From idea to action: Measuring regional conditions for the freedom to stay

For the EU single market to deliver prosperity that is both competitive and inclusive, people must have genuine opportunities to stay and thrive in the places they call home, rather than having to move in search of jobs or essential services. This idea, captured by the concept of the ‘freedom to stay’, lies at the heart of 'Much more than a market', the report by former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta, commissioned by EU leaders to examine the future of the single market. It argues that mobility should be a choice rather than a necessity.

Eurofound has developed a new Freedom to Stay (FTS) index that grounds the concept in data and provides policymakers with an evidence-based tool to assess the conditions that enable people to remain in their home region. Using this index, Eurofound’s forthcoming report Monitoring geographical disparities: Regional convergence reveals that no EU region excels across all of the conditions that enable this freedom, highlighting the need for a tailored approach to reducing regional disparities and supporting territorial