In Spain, the number of deaths exceeded births in 2015, and by 2031, the country will have lost more than half a million inhabitants across the country. These and many other pessimistic figures, which are even more serious in rural areas, led the Senate Plenary to agree in 2015 to create the Study Committee for the Adoption of Measures Regarding Rural Depopulation in Spain , established within the Local Entities Commission.

Based on this study report, on January 17, at the VI Conference of Presidents of Autonomous Communities, among other agreements, one was signed regarding a "National Strategy to Combat Depopulation" with the aim of mitigating the progressive aging of the population and rural depopulation.

According to the text of the Conference of Presidents' Agreement, "The consequences of depopulation are negative for the economy and future prospects of the affected geographic areas, as consumers, labor, investment attractiveness, critical mass, and economies of scale for the provision of all types of goods and services, both private and public, are lost."

For all these reasons, and taking into account the conclusions and recommendations of the report, the presidents agreed:

1. Promote specific measures to address demographic challenges.

2. To prepare and develop, by the Government of Spain, with the collaboration of the Autonomous Communities, Cities with a Statute of Autonomy, and Local Authorities, a National Strategy to Address the Demographic Challenge, of a comprehensive and cross-cutting nature, which designs a joint and forward-looking response to alleviate the problems of the progressive aging of the population, territorial depopulation, and the effects of the floating population.

3. This Strategy, which must be approved in 2017, will take into account the conclusions and recommendations of the Study Committee for the adoption of measures related to rural depopulation in Spain (created within the Senate's Committee on Local Entities), in addition to the recommendations and proposals drawn up for this purpose in forums and meetings of the autonomous communities. The proposals and recommendations of the Senate's Special Study Committee on the measures to be implemented to prevent the depopulation of mountain areas and, in due course, those emanating from the Special Study Committee on demographic developments, whose creation, also in the Senate, has been recently agreed upon, will take into account the document of the Forum of the Regions, prepared by eight Autonomous Communities, and any other contributions that the Autonomous Communities may make.

4. The Government of Spain, the Autonomous Communities, and the Cities with Autonomous Statute, to the extent possible, will defend before the European Union authorities the need for Union policies to take into account and respond to demographic challenges, which in most respects are common to all Member States.