Right to Stay Strategy: Your Region, Your Future

The future right to stay strategy should focus on rural women as key actors and support women-led innovation in rural and farming contexts to facilitate achieving this initiatives goals. Population loss in rural regions has a gender dimension and data shows young women in particular leave rural areas to a greater degree than men.

I am writing on behalf of libraries and research institutions across Europe, which have the mission to enable members of their communities to access knowledge, participate in cultural life and enjoy their cultural rights. Libraries, through their regular contact with researchers and readers, observe the impacts of a situation in Europe.

The CPMR North Sea Commission welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the European Commissions reflection on the forthcoming Right to Stay Strategy. This principle is of particular importance to coastal and maritime regions, where environmental, economic, and spatial pressures intersect in unique and often acute ways. The right to stay must reflect the specific conditions of coastal and maritime territories.

For people to stay, schools, and jobs, and shops and health services (and much more) must also stay. But staying is not enough, convenient and affordable access is also a key condition. And access depends not only on some degree of physical proximity, but also on the means available to reach the service provided (or to have the service reach the users).

The Villages of Lake Finland consider the Right to stay strategy to be a key task in enabling people to live and live in sparsely populated rural areas. The aim of the strategy should be to develop new approaches and solve problems relating to the production of services, housing, accessibility, financing and job opportunities.

Filed in Finnish · English published by the European Commission

Border regions need a European resilience mechanism As a technical college operating in the Podlaskie region, the Białostock University of Technology recognises the particular importance of the Right to Stay strategy for border regions.

Filed in Polish · English published by the European Commission

The right to stay requires the right to development As startup hi-tech operating in the Podlaskie region, we see that the greatest threat to peripheral regions is not only depopulation, but also the loss of confidence that ambitious development can be built locally. EU border regions today face heightened geopolitical risks.

Filed in Polish · English published by the European Commission

Malta considers that the Right to Stay Strategy should go beyond the physical ability to remain in a region and instead focus on ensuring access to meaningful local opportunities, including employment, entrepreneurship, education, quality services and overall quality of life.

The North Aegean SMS welcomes with particular interest the Right to Stay Strategy, as the right of citizens to stay and develop in their own area is at the heart of our development planning. Our region is a typical case of European territory where the decision to stay is not an obvious choice, but a function of accessibility, availability of services and economic viability.

Filed in Greek · English published by the European Commission

EuropeActive, the leading member-based non-profit organisation representing the European fitness and physical activity sector, welcomes the Commission's initiative to address regional disparities, demographic decline and territorial imbalances across the European Union.

Collettivo Peppe Valarioti APS is an independent youth think tank that has been active in Calabria since 2020 on inland areas, depopulation, digitalisation and the quality of democracy. The following considerations arise from the field work (listening campaigns, projects on SNAI areas, legislative proposals), which is described in detail in the attached document.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

The reflection paper attached by the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) responds to the European Commission's consultation on the Right to Stay. We argue that the Commission's approach to the "right to stay" fundamentally misinterprets Enrico Letta's original call for a "freedom to stay" in his single market report.

MINISTRY OF SOCIAL COHESION AND FAMILY AFFAIRS (General Secretariat of Demographic and Housing Policy) and MINISTRY OF MARITIME AFFAIRS AND INSULAR POLICY (General Secretariat of the Aegean and Island Policy) GREECE. The Greek Government welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the European Commissions Right to Stay strategy, and further supporting EUs territorial cohesion and place-based policies.

One of the main challenges facing Tukums is depopulation and an ageing population, with long-term implications for labour supply, the provision of public services and the economic development of the area. Attracting and retaining a skilled workforce, ensuring access to housing for young families and professionals, and attracting investment for higher value-added business development are also major challenges.

Filed in Latvian · English published by the European Commission

The municipality of Bauska welcomes and supports the European Commission’s Right to stay initiative: your region, your future. 1. The challenges that need to be addressed. Lack of equal living conditions: ensure quality of life regardless of where you live by bridging the gap between urban and rural areas.

Filed in Latvian · English published by the European Commission

The NSPA Network welcomes the European Commission's ambition to strengthen the right to stay and address growing territorial disparities across Europe. The NSPA believes that the Right to Stay should be understood as more than a strategy to prevent outmigration.

Inhabitants of mountain regions have the privilege to enjoy exceptional natural environments, but are confronted to a number of specific difficulties besides those encountered by many rural areas: due to the topography, the surface available for human activities (settlements and infrastructure) is very limited and accessibility is restricted, impacting economic and social development.

The PAGUS Paradigm Alternative x Growth Urban Settlements initiative is based on previous papers and articles, published in several platforms in recent years, on urban development issues, which led to the drafting MANIFESTO.

‘Strategy on the right to remain’ and Public Procurement. The contribution, addressed to the European Commission, examines the negative impact that the distorted use of framework agreements in Engineering and Architecture Services (SIAs) has on the objectives of the ‘Strategy on the right to remain’.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

MANIFESTO FOR HUMANIZED URBANIZATION PAGUS: Paradigm Alternative x Growth Urban Settlements 1. Foreword The PAGUS Paradigm Alternative x Growth Urban Settlements initiative is based on previous papers and articles, published in several platforms in recent years, on urban development issues, which led to the drafting MANIFESTO published in the previous Journal issue.

Smart Village Network Services Statement on the Right to Stay Small rural communities are at the very heart of securing the Right to Stay. They are the places where the question of whether one can build a future at home is felt most acutely.

Please find enclosed the Position Paper of HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network on the European Commissions Right to Stay Strategy. The paper highlights the importance of research and innovation ecosystems in strengthening talent retention, place-based excellence and territorial cohesion across Europe.

The Commission will present a strategy on the right to stay, focusing on regions and territories. The aim is to identify the main challenges that communities face and the support they need to grow and succeed. The strategy aims to: present EU policies, programmes and initiatives that help ensure the right to remain showcasing examples of regional and local solutions and provide suggestions on how to make EU regions…

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

Il dossier raccoglie le analisi sulle dinamiche delle zone rurali italiane e i risultati di una consultazione promossa dal CREA Centro Politiche e Bioeconomia, attraverso lOsservatorio sullo sviluppo locale nelle zone rurali della Rete Nazionale PAC.

The dossier gathers analyses on the dynamics of Italian rural areas and the results of a consultation launched by CREA Centro Politiche e Bioeconomia, through the CAP National Network Observatory on Local Development in Rural Areas.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

Thank you for the opportunity to make your views known. The EU Commission’s ‘right to stay’ strategy is an important and expected initiative. In preparation, it is important not only to look at GDP and NUTS3 averages, but also to be able to describe the diversity of regions, including the conditions of the northern sparsely populated regions.

Filed in Finnish · English published by the European Commission

PURPLE welcomes the potential Right to Stay Strategy with its aim of ensuring that all citizens can continue to live in the places they call home. For us this is in essence a territorial issue, with clear inferences around understanding and harnessing local strengths and advantages; addressing local-level, territorially rooted, challenges and obstacles; reducing territorial disparities and; developing policy…

Culture as a Foundation for the Right to Stay Framework The Culture Next Network welcomes the EUs focus on territorial attractiveness and quality of life in the Right to Stay agenda. While discussions center on jobs and infrastructure, we address the core question: what makes people want to build their lives in a place?

Cēsis County Municipality welcomes the European Commissions initiative to develop the strategy. In Latvia, the right to stay is increasingly linked to territorial resilience and everyday safety. Security risks are no longer distant: a drone has recently been seen over Cēsis, children have had to remain in a safe place instead of returning home from school as planned, and local communities must rely on the…

Operating since 2014 from DarabaniRomania's northernmost town on the external border with Ukraine and MoldovaAsociația Nord approaches territorial cohesion through a fundamental lens: every town is the centre of its own universe. No matter how small a town is, and no matter how geographically peripheral it appears on a map, it remains the centre of a functional area defined only by its ambitions.

Please find attached the contribution of the Region of Tuscany. The document describes the priorities to be included in the future strategy on the ‘Right to Restate’, drawing inspiration from the most recent regional legislative initiatives such as: the law on ‘Toscana Diffusa’ (Regional Law No 11 of 4 February 2025) and the law on ‘Cooperatives di Comunità’ (Regional Law No 67 of 14 November 2019).

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

To enhance the habitability of a territory and its attractiveness in all areas, the best way remains to leave the initiative to those who know it best, namely its public and private actors, by giving them sufficient resources to stimulate and maintain local dynamics.

Filed in French · English published by the European Commission

ETF endorses the premise of a 'right to stay' according to which people should be able to choose to stay in the territory they call home. Connectivity between ones home and other sites of life is determining. Mobility remains the main way that individuals and communities are connected with their workplace, education institution, essential services, leisure activities, and each other.

Madeira Corporate Services is a corporate, legal, tax, accounting and compliance services company based in Funchal, which accompanies international investors in the formation and operation of entities in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, including in the International Business Centre of Madeira (CINM). This contribution reflects the operational experience of the firm.

Filed in Portuguese · English published by the European Commission

"The Right to Stay Starts with Being Seen: Five Recommendations from Central and Eastern Europe". This contribution is submitted by the European Rural Development Network (ERDN), which has brought together the leading rural development research centres of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe since 2002.

HOSPEEM represents hospital and healthcare employers across Europe. We welcome the Commission's initiative to strengthen the "Right to Stay" and address the growing territorial disparities highlighted in the Letta and Draghi reports.

This text summarises the main arguments of the attached German-language full text. The detailed feedback is provided in the name and on behalf of the Ministry of Science, Culture, Federal and European Affairs of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission

We express a very positive assessment and welcome of the Right to Stay strategy, as it is a challenge and a current challenge that needs to be addressed comprehensively. This ‘Right to remain’ strategy is linked and clearly linked to European cohesion policy, which is why we believe that its approach and implementation must necessarily involve the regions in formulating and implementing it and always have a…

Filed in Spanish · English published by the European Commission

Territorial equality is a key aspect of the work of the Centre-Val de Loire Regional Council. This commitment helps to ensure a ‘right to stay’ for its approximately 2.6 million inhabitants. Without being a conscious priority for the community, the guarantee of this right is a direct consequence of the planning choices it makes.

Filed in French · English published by the European Commission

The Transport Poverty Lab welcomes the European Commission’s initiative on Right to Stay Strategy Your Region, Your Future. The Strategy addresses a central theme for European cohesion: make it possible for people to continue to live in their areas of residence, even when they are affected by demographic decline, reduced services, and less access to economic opportunities.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

The European Association of Public Banks and Funding Agencies (EAPB) would like to highlight that National and Regional Promotional Banks and Institutions (NPBIs) are the place-based instrument the strategy is looking for. National and regional promotional banks combine a public-policy mandate, deep territorial knowledge and the capacity to assemble EU resources, national grants and private capital.

The European Federation for Family Employment & Home Care (EFFE) welcomes the European Commission's initiative to develop a Right to Stay Strategy and submits this contribution on behalf of the millions of families and individuals across Europe who directly employ domestic & home care workers for childcare, care of older persons, support for people with disabilities, and work-life balance.

The attached document sets out Social Economy Europes (SEE) contribution to the European Commissions Right to Stay Strategy: Your Region, Your Future. It follows this structure: I. Introduction; II. Decisive support to the demands of underpopulated areas and areas that suffer from emigration; III.

The consultation document Right to stay to ensure the right to stay – correctly – recommends: (1) a ‘structured approach and continued investment’ (2) to ‘have comprehensive data and evidence’ to identify areas worthy of action towards this goal.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

If the right to stay is to become a reality for the EU’s insular population, transport and regional policy cannot be based solely on market calculation models or profitability per passenger-kilometre. A system shift is needed, recognising islands as strategic front-line regions for the EU’s cohesion, security of supply, defence and blue economy.

Filed in Swedish · English published by the European Commission

For Svenskfinlands Byar, the right to live is fundamentally a matter of living, inclusive and empowered local communities. Many of the factors influencing well-being and willingness to stay, such as social cohesion and local identity, are largely generated through local engagement and civil society action. However, many people who want to live in rural areas face structural barriers.

Filed in Swedish · English published by the European Commission

The freedom to stay should complement the freedom to move. People should be able to remain in their communities because opportunities, services and connections exist there, not because they have no alternative. For Finland and many other remote, sparsely populated and border regions, accessibility is the foundation of this freedom.

Regarding the right to stay, I have focused on two topics, tourism and new technologies applied to livestock and agriculture. Once the diagnosis is done, having in mind the demographic challenge, and the chance to attract people to our region, spaces like coworking hubs play an important role, in order to become a place where people who want to go on holidays and stay a little more, could count on a place where they…

The Roma Women’s Society Shetene supports the European Commission’s intention to develop a strategy on the right to remain in habitual residence, with a particular focus on regions and territories. Such a strategy is also very important for Roma communities in Latvia, as the right to stay is not just a question of infrastructure, employment or regional competitiveness.

Filed in Latvian · English published by the European Commission

Housing Europe welcomes the European Commissions initiative to develop a Right to Stay Strategy aimed at reducing territorial disparities and ensuring that all citizens can continue to live in the places they call home. The ability to remain in one's community depends not only on employment opportunities and access to services, but also on access to decent and energy-efficient housing at a cost people can afford.

The European Unions cohesion policy aims to reduce economic, social, and territorial disparities between regions. One of its key instruments is the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), which promotes employment, education, training, and social inclusion.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission

The CNJ National Confederation of Young Farmers and Rural Development welcomes the European Commission’s initiative on the Right to File Strategy: your region, your future, highlighting a structural problem common to many European regions: the political under-representation of territories in demographic decline.

Filed in Portuguese · English published by the European Commission

European Historic Houses (EHH) is a Brussels-based international non-profit association representing owners and managers of privately owned historic buildings across Europe castles, manor houses, historic farmhouses and rural estates active across all EU Member States.

CECOP, the European Confederation of Industrial and Service Cooperatives, welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback to the European Commission as it is developing its Right to Stay Strategy. CECOP represents approximately 43,000 cooperatives across Europe, being mainly worker cooperatives, social cooperatives and cooperatives of autonomous workers . In turn they employ over 1.3 million people.

The Klaipėda Region strongly welcomes the European Commission's initiative to develop the Right to Stay Strategy. For regions located far from national capitals and major decision-making centres, this initiative is essential to ensuring that all Europeans have genuine opportunities to build prosperous and fulfilling lives in the places they call home.

Finland is a large country with a small population; nevertheless, there is settlement and economic activity throughout the country. We hope that the strategy will recognize the importance of infrastructure in maintaining and strengthening the vitality of different regions.

The German Association of Cities welcomes the call for evidence on the announced strategy for the law. The strategy must put regions, and cities in particular, at the centre. In the view of the German Association of Cities, the situation of cities has not yet been sufficiently reflected in the exploratory paper.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission

In the border area, the decline in the population leads to an increase in the proportion of the elderly, which results in a higher per capita benefit and a decrease in the working-age population. With growing regional inequalities, critical public thinking is growing to the detriment of the Eastern border, so the challenge is not only to provide the support mentioned below, but to provide it promptly and quickly.

Filed in Latvian · English published by the European Commission

Thank you to the European Commission for launching a public consultation on the preparation of the Right to Stay Strategy. This initiative is particularly important for the countries of the EU’s Eastern border region, which, due to the geopolitical environment, in particular Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, are facing not only security but also demographic, social, economic and other challenges that require a…

Filed in Lithuanian · English published by the European Commission

ICLEI Europe welcomes the Commissions initiative to develop a Right to Stay Strategy. The initiative comes at a crucial moment for Europe, as many territories face overlapping pressures: demographic decline, ageing, lack of economic opportunities, climate risks, environmental degradation, housing unaffordability, weak access to services, and declining trust in public institutions.

Please find attached the ‘Agenda of Municipalities and Cities for Cohesion’ drawn up by ANCI (National Association of Italian Municipalities) in April 2025, which contains elements that can contribute to the Strategy on the right to stay.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

Young people and local perspectives on the Right to Residence Strategy We thank you for the opportunity to respond to the Call for Evidence on the Right to Residence Strategy. The Literary Tourism Immersive Technology Acceleration (N-LITE) is a project funded by the Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme, in which the Kainuu Federation, among others, has participated as a project partner.

Filed in Finnish · English published by the European Commission

In the context of the public consultation on the future strategy ‘Right to stay’ in rural areas, an initiative aimed at identifying the measures needed to ensure that citizens can develop their project of living and economic activity in Europe’s rural areas, we are sending our position to the European Commission from ASAJA Nacional.

Filed in Spanish · English published by the European Commission

La Red de Áreas Escasamente Pobladas del Sur de Europa (SSPA), integrada por las organizaciones empresariales de Soria, Teruel y Cuenca, valora positivamente la consulta de la Comisión Europea sobre la futura Estrategia del Right to Stay.

Ensuring the right to stay is a challenge that involves both public administrations and private entities, as well as communities in those places that most face challenges linked to morphological, economic, social conditions and accessibility to essential services. Public administrations should lead the development of territories by developing and promoting integrated long-term development strategies.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

Vakcentrum is the Dutch trade association representing independent retailers and franchise entrepreneurs (SMEs), operating approximately 3,000 local stores throughout the Netherlands. We welcome the European Commissions Right to Stay initiative and support the objective of strengthening resilient and liveable regions across Europe.

Vorarlberg welcomes the European Commission’s initiative to develop an EU strategy for a right to stay. Vorarlberg supports the objective of living, working and developing a future perspective in its own region. Vorarlberg also pursues this objective within its own sphere of competence and aims to create equivalent (albeit not identical) living conditions in urban and rural areas.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission

The Regional Council of Päijät-Häme (sub-region of Lahti, Finland) welcomes the European Commission’s “Right to Stay” initiative and considers it both timely and highly relevant. The principle that people should have a genuine opportunity to build their future in their own region (province), regardless of where it is located, reflects the challenges faced by many Finnish regions in terms of demographic change…

Filed in Finnish · English published by the European Commission

The Urban Local Action Group Druskininkai Harmony supports the European Commission’s right to stay initiative and stresses that its implementation requires strong regional accessibility by transport. The ability of residents to stay in their region depends not only on jobs, housing or public services, but also on convenient, safe and sustainable connections to other centres in the country and in Europe.

Filed in Lithuanian · English published by the European Commission

1. Taking into account the impact of the geopolitical situation on demographic processes: The EU’s Eastern border regions, including those bordering Ukraine, have been operating for several years in an environment of heightened uncertainty linked to the ongoing war. This results in a deterioration in the perception of these areas by investors, entrepreneurs and potential new residents.

Filed in Polish · English published by the European Commission

Euroopan komission Right to Stay -strategia on tärkeä aloite kilpailukyvyn, koheesion ja resilienssin vahvistamiseksi Euroopassa. Mahdollisuus elää, työskennellä ja rakentaa tulevaisuutta omalla kotiseudullaan on erityisen tärkeä Itä- ja Pohjois-Suomessa, jossa pitkät etäisyydet, harva asutus ja väestön ikääntyminen luovat suuria rakenteellisia haasteita.

The Prešov Self-Governing Region is among the regions of the European Union that have been facing a long-term outflow of young, talented, and qualified people to economically stronger regions of Slovakia and abroad.

The introduction, which describes the political context of the initiative, quotes an excerpt from Enrico Lettas report. It states that if left unaddressed, regional and territorial differences could lead to a new geography of discontent where people feel left behind.

A p o r t a c i o n e s de la Junta de Andalucía a la Convocatoria de datos de la iniciativa Estrategia para el derecho de permanencia: su región, su futuro de la DG Regio. La Junta de Andalucía agradece la oportunidad de realizar aportaciones a la convocatoria de datos de la iniciativa titulada Estrategia sobre el derecho de permanenecia: su Región, su futuro, de la DG Regio.

For PGEU, the right to stay must include the right to access healthcare, medicines and professional advice close to home. No citizen should face poorer access to care because of where they live. This is particularly important in rural, remote, ageing and underserved regions, where demographic change, workforce shortages, service centralisation and depopulation are creating growing barriers to care.

The Union of Municipalities of the Metropolitan Area and the Metropolitan Area of the Czech Republic (SO MOA) welcomes the Right to Stay Your Region, your future initiative, which highlights the importance of territorial cohesion, quality of life and long-term competitiveness of European regions.

Filed in Czech · English published by the European Commission

The Programming Directorate, responsible for the preparation and programming of the National Social Climate Plan, operates within the General Directorate for Resilience Management and the Social Climate Fund and provides the following contribution on behalf of Romanias Ministry of Investments and European Projects: Romania welcomes the European Commissions initiative on the Right to Stay, which addresses a…

Regional development is crucial for local communities, as it is about enabling people to live, work and build their future where they want, not where they are forced by economic or social circumstances. The vitality of regions depends on quality jobs, accessible public services, housing, transport infrastructure, digital connectivity and active communities.

Filed in Lithuanian · English published by the European Commission

We warmly welcome the European Strategy on the Right to Stay, which reflects the importance of European cohesion and the need to reduce territorial disparities. In this context, we would like to emphasise Interreg as a key instrument that delivers strongly on this agenda. The Interreg North Sea is a place-based, transnational programme supporting cooperation across the entire North Sea Region.

The European Commission’s Right to Stay strategy is an important initiative to strengthen competitiveness, cohesion and resilience in Europe. The starting point of the strategy, the possibility to live, work and build a future in their home region, is particularly important for Eastern and Northern Finland, where long distances, sparse population and an ageing population create structural challenges.

Filed in Finnish · English published by the European Commission

The Right to Stay concept is particularly relevant for Romania in the light of the abrupt demographic and socioeconomic transformations experienced over the past few decades, whereas a massive stream of Romanian people have set-up new places of living inside EU, for a better future.

The Terras Dentro Associação para o Desenvolvimento Integrado, with 35 years of intervention in Alentejo and other rural areas of Portugal, welcomes the European Commission’s initiative for a Strategy on the Right to Stay and the call for contributions from the territories most affected by the loss of population and opportunities.

Filed in Portuguese · English published by the European Commission

The right to stay asserts that every individual should have the genuine choice to remain in their hometown or region with a high quality of life, rather than being forced to relocate due to lack of opportunities, crumbling infrastructure, natural or anthropic risks, inappropriate environment quality or social inequalities. Realizing this right requires moving away from traditional, top-down sectoral policies.

The Transport Innovation Association welcomes the European Commissions initiative The Right to Stay Strategy Your Region, Your Future and strongly supports its objective of enabling people to live, work and build their future in the regions they call home. For Lithuania and other EU Eastern border regions, the challenges addressed by the initiative are particularly relevant.

The Right to Stay Initiative of the European Commission represents a strategic opportunity for regions facing structural disadvantages, demographic decline, and territorial disparities. For South Muntenia, a region marked by persistent outmigration, unbalanced development, and service gaps, supporting this initiative is not only justified but essential in order to ensure long term resilience and balanced growth.

The Much more than a market report drafted by Enrico Letta is clear: social economy businesses are pivotal in fostering proximity and the sustainable development of territories, embodying the essence of a people-centred economy that is deeply rooted in local communities2. A coherent implementation of Lettas recommendations must include comprehensive support for the social economy, including WISEs.

The Finnish Rural Policy Network commends the opportunity to contribute to the preparation of the Right to stay strategy. The call for evidence states (p. 3) that ‘Right to stay’ helps EU countries, regions and local authorities design tailor-made place-based policies and strategies that focus on the necessary investments and reforms to boost competitiveness, support sustainable development, attract people to these…

Filed in Finnish · English published by the European Commission

In giving its opinion on the Commission’s strategy: Right to Stay, I believe that the quality of life of local residents is a key factor in deciding to stay in their permanent residence, despite the unsatisfactory environment, development opportunities and economic factors.

Filed in Polish · English published by the European Commission

CER the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies welcomes the European Commissions initiative to develop a Right to Stay Strategy and strongly supports its central ambition: ensuring that everyone in the European Union can live, travel and work in the place they consider home. Freedom of movement is one of the Unions fundamental achievements and must also support the freedom to stay.

Comments by the Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning of Luxembourg in the framework of the Call for evidence launched by the EC -------------- The right to stay responds to a legitimate aspiration: to enable everyone to live and build their future in the place of their choice.

Burgenland welcomes the European Commission’s initiative to enshrine the right as a key promise of European integration. The Right to Stay initiative sends a powerful message for a strong regionally anchored regional policy also in the next MFF 2028-2034. Its key message is that economic and social cohesion can only be maintained by directly strengthening regions and ensuring a high quality of life on the ground.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission

Free movement of labour cannot be "free" if driven by lack of local choice. When workers leave home due to a scarcity of quality employment, low wages, or dismantled public services, mobility becomes forced. The "Right to Stay" must serve as a structural counterweight to ensure market resilience and upward social convergence, providing the necessary conditions for workers to work and live locally with quality.

The Kurzeme Planning Region welcomes and supports the European Commission’s initiative entitled ‘Right to stay: your region, your future”. This is a particularly important strategy for Latvia, which has one of the highest regional development disparities among OECD countries.

Filed in Latvian · English published by the European Commission

Eurocities welcomes the European Commissions initiative on the Right to Stay Strategy. The Right to Stay Strategy should recognise that all European territories and their communities face growing pressures that undermine peoples right and freedom to stay.

The municipality of Druskininkai supports the European Commission’s initiative on the right to stay and considers that one of the most important conditions for its implementation is to ensure the accessibility of regions by transport.

Filed in Lithuanian · English published by the European Commission

Views of the Regional Development Administration, Dalarna Region through Linnéa Hassis, Development Strategy: The region of Dalarna welcomes the initiative to strengthen the conditions for people to live and work across the EU. However, to achieve this, the initiative needs to be complemented by a clearer development perspective.

Filed in Swedish · English published by the European Commission

1. Who we are The LEADER region West Mecklenburg Baltic Sea Coast is a Local Action Group (LAG) composed of municipalities, business and civil society in north-western Mecklenburg. Since 1995, we have been implementing participatory rural development along the Baltic coast, inland and in the villages between Lübecker Bucht and Schweriner Lakeland.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission

This opinion is provided by the Rural Policy KERÄ- Network “For sustainable rural areas and just transition/Oikeudenmukaisen siirtymän ja kestävien maaseutujen puolesta”. The network operates under the Rural Policy Council, Mane, and is tasked with developing rural policy and promoting the implementation of the holistic rural policy programme, with a particular focus on the just transition and sustainable…

Filed in Swedish · English published by the European Commission

The Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania welcomes the European Commissions initiative on the Right to Stay. For many Lithuanian municipalities this initiative addresses very real challenges that affect everyday life and future development. At the beginning of 2026, 52 out of 60 Lithuanian municipalities had fewer residents than a year earlier, showing that population decline remains a widespread issue.

The Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists (LPK) welcomes the development of a European Right to Stay Strategy. We believe that people can genuinely choose to remain in their region only when quality jobs, investment opportunities, modern infrastructure and access to services are available. The Right to Stay should therefore be closely linked to the EU's competitiveness, cohesion and industrial policies.

A transformative breakthrough in regional education policy: The European Union’s current investment model in the education sector is often characterised by fragmentation and point-to-point financing that does not ensure systemic school renewal and deepens the divide between metropolitan areas and regions.

Filed in Lithuanian · English published by the European Commission

Contribution by Federació Nacional Catalana de Confraries de Pescadors to the European Commission’s public consultation on the Right to Stay strategy Mediterranean fishing communities, dependent on tourism and affected by seasonality, face structural challenges that limit their ability to maintain population and economic activity throughout the year.

Filed in Spanish · English published by the European Commission

Strengthening the hybrid resilience of cultural infrastructure and society in the context of geopolitical challenges and intensifying hybrid threats, the European Union’s eastern border is under the greatest pressure of information pressure and hostile propaganda.

Filed in Lithuanian · English published by the European Commission

Red VALENCIANA DE DESARROLLO RURAL La Red Valenciana de Desarrollo Rural (REVADER), an entity representing the 11 LEADER Local Action Groups of the Autonomous Community of Valencia (Spain), expressed its support for the European initiative Right to Stay and considered it to be a strategic opportunity to place the demographic challenge and territorial cohesion at the heart of European policies for the next…

Filed in Spanish · English published by the European Commission

The Alytus region needs additional and targeted funding from the European Union to ensure that the people have a real right to stay, work and build their future in the region. The Alytus region is a region of southern Lithuania and an external border area of the European Union bordering Belarus. Due to its geographical location, the region faces additional economic, demographic and security challenges.

Filed in Lithuanian · English published by the European Commission

A transformative breakthrough in regional policy: Attracting public sector talent through state-subsidised and EU-subsidised housing stock expansion in real estate market failure areas, the challenges identified in the European Commission’s Communication on Eastern Border Regions and the current geopolitical reality require a fundamental turning point in Lithuania’s regional policy.

Filed in Lithuanian · English published by the European Commission

Abstract The future European Strategy on the Right to Rimanere should formally recognise that digital infrastructure has taken on the same strategic importance as transport, energy and water infrastructure in the 21st century.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

The Spanish Government welcomes the Commission’s initiative, in the form of a communication, on the right to stay and the role of public policies in promoting prosperity and helping to make the EU’s rural regions attractive places to live.

Filed in Spanish · English published by the European Commission

The European Commission’s strategy on the right to stay in the regions is crucial for the vitality of communities, but in a context of geopolitical tensions, this right takes on a completely new meaning. At the external borders of the European Union bordering the military and hybrid threat region of Kaliningrad, the decision to stay in one’s homeland is no longer just a question of local economic attractiveness or…

Filed in Lithuanian · English published by the European Commission

The EU right-to-stay strategy should give concrete answers to how people can genuinely live, work and build their future in rural and shrinking regions. The right to stay cannot mean only a formal possibility to reside somewhere. It must be based on real conditions: jobs, services, education, transport connections, business opportunities and inclusion in the European Union.

The full version of the comments is attached. _ Right to remain: key obstacles and recommendations from the Ombudsman’s perspective The Ombudsman welcomes the European Commission’s initiative for a strategy on the right to stay.

Filed in Czech · English published by the European Commission

Italian experience confirms that the Right to Stay cannot be guaranteed by isolated interventions, but requires ecosystems capable of offering opportunities, services and quality of life. In this perspective, territorial rebalancing becomes an essential condition, transforming fragile territories from disadvantaged areas into drivers of development.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

Agri-cooperatives play an important role in supporting the right to stay in rural areas, as they are strongly rooted in their territories and help maintain local economic activity, employment, services, and value creation.

The Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs welcomes the European Commissions initiative Right to Stay Strategy: Your Region, Your Future and considers it relevant for strengthening economic, social and territorial cohesion across the European Union.

The Regional Council of Lapland welcomes the European Commissions initiative to develop a Right to Stay Strategy. As the northernmost region of the European Union and home to the EUs longest regional external eastern border, Lapland is among the regions most directly affected by geographical, demographic and geopolitical challenges.

Entrepreneurial Skärgård Comment to the European Commission’s consultation on the Right to Stay Strategy People want to stay in the archipelago, but today’s system often makes it difficult. The problem is rarely a lack of attractive characteristics or quality of life, but structures around housing, services, transport and development are not detrimental to permanent residence.

Filed in Swedish · English published by the European Commission

The Right to Stay depends on the ability of communities to shape their own future. Alongside infrastructure, services, jobs, and investment, rural communities need democratic power at the community level and a meaningful role in defining priorities, allocating resources, and driving local development. Democratic power at the community level is therefore a fundamental component of territorial resilience.

EWA input for the Right to Stay Strategy The European Wool Association AISBL (EWA) welcomes the Right to Stay Strategy: Your Region, Your Future and supports its objective to ensure that relocating remains a choice, not a necessity.

The Metropolitan City of Bologna and the Municipality of Bologna welcome the European Commission’s initiative to establish a European Right to Stay Strategy, recognising its relevance for the future of the Union’s territorial, social and economic cohesion.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

The European Union’s cohesion policy is one of the most important tools to put into practice the right to stay and live in dignity in a place they consider to be their home. By investing in transport infrastructure, education, health, digitalisation, entrepreneurship or the renewal of public spaces, it helps reduce disparities between regions and create conditions for quality of life beyond major economic centres.

Filed in Czech · English published by the European Commission

The Autonomous Region of the Azores, through the Regional Government of the Azores, considers the initiative of the European Commission to develop a Strategy on the Right to Ficar to be particularly timely, as it places at the heart of European policies the challenges faced by territories with permanent structural constraints, due to their geographical condition, and the need to create the conditions for their…

Filed in Portuguese · English published by the European Commission

In his report, Mr. Letta states that people should not only have the freedom to move but also the freedom to stay. The Commission has interpreted this as a right to stay, but the Netherlands would rather focus on giving people a reason to stay. The Netherlands believes this can be best achieved by creating economic opportunities for people in the region they live.

Η Περιφέρεια Ιονίων Νήσων χαιρετίζει την πρωτοβουλία της Ευρωπαϊκής Επιτροπής για τη διαμόρφωση στρατηγικής σχετικά με το «δικαίωμα παραμονής», καθώς ανταποκρίνεται σε κρίσιμες προκλήσεις που αντιμετωπίζουν πολλές περιφέρειες της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης, ιδίως οι νησιωτικές και απομακρυσμένες.

The European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA) welcomes the European Commissions initiative on the Right to Stay Strategy and the possibility of contributing to its call for evidence. For young farmers, the right to stay starts with the opportunity to build a future. Remaining in a territory is not simply a question of emotional attachment to a place.

This technical submission draws on evidence and emerging recommendations from several Horizon Europe projectsSMARTERA, BEATLES, FUTURAL, GRASS CEILING and RURBANIVEin which the European Association for Innovation in Local Development (AEIDL) contributes to the formulation of EU policy recommendations for smart, sustainable and inclusive local development.

Please find enclosed the contribution of the Demographic Change Regions Network with the input of 21 European Regions. Contribution is split in two parts: evidence of the needs of the regions to overcome barriers to the right to stay and recommendations for the future EU Strategy.

Ventspils City (Latvia) supports the European Commissions initiative The Right to Stay: Your Region, Your Future and proposes considering the following priorities important to Ventspils: 1.Geopolitical challenges, functional territories and port specificities.

EURASHE welcomes the Right to Stay Strategy and strongly supports its aim of enabling people to build their futures in their home regions. The feedback emphasises the central role of higher education institutions, particularly Universities of Applied Sciences, as drivers of regional attractiveness, innovation, and talent retention.

The depopulation of Italy’s inland areas is one of the country’s main economic, social and demographic challenges, as it leads to a progressive loss of human capital, skills and development opportunities. Inland areas, which cover around 60 % of the national territory and involve more than 13 million citizens, are a strategic component of Italy, directly affecting social cohesion, economic competitiveness and the…

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

Drawing on the experience of multiple projects in the programme area and building on concrete examples submitted in the Call for Evidence, the Interreg VI-A ItalySlovenia Programme demonstrates that many actions already contribute to the Right to Stay.

This contribution is produced by AEIDL the policy lead of SMART ERA, submits on behalf of the SMART ERA (SMART community-led transition for Europe's Rural Areas), which is a Horizon Europe project (Grant Agreement ID. 101084160).

The Diocesana San Tommaso dAquino Library (https://www.bibliodac.it/) and the San Bonaventura Foundation (https://fondazionesanbonaventura.it/) operate in Matese, an inland and mountainous area of the southern Apennines: this type of region, which is remote, mountainous and at risk of depopulation, is one of the most vulnerable to demographic change.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

When it comes to the Right to Stay strategy, the focus is most often on regions that lose their population. The situation in Mārupe municipality is slightly different from the overall population of Latvia, people want to stay here and people from other parts of Latvia choose to move here.

Filed in Latvian · English published by the European Commission

The European Small Islands Federation (ESIN) welcomes the European Commissions Right to Stay Strategy as an opportunity to strengthen the long-term viability of Europes rural, peripheral and geographically constrained communities.

‘Sicilia’ is a social promotion association for the economic and social development of Sicily and its diaspora, bringing together Sicilian professionals, researchers and entrepreneurs in Italy and abroad. Sicily is the most emblematic case of how aggregate growth can coexist with the emptying of a territory.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

The German Farmers Association (DBV) welcomes the European Commissions initiative to develop a comprehensive strategy on the right to stay and strongly supports the objective. In this context, the DBV emphasises the importance of strengthening rural areas, ensuring equivalent living conditions, and aligning key EU policies and funding instruments to reduce regional disparities and promote sustainable development.

The VYV Group is the leading mutual actor in health and social protection in France and supports more than 10 million people. We consider health as a whole and act on the majority of the factors that make matters clear by combining three complementary professions: Insurance: reimbursement for care, health, welfare, pension savings, dependency, property insurance.

Filed in French · English published by the European Commission

EETAA SA, as the institutionalised technical and scientific advisor to local authorities, considers the initiative of the European Commission in drawing up the strategy for the right of residence to be particularly important.

Filed in Greek · English published by the European Commission

Based on evidence emerging from 12 Rural Innovation Ecosystems (Dynamos) across Europe, RURACTIVE argues that the Right to Stay should be understood not primarily as a demographic objective, but as a territorial cohesion principle.

It is important, in the context of the implementation of strategies for maintaining people in the region, to introduce new courses of education which respond to the needs of young people living in the region, on the one hand, and to the needs of changing realities, on the other. One such example is the attempt to create a direction for veterinary medicine at the University of Białystok.

Filed in Polish · English published by the European Commission

The Municipality of Agios Efstratios welcomes the initiative of the European Commission in drawing up the Strategy for the Right of Stay. Improving connectivity, both transport and digital, remains an important issue for small islands.

Filed in Greek · English published by the European Commission

This contribution is prepared by Nostos, Civic Initiative for the Right to Stay in the Mezzogiorno, by Chiara Barberi and Umberto Frijia. The full document is attached in PDF; this note summarises its main contents. The contribution brings to the attention of the Commission the case of Reggio Calabria and Calabria as a test case for the right to stay.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

Ardino municipality is a small mountain municipality located in the south-western part of Kardzhali province on the border between Eastern and Western Rhodopes, with an area of 338.8 km², 41 town halls, 52 inhabited localities with a population of 16 000 people at their current address and 34 000 people at their permanent address.

Filed in Bulgarian · English published by the European Commission

The Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE Programme welcomes the European Commissions initiative to develop a "Right to Stay" strategy. The possibility for people to remain in the place they call home depends on many interlinked factors: access to quality services, jobs and skills, sustainable mobility, digital connectivity, social innovation, strong local economies and effective governance.

It is important, but above all strategic for people to be able to live in their place of origin, to put in place measures to stimulate people’s sense of well-being. This could be done through programmes to develop an optimal model of support for the well-being of residents using modern methods of intervention and prevention of mental, somatic and social health.

Filed in Polish · English published by the European Commission

Remote welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Call for Evidence on the Right to Stay Strategy and strongly supports its central ambition: that freedom of movement must be matched by a genuine freedom to stay. Remote is a global HR platform offering Employer of Record (EOR), Global Payroll and Contractor Management solutions in all EU Member States.

Right to Stay - Your Region, Your Future Submission to the European Commission consultation I am a resident of rural Latvia and co-owner of a family tourism business on the Baltic Sea coast in Saka Parish. Our family has restored and developed this property over more than 30 years, creating a well-known nature-based camping site that depends on a peaceful and high-quality environment.

The Tolerance Association supports the "Right to Stay" Strategy to tackle depopulation and regional disparities in Bulgarian municipalities. We propose a stronger local role, targeted funding, quality services, and preserving local cultural heritage. More information can be obtained from the uploaded document.

The document could take better account of the needs of persons with disabilities. Being able to stay at home depends not only on the availability of jobs, but also on access to services that support independent living, transport, health, education and digital infrastructure.

Filed in Polish · English published by the European Commission

Mountains are first governed by the challenges stemming from their topography, including remoteness, slope, increased exposure to natural hazards, and environmental risks. Euromontana reiterates, as the Commission highlights in its Call for Evidence, that: Rural and remote regions, including ...mountain regionsare particularly exposed to the risks of economic decline and population loss.

CEMR welcomes the European Commissions Right to Stay initiative. For CEMR, the right to stay means that every person should be able to live, work and thrive in the place of their choice, without being constrained by lack of services, opportunities or affordability. Delivering on this right requires a place-based, integrated and multilevel governance approach, with local and regional governments at its core. 1.

Contribution from the City of Budapest to the Right to Stay Your Region, Your Future Strategy The City of Budapest welcomes the European Commissions work on the Right to Stay strategy. For Budapest, this concept is highly relevant. We understand it not as a legal right in a narrow sense, but as a practical policy objective: people should have a real choice to remain in the place where they live.

Municipality of Momchilgrad welcomes the European Commissions initiative Right to Stay: Your Region, Your Future and supports the need for a stronger European focus on regions facing demographic, economic and territorial challenges.

The territories of the Italian regions have a very heterogeneous geography with often significant disparities in development. In this sense, European cohesion policies play an essential role in tackling territorial inequalities, both between and within regions, as well as smaller local realities.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

As the biggest regional NGO we welcome the European Commission's initiative regarding residents' right to remain in the region they consider home. From the perspective of the Podlaskie Voivodeship a region located on the external border of the European Union the problems of depopulation, youth outflow, and limited development opportunities are particularly significant.

The initiative is warmly welcomed as it responds to the need for regional development to offer people good prospects for the future, regardless of where they live, and to give them the freedom to choose where to live, live and work. This primarily concerns lagging regions, whose long-term sustainability is crucial for economic and social cohesion in Lower Saxony, Germany and the EU.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission

View of the Latgale Planning Region on the European Commission’s initiative entitled ‘Right to stay: your region, your future“The Latgale Planning Region welcomes the European Commission’s initiative entitled ‘Right to stay: your region, your future", as it focuses on one of the main challenges for the future of the European Union as a result of the exodus of citizens from the outermost, less developed and border…

Filed in Latvian · English published by the European Commission

The Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of the Generalitat de Cataluña has the following comments on the ‘Right to remain’ strategy, aimed at strengthening its operability in the next programming of European funds and its territorial implementation. 1. Integration of the right to stay.

Filed in Spanish · English published by the European Commission

Municipality of Dulovo Contribution to the European Commission Consultation on the Right to Stay Strategy Investing in children and young people is one of the most effective ways to strengthen the future of local communities.

Living in a mountain municipality means more than living in a specific geographical area. It means being part of a community shaped by strong social ties, shared traditions and close connections between people and place. These characteristics continue to define everyday life in Municipality of Yakoruda and remain an important foundation for local cohesion and community spirit.

The EU right-to-stay strategy should give concrete answers to how people can genuinely live, work and build their future in rural and shrinking regions. The right to stay cannot mean only a formal possibility to reside somewhere. It must be based on real conditions: jobs, services, education, transport connections, business opportunities and inclusion in the European Union.

The LEADER approach is one of the most important and effective instruments through which the EU and its member states can promote the Right to Stay in rural areas. For over three decades, LEADER has enabled rural communities to shape their own future through a bottom-up, place-based model of development.

The right to stay means ensuring that people can stay in the territories where they were born, live or want to build their future, by choice and not because of a lack of alternatives. In rural and low-density territories, this requires public policies that are territorialised, integrated and built with communities, capable of simultaneously addressing demographic, economic, social, environmental and access to…

Filed in Portuguese · English published by the European Commission

To ensure economic, social, and territorial cohesion under Article 174 TFEU, the future Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034 must decisively prioritize the generational revitalization and demographic stability of peri-urban and rural areas.

INSULEUR welcomes the European Commission's initiative to develop a "Right to Stay Strategy" and is pleased to contribute to this Call for Evidence. The attached document outlines the specific challenges faced by European islands, including but not limited to demographic decline, accessibility constraints, housing pressures, limited access to services, climate vulnerability, and barriers to economic diversification.

For the City of Brno and the Brno Metropolitan Area, we see the right to stay initiative as a support for regions, functional areas, cities and municipalities, and a contribution to a more polycentric development of the European Union.

In the heart of the Rose Valley, between the Stara Planina and Sredna Gora, the municipality of Pavel Banya is an example of a territory where natural resources, health and quality of life are closely linked. Known for its mineral springs and traditions of thermal cure and rehabilitation, the municipality has demonstrated how natural heritage can become a driver of sustainable local development and societal…

Filed in Bulgarian · English published by the European Commission

For Pilsen, the right to stay is linked less to demographic decline than to the long-term ability of the city and the wider Pilsen Region to remain attractive, competitive and liveable. The attached contribution stresses that Pilsen and the region have long been considered attractive development areas, and their strategic documents already define priorities for sustainable development, regional competitiveness and…

The right to stay is highly relevant for the Svitavy region: local data show a demographic, social and economic trends that need to be addressed. City of Svitavy is a natural administrative, economic and educational centre of the southern Pardubice Region. The district consists of 28 municipalities with 30,884 inhabitants in 2023. Its population density, 88.2 people per km2, is below the regional average.

The Municipality of Oinousses attaches great importance to the European Commission’s initiative to draw up a strategy for the right of residence. For small island communities, especially those facing the effects of ‘double insularity’, empowering citizens to live and operate in their area is a crucial aspect of sustainable development.

Filed in Greek · English published by the European Commission

The Banská Bystrica Self-Governing Region (BBSK) is fully aware of the seriousness of the demographic situation in which it finds itself. While we have implemented ground-breaking projects in recent years under the CuRI and other programmes, analyses clearly show that these isolated efforts alone cannot stop the deepening demographic crisis and the massive exodus of talent.

Filed in Slovak · English published by the European Commission

APS, as an entrepreneur operating in Podlaskie, Eastern Poland and the border region of the European Union, welcomes the direction of the European Commission’s initiative on the right to stay. However, we believe that this right should be understood more broadly than just the possibility to live in a place of their choice.

Filed in Polish · English published by the European Commission

Confagricoltura is the main organisation representing Italian agricultural businesses and promotes policies at European level to support the competitiveness of the sector and the development of rural areas. The right to stay must be understood as the real possibility for people to live, work and build their future in rural areas, benefiting from opportunities and services comparable to those available in urban…

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

The European Commissions Right to Stay initiative rightly highlights a fundamental principle: mobility within the European Union should remain a free and conscious choice, not a necessity driven by economic hardship or territorial imbalance.

As a network representing metropolitan authorities across Europe, EMA wishes to underline that metropolitan areas are essential actors in guaranteeing the Right to Stay. Besides regions, the metropolitan dimension must also be fully integrated into the future strategy.

The Region of Västerbotten welcomes the Commission’s ambition with the Right to Stay strategy. Strengthening the ability to live, work and operate in all parts of the EU is the foundation of economic and social cohesion, creating regional competitiveness, resilience and well-being. For Västerbotten, which is part of the northern sparsely populated areas (NSPA), the strategy is particularly urgent.

Filed in Swedish · English published by the European Commission

Innovation is a driver of regional economic growth. There is a strong geographical concentration of innovation, particularly in terms of traditional innovation indicators (patents and RDI metrics). The biggest university cities are the hottest places for innovation. However, there is no reason to think that innovation does not occur beyond these centres. Rural areas and smaller cities are not innovation deserts.

Filed in Finnish · English published by the European Commission

SGI Europe represents employers and enterprises delivering services of general interest. We are part of the Coalition for the Freedom to Stay, which promotes a balanced vision of Europe in which the Freedom to Move is complemented by the Freedom to Stay.

Businesses need tools to keep young people in the region. An effective tool of this kind would be to support entrepreneurs in recruiting people from shortly after their studies, especially from technical fields.

Filed in Polish · English published by the European Commission

The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region welcomes the European Commission’s proposal for a European strategy for the right to remain. Freedom of movement within the European Union offers European citizens the opportunity to live, study, work and undertake business in another Member State, but they must also be able to remain and build quality personal and professional lives in their region of origin.

Filed in French · English published by the European Commission

THE RIGHT TO STAY THROUGH A SOCIAL LENS The right to stay, set out by Enrico Letta and in Executive Vice-President Fitto's mission, is the principle that leaving one's region should be a free choice never a necessity forced by the absence of jobs, services or prospects. It is, at heart, a social question: people stay when there are jobs to be had, skills to be gained, care to rely on and a community to belong to.

Despite the undeniable success of the European integration and the Single Market, several regions in Europe have been experiencing a fall in economic prospects and job opportunities. In order to ensure the freedom to stay all over Europe, the main question is how to reinforce the Single Market along with European competitiveness, with no prejudice of internal cohesion in its triple dimension: economic, social and…

Working closely with Italy’s inland and mountainous areas on a daily basis, we experience complexity: while the shadow of population decline and the scarcity of essential services weighs, extraordinary awareness emerges. These are not places to win, but spaces where solutions and new development models can emerge that can enlighten the future of the whole country.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

What do young people need to stay in their place? I4-Mobile Sp. z o.o. Sp. K. is active in the telecommunications and services sales sector, creating jobs primarily for young people starting their careers. An important part of the team consists of staff without prior experience who acquire sales, communication, organisational and management skills through implementation, training and practical work with the client.

Filed in Polish · English published by the European Commission

The Statutory City of Ostrava welcomes the EC’s initiative to strengthen the attractiveness of regions and enable residents to build their future where they want to live. The topic is extremely topical for Ostrava and the Ostrava Metropolitan Area. The region has been undergoing a challenging transformation for decades, with heavy industry being phased out and coal being phased out.

Filed in Czech · English published by the European Commission

The right to stay requires a right to development. As an entrepreneur operating in the Podlaskie region, I see that the greatest threat to the future of peripheral regions is not only depopulation, but the loss of faith in the possibility of development on the ground. The EU’s Eastern border regions have been operating under increased geopolitical risks for several years.

Filed in Polish · English published by the European Commission

As a large enterprise operating in the Podlaskie Voivodeship, we welcome the Right to stay initiative: Your region, your future. One of the biggest challenges for companies operating outside major agglomerations is the outflow of young skilled workers to large cities or abroad.

Filed in Polish · English published by the European Commission

The Interreg Atlantic Area Programme, together with the GRAAL project, launched the consultation Young Voices for the Atlantic in 2026, engaging young people aged 1830 from France, Ireland, Portugal and Spain. The initiative aims to inform the possible creation of an Atlantic Youth Platform by gathering young people's perspectives through an online survey and interactive participatory sessions.

This contribution is submitted by a territorial network operating in the Valnerina and inner Umbrian Apennines, involving municipalities, civic associations and local community actors. The document proposes Recognising community infrastructures, collaborative territorial ecosystems and proximity networks as strategic dimensions of the European Right to Stay strategy.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

Submission to the EU Right to Stay Strategy Consultation [name removed] of Regional development ([email removed]) The Western Development Commission (WDC) welcomes the Right to Stay Strategy and its objective of enabling people to build prosperous lives within their own regions.

As an entrepreneur operating in the Podlaskie region, I believe that the greatest challenge for the future of peripheral regions is not only the decline in the number of inhabitants, but above all the disappearance of the belief that it is possible to build a future and develop professionally.

Filed in Polish · English published by the European Commission

The Basque Government welcomes the European "Right to Stay" initiative. We would like to contribute to its design and development by sharing the Basque Country's experience in the field of the Social Economy, understood as a means of driving economic and social development through collective action rooted in the territory, and as an effective guarantee of the Right to Stay.

he Municipality of Spoleto and the "Spoleto Solidale" network (coordinated by CESVOL Spoleto) present an innovative model of horizontal subsidiarity designed to counteract demographic ageing, isolation, and relational poverty in Central Italy.

he Municipality of Spoleto and the "Spoleto Solidale" network (coordinated by CESVOL Spoleto) present an innovative model of horizontal subsidiarity designed to counteract demographic ageing, isolation, and relational poverty in Central Italy.

Refugees who face political, religious or social persecution in their home countries must be given a permanent right to stay in Germany. People fleeing the civil war or suffering from hunger or climate disasters should also have the right to remain in the EU, at least as long as the poor in their home country persists.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission

Drinking water suppliers serve one of the highest and most basic human needs. Drinking water suppliers like Stadtwerke Karlsruhe are facing a high number of micropollutants, e.g. see technical report of the Groundwater Watch List Group of the WFD CIS Working Group on non-relevant pesticide metabolites)…

The Slovak Ministry of Tourism and Sport welcomes the European Commission’s initiative to prepare a strategy on the right to stay, which responds to persistent regional disparities, demographic challenges, depopulation and the weakening of economic and social activity in certain regions of the European Union.

Filed in Slovak · English published by the European Commission

Aragon brings to the future Right to Stay Strategy a territorial experience marked by the coexistence of dynamic urban and industrial poles with large rural, mountainous and sparsely populated areas. The ability to stay depends on a stable mix of employment, competitiveness, public services, housing, mobility, digital connectivity and administrative capacity.

Filed in Spanish · English published by the European Commission

In Finland’s Kylät ry’s view, the key task of the Right to stay strategy is to remove the structural barriers that prevent people from living and building their lives in rural areas. The main bottlenecks to be addressed relate to services, housing, accessibility, financing and job opportunities. For services, a hybrid model combining proximity, mobile and digital services is needed.

Filed in Finnish · English published by the European Commission

We see the Right to Stay strategy as a necessary strategy, as one of the tools that can help cities with their challenges. However, we also highlight the reverse problem of high population concentration in metropolitan areas and the resulting challenges (HMP, 2024). Cohesion policy should strike a balance between the objectives of convergence and competitiveness, as each territory faces specific challenges.

Filed in Czech · English published by the European Commission

The Chamber of Caregivers of Slovakia welcomes the initiative of the EC aimed at supporting the right of citizens to remain living in their regions. We believe that the basic conditions for fulfilling this right include the availability of LTC, health care and support for families providing care to their loved ones.

ANCE welcomes the European Commission’s initiative to establish a strategy on the right to remain. The topic addressed is of particular relevance for the construction sector, as the capacity of territories to attract and retain population, economic activities and investments depends on the quality of infrastructure, building stock and available services.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

The municipality of Plœuc-L'Hermitage, a rural community of 4,500 inhabitants in France, is directly concerned by the challenges addressed through the European initiative "Right to Stay Your Region, Your Future", including access to services, economic attractiveness and quality of life. Indeed, in rural communities across Europe, the issue of the "right to stay" is a daily reality.

European fundamental freedoms, in particular the free movement of persons, are one of the key achievements of the European Union and a key promise to its citizens. The ability to live and work across borders is at the heart of the idea of European integration. At the same time, there are many people who are not eligible for cross-border activities. For them, Europe must be tangible on the ground and bring benefits.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission

I recommend to network with the Global Center for Climate Mobility which has been working deeply in the field of climate migration and the right to stay. Interreg NEXT MED has been in close touch with GCCM and we considered the possibility to explore joint actions to address the "right to stay" challenge in the Mediterranean.

Please find attached the official contribution of the Federal State of Lower Austria to the European Commissions consultation on the Right to Stay initiative. The attached document contains the detailed position, observations and recommendations of Lower Austria and is respectfully submitted for consideration within the consultation process.

SOPRODEVAJE believes that the right to remain will only be a reality in the EU if the next MFF 28-34 maintains and reinforces in a mandatory way the Leader-CLLD methodology and the role of Local Action Groups (LAGs), also ensuring sufficient, stable and binding financial allocation.

Filed in Spanish · English published by the European Commission

Comments on the Right to Stay initiative from the perspective of the Capital City of Bratislava. We support the initiative’s objective of creating the conditions for residents to stay and develop their lives in their region.

Filed in Slovak · English published by the European Commission

The Latvian Network of Women’s Non-Governmental Organisations (SST) supports the European Commission’s intention to develop a strategy on the right to remain in habitual residence, with a particular focus on regions and territories.

Filed in Latvian · English published by the European Commission

The European Union should do more to support learning between Member States and the identification, sharing and uptake of good practices. Effective solutions have been developed across Europe to strengthen entrepreneurship, business continuity and local vitality. Greater use of these experiences could bring significant added value to the competitiveness of Europe as a whole and to the vitality of its regions.

Filed in Finnish · English published by the European Commission

Position paper by MTK Lapland’s rural youth: As young people and future producers and farmers, maintaining the services and vibrancy of our home communities is a lifeline for all those living in rural areas. In small municipalities and villages in Lapland, northern and eastern Finland, the centralisation policy is particularly visible and felt.

Filed in Finnish · English published by the European Commission

Hello, I am writing not only as a local administrator, but as a young person who has chosen to stay in their own country. Lungro, an arbëreshe community in the province of Cosenza, shows that both Restance and Return can become concrete tools for territorial renaissance, if supported by appropriate policies.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

The new challenges of staying: Training ecosystems and entrepreneurship in Western Friuli. Mountain Leader (LAG Friuli Venezia Giulia) capitalises on more than 30 years of experience in sustainable endogenous development to propose an integrated development hypothesis.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

The Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS) at Newcastle University has been at the forefront of research on regional development, territorial cohesion, economic restructuring and place-based policy for almost 50 years. We therefore welcome the European Commission's initiative to develop a Right to Stay Strategy.

The Lubuskie Region (Poland) is the only region in Poland that has developed and is implementing a pilot Demographic Adaptation Plan (attached, in Polish). This is important in the context of the "The Right to Stay" initiative. The goals of our plan align well with the initiative's objectives. The plan aims to ensure a high quality of life for residents of shrinking communities.

The Emilia-Romagna Region believes that the future European strategy on Right to Stay should be fully integrated into the process of reforming cohesion policy, contributing directly to guiding its content and priorities.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

Transdev considers that the Right to Stay Strategy must recognise that access to opportunities (not just their existence) is essential for regional vitality. In many rural and peripheral areas, limited mobility remains a key barrier to jobs, services and social inclusion. Ensuring reliable and well-connected mobility is therefore a prerequisite for making the Right to Stay effective.

Please see attached the European Environmental Bureaus (EEB) feedback. The EEB's contribution sets out how the EUs Right to Stay Strategy can align with the renewable energy transition to strengthen rural resilience and territorial cohesion, towards ensuring that rural communities are primary beneficiaries and active participants in the renewable acceleration.

SA Võrumaa Development Centre is a leader in the development of Võru County and promotes the region’s comprehensive and systemic cooperation. Cedefop is an important partner for national institutions, local authorities, the private and non-profit sector and is also responsible for developing international cooperation and representing the common interests of the region at different levels.

Filed in Estonian · English published by the European Commission

Without a viable retail and wholesale presence, quality of life declines and depopulation accelerates, undermining the right to stay. Retail and wholesale are indispensable to enabling citizens right to stay in the place they call home.

