Ceuta (28.4%), Melilla (21.6%) and Andalusia (19%) make up the "top 3" of European regions with the most unemployment, placing Spain as the State of the European Union (EU) that registers the most unequal unemployment rates, directly followed by France and Italy, as published this Monday by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR).
In its annual report on the state of EU cities and regions, the CoR warned of the "prominent regional inequalities" that Spain has in terms of employment, and pointed out a gap of 19.8 points in 2022 between the community with the most occupation and less.
The analysis of the Committee of the Regions, which has studied the data from all EU countries, concludes that, at the current pace, "it will be difficult to achieve" by 2030 the community objective of having at least 78% of citizens working of the EU between 20 and 64 years old.
The CoR, which is the EU consultative body that represents the regions and cities of the Twenty-seven, also warns that the poorest people in the Union are increasingly having financial problems, a situation that the report compares with the situation experienced in the continent after the 2008 crisis.
"At the same time, income inequality is worsening due to the concentration of wealth, which prevents equal opportunities and upward social mobility, while inflaming political polarization," warns the CoR, which calls on central governments greater collaboration with regions and cities.
The report of the Committee of the Regions also warns of the loss of young people of working age suffered, in particular, by Asturias, Castilla y León, Castilla-la Mancha and Extremadura, four Spanish communities that, according to the CoR, are at risk of becoming what the entity calls a "talent trap", alluding to the export of qualified personnel to other regions and countries.
To adapt to the needs of each territory, the CoR calls in the report to "regionalize" the design of reindustrialization plans, processes that can be supported by European post-covid recovery funds, where Spain is the EU country where Local officials have participated more in the implementation of these funds, something that does not please the Committee of the Regions.
The Committee of the Regions foresees "devastating effects" on the local tourism industry in Spain, and the rest of the European countries in the Mediterranean, due to the foreseeable increase in global temperatures due to climate change.
The drop in tourist demand can be up to 9% in territories such as the Balearic Islands or Murcia, while Atlantic communities such as Galicia, Asturias or Euskadi could better avoid the drop, according to the CdR based on a study by the Joint Research Center of the EU (JRC).
According to an estimate by the European Environment Agency, Europe needs €40 billion a year to adapt to an increase in global temperature of up to 1.5 degrees above 1990 levels.
In the worst scenarios, this figure would rise to 120 billion euros and 200 billion euros per year to adapt to a temperature increase of 2 degrees, or between 3 and 4 degrees, respectively.
