Formación y Acción Social (Workers’ Union - Confederal Centre for Training and Social Action)), supported by EZA and funded by the European Union. The event in Florence was the second part of the joint project between EFAL/MCL and USO, which had been initiated in Santiago de Compostela in October 2025, against the backdrop of a European situation characterised by the increasing depopulation of rural and mountainous areas and the need to redefine the EU's territorial cohesion policy.
Approx. 70 conference participants attended the seminar; representatives of free trade unions, associations and movements from five European countries: Italy, Spain, Portugal, Croatia and Albania. Participants included representatives from institutions, trade unions, academics and experts.
The seminar focused on the requirement for a paradigm shift in regional policy to transform rural areas in Europe from places of forced migration into attractive living spaces for the younger generations. Moreover, the integrated, Europe-wide comparative analysis of the structural conditions in terms of employment, infrastructure and services that are essential to give young people real freedom of choice to remain in their home and to counteract the logic of emigration as the only option for social mobility.
The seminar took place in a particularly significant legal and political context: On 29 January 2026, the CNEL (Consiglio Nazionale dell'Economia e del Lavoro - National Council for Economics and Labour) adopted a new draft law on inland territories, which includes a social clause to favour people under 40, young couples and families with children.
The work was divided into the following themes:
– Integrated territorial policies to halt the depopulation of inland and mountainous areas
– Critical aspects of the rural labour market and strategies for vocational training that focus on local professions and occupations
– National and European legal framework (CNEL draft law on internal territories, EU cohesion policy)
– Support for young entrepreneurs under 35, tax incentives and public-private partnership models
– Maintenance of basic services (health, education, banking and postal services) as a prerequisite for quality of life in rural areas
– Proven European practices: Dual vocational training, teleworking in rural areas, social enterprises, territorial marketing
– Multi-level social dialogue as a tool of governance for the inland territories
Results of the seminar
The seminar produced a unanimous consensus on the following key findings:
• Emigration from inland areas is not an inevitable fate, but arises from the inappropriate political decisions that can be realigned with targeted structural measures and multidimensional integrated policies.
• Rural areas were unanimously recognised as the “roots of the continent”: Strategic resources for Europe’s cultural identity, social cohesion and sustainable development, where the demographic depopulation results in an irreversible loss of collective heritage.
• Multi-level social dialogue (EU – national institutions – local authorities – trade unions) was stated as an indispensable approach to transform the inland areas of forced migration into attractive living spaces for the new generations.
• International comparisons have demonstrated the effectiveness of integrated models that combine specialised vocational training, incentives for young entrepreneurs, public-private collaboration, and the maintenance of basic services.
Findings from the discussions and work sessions
Day 1 – Analysis of the phenomenon and legal framework:
The contributions from institutions and academics painted a consistent picture: The gradual reduction in basic services triggers a vicious cycle of depopulation that can only be broken by integrated and continuous measures. The Vice-President of the CNEL, Claudio Risso, explained the new draft law for inland areas with the social clause for people under 40. The regional perspective for Tuscany (President of the Regional Council Stefania Saccardi) emphasised the urgency of guaranteeing citizens of the inland areas the same rights and opportunities as those in urban centres. Former Portuguese Minister of Labour, Mota Soares, highlighted the strategic value of small communities in the European geopolitical context.
Day 2 – International dimension and best practices:
EZA Co-President, Piergiorgio Sciacqua, positioned the seminar within the strategic framework of EZA for European integration. The international contributions (Fidestra/Portugal, USO/Spain, Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) presented specific best practices: Dual training programs, tax incentives for local businesses and models for economic transition. The concluding panel discussion analysed in detail participatory local development, teleworking in rural areas, social enterprises and territorial marketing to enhance endogenous resources.
Resolutions
MCL, along with EFAL, EZA, Fidestra and USO, reaffirmed its commitment as a proactive organisation to promote practical policy measures for the inland areas, in accordance with the Tuscan and national initiatives presented during the seminar. MCL will advocate political measures, both in individual contexts and jointly, that ensure that emigration need not be an inevitable solution. This will be achieved by emphasising the crucial importance of the inland areas and by investing in jobs, services, culture and quality of life, to make life there a desirable choice again and not an inevitable doom. The challenge has been initiated, and not only affects Tuscany or Italy, but the whole of Europe if it wants to stay united, remain vibrant and shape the future.
Demands
The following consistent demands emerged from the work of the seminar:
• Adoption of integrated and continuous territorial policies that guarantee citizens of inland areas the same rights and opportunities as those in urban centres;
• Structural investments in qualified vocational training that align with the productive potential of the regions;
• Full implementation of the social clause of the draft law for internal territories (CNEL) in favour of people under 40, young couples and families with children, with priority, premiums and reserves in public tenders (national and EU funds);
• Maintenance and strengthening of basic services (health, education, banking and postal services) as an essential prerequisite for quality of life in rural areas;
• Full support from European institutions to reverse the trends of depopulation, ageing and the marginalisation of inland areas.
Consequences for the daily work of the participants and the organiser
For MCL and its network:
• Boost the role of the MCL/EFAL as a qualified and constructive contact with national and European institutions regarding policy for inland areas;
• Strengthen the international partnership with USO, Fidestra and EZA, with the prospect of further joint projects on territorial development;
• The model of international exchange was demonstrated during the two-day event in Florence, and proved to be a format that could be reproduced in future development cooperation initiatives.