The Central Baltic Interreg programme covers urban and rural regions in Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Sweden, including borders on the EU Eastern (external) border. The topic of right to stay is of vital importance to the regions. Many, if not most, project partners seek to strengthen their regions to allow more people to stay.

Opinion on the preservation of LEADER for the further development of rural areas in West Mecklenburg LEADER has proved to be one of the most effective and citizen-focused European Union support instruments for the development of rural areas in the past funding periods.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission

The Interreg EstoniaLatvia Programme contributes to the objectives of the Right to Stay initiative by helping border regions remain attractive places to live, work and build a future. Through cross-border cooperation, the programme strengthens local economies, improves access to services, supports community engagement and enhances quality of life in rural and peripheral areas.

The Instituto Madrileño de Investigación y Desarrollo Rural, Agrario y Alimentario (IMIDRA), as the public research body of the Community of Madrid, considers that the so-called right to stay should be understood not as a subjective right comparable to that of free movement, but as a guiding principle of cohesion policy, aimed at ensuring that citizens can develop their life project in the territory where they wish…

Filed in Spanish · English published by the European Commission

The Sardinian Sea Port System Authority proposes an operational model for implementing the right to stay, based on a training ecosystem that integrates innovation, maritime tradition and the real needs of businesses linked to the port, recreational, nautical shipbuilding and fishing sectors. The aim is to provide young people with concrete opportunities for training and qualified employment in their own territory.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

As a feminist education and counselling centre in Schleswig-Holstein, the Women’s Network on the Labour Situation welcomes the Right to Stay initiative and wishes to bring forward a perspective that has so far been absent from the debate: It is also a question of gender equality.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission

As a resident and municipal employee of Latgale, I would like to stress that the European Union’s Right to stay strategy: your region, your future for our region is not just topical but critical. Latgale is one of the EU’s border regions with long-standing socio-economic challenges, and this strategy offers hope for a targeted and sustainable development turnaround.

Filed in Latvian · English published by the European Commission

BREKO represents alternative broadband network operators deploying fibre networks across Germany. The association welcomes the Commissions Right to Stay Strategy, which seeks to strengthen regional cohesion and ensure that citizens can choose where to live and work. Digital connectivity is a core enabler of this objective.

Białystok, 5 May 2026 Position/Opinion of the Eastern European Academy of Applied Sciences in Białystok (Provence) on the Right to Stay-Right to Stay (RTS) project I remain because I have no reason to leave: Our support for Right to Stay is linked to the belief that good living conditions, security, development opportunities and strong social ties are key factors in stabilising people where they live.

Filed in Polish · English published by the European Commission

Interreg ItalySlovenia project "BioTech2Agri" supported innovation and competitiveness in the agro-food sector by fostering knowledge transfer and cross-border collaboration between research institutions, development agencies, clusters and SMEs in the programme area.

MTÜ Kodukant Läänemaa is a LEADER Local Action Group operating in Western Estonia. We welcome the European Commissions initiative on the Right to Stay and strongly support policies that enable people to live, work and thrive in their home regions. Estonia provides a clear example of the challenges addressed by this strategy.

The CID Sorian TIERRAS ASSOCIATION considers that the right to remain will only be a reality in the EU if the next MFF 28-34 maintains and reinforces in a mandatory way the Leader-CLLD methodology and the role of Local Action Groups (LAGs), also ensuring sufficient, stable and binding financial allocation.

Filed in Spanish · English published by the European Commission

Based on the results of the study "Cross-border living permits: Knowing, understanding and acting at the level of transboundary living basins “, the MOT and its network published a” Manifesto for the recognition and better consideration of ‘transboundary living basins’ in public action”.

Filed in French · English published by the European Commission

Manifesto for Balanced Economic Development in Cross-Border Territories (2026) While cross-border mobilitywith nearly 520,000 cross-border workers residing in Franceillustrates the interdependence of European labour markets, it also creates growing imbalances in certain French territories: recruitment difficulties, labour shortages in essential sectors, and increasing pressure on housing and public services.

Right to stay experience from Region 10 in inland Region 10 of northern Sweden consists of ten inland municipalities with very low population density, long geographical distances and small local labour markets. Nevertheless, the area is characterised by high demand for labour in both the public and private sectors.

Filed in Swedish · English published by the European Commission

Commission's Call for Evidence for the new "Right to Stay" Strategy: SILVER JOBS POCTEP project example: Silver Jobs is a project in the Interreg SpainPortugal (POCTEP) 20212027 programme that tackles rural depopulation by creating jobs in the care sector for older people in rural areas.

The City of Zagreb, as the capital of the Republic of Croatia and the only unit of local and regional self-government, strongly supports the European Commission’s ‘Right to stay’ initiative. We believe that the right of citizens to build their future in the communities they want to live in is a fundamental European principle and an essential prerequisite for Europe’s social cohesion, territorial balance and…

Filed in Croatian · English published by the European Commission

In addition to strengthening social services of general interest and local infrastructure, strengthening social cohesion and democratic coexistence in rural areas is also essential to make the right to stay a reality also in rural areas and to counter radical and anti-democratic forces.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission

The Municipality of Baňa, a small rural municipality with approximately 200 inhabitants in Eastern Slovakia, welcoming the European Commissions initiative Right to Stay Your Region, Your Future. We believe that preserving life in rural areas and supporting the development of small municipalities is essential for Europes future.

Filed in Slovak · English published by the European Commission

Cohesion Policy Cohesion policy is a key contributor to the European Right to Stay approach. Bavaria in particular shows how successful regional policy can help create equal living conditions, prevent depopulation and sustainably strengthen rural areas.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission

CONTRIBUTION OF THE INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATION OF THE CANARY ISLANDS (ASINCA) TO THE PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON THE STRATEGY ON THE RIGHT TO STAY: Its REGION, YOUR FUTURO ASINCA, conveys these contributions to the European Commission with a view to contributing constructively to the design of a strategy that is, in practice, an effective instrument to ensure that citizens and businesses in the outermost regions can fully…

Filed in Spanish · English published by the European Commission

The Office of the Plenipotentiary of the Government of the Slovak Republic for the Development of Civil Society presents this opinion from the perspective of its mandate to coordinate the development of civil society, the implementation of the Open Government Initiative (OGP) and the strengthening of public participation in governance. We fully share the Commission’s analysis of the growing geography of discontent”.

Filed in Slovak · English published by the European Commission

Pirityinen ry is a Leader group in Central Ostrobothnia. We see that LEADER can support the objectives of the EU’s ‘Right to stay’ strategy by strengthening the vitality, settlement and local potential of rural areas, so that people have a genuine chance to stay, return or migrate. The idea of using local expertise and know-how for the development of the region is also at the heart of Pirityiset ry’s work.

Filed in Finnish · English published by the European Commission

We make the following comments and recommendations on the draft strategy: 1. Effective implementation of the right to stay requires the creation of mechanisms that retain young talent in the region or induce them to return after leaving education.

Filed in Polish · English published by the European Commission

The LAG NVP supports the initiative and would like to stress the importance of maintaining financial resources for rural development, in particular through the LEADER programme. The continuation of LEADER is crucial to making rural areas economically, socially and environmentally fit for the future.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission

Successes of EU LEADER funding in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and across the EU! Much has moved in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in recent years. A key driver of this positive development is the widespread implementation of the European LEADER strategy.

Filed in German · English published by the European Commission

The Central Baltic Interreg programme covers urban and rural regions in Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Sweden, including borders on the EU Eastern (external) border. The topic of right to stay is of vital importance to the regions. Several projects of different sizes and partnerships have contributed.

Further to the request to contribute to the preparation of a document from the Department for Cohesion Policies of the Region of Sicily on the right to stay, please find below the proposal from the Palermo Trapani Sicet.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission

The European Commission’s ‘Right to stay’ initiative is welcomed by the Lapland Centre for Living Resources’s rural finance experts. This initiative is particularly important for the EU’s northern and eastern border regions, including the province of Lapland. Lapland is one of the least populated areas in the EU and around 96 % of the land area is sparsely populated rural.

Filed in Finnish · English published by the European Commission

Confartigianato Imprese is the most representative Italian organisation of crafts and micro and SMEs and one of the most important social partners in Italy. At national level, it has 104 local associations, 21 regional federations, 1.206 offices and 10.700 employees, offering different types of services to over 1.5 million craftsmen and small entrepreneurs and almost 700.000 businesses.

Filed in Italian · English published by the European Commission