Country profile on rural characteristics Spain - RuDI

The primary focus of RuDI is upon rural policy as manifest by the implementation of Reg1688/2005. This is a complex policy instrument, combining both sectoral and territorialapproaches. The former, since it addresses the needs of the primary sector, requires nospatial definition of its arena for activity. Axis 3, however, is at least in part “territorial”,and necessitates a definition of its “constituency”. Whilst accepting the principle thatrural areas should ideally be defined at a relatively detailed spatial scale, there are boththeoretical and practical reasons for structuring the analysis in this paper in terms oflarger statistical regions.In theoretical terms it must be acknowledged that no local “rural economies” are selfcontained,they are inseparably linked to adjacent small towns and to larger cities andconurbations on a global scale. It is therefore arguable that the appropriate context forterritorial rural policy analysis is best defined in terms of larger functional areas,characterised by varying combinations of rural and urban components. From a practicalperspective, there is no avoiding the simple fact that the availability of “harmonised”statistics across the EU27 points to an analysis based on NUTS 2/3 region data.Bearing these considerations in mind the description of the rural situation which occupiessections 2 and 3 of this paper will be developed on the basis of the following sources:(a) The rural-urban typology presented in the Fourth Cohesion Report (EC 2007a).This has been selected (in preference to the OECD typology from which it wasdeveloped) because it is considered that the additional differentiation betweenurban-adjacent and more remote regions is helpful in terms of M.S. comparativeanalysis. In section 2.1 the distribution of three basic indicators, (area, populationand GDP) according to the above urban-rural typology, will be used to convey thegeneral urban-rural character or <strong>profile</strong> of the M.S. in a way which allowscomparisons across the EU27.(b) National definitions and typologies will be used in section 2.2 to convey theconcept of rurality which underlies the national policy tradition.(c) In section 3 the principal source for statistical data will be the most recent “RuralDevelopment in the European Union” report (EC 2007b). The <strong>profile</strong> will bebroadly structured according to the first three axes of EU Rural Developmentpolicy. Axes 1 and 2, being mainly sectoral, are associated with national averagesof indicators relating to the primary sector. Rural conditions relating to Axis 3 aredescribed within the (territorial) framework of the OECD rural-urban typology ofNUTS 2/3 regions.(d) The discussion of the M.S. implementation of EU rural development policy (section4.2) will rely heavily upon the national (or regional) programme document.(e) In section 4.1 and 4.3 a range of national policy documents will be used as abasis for the discussion of national rural policy approaches.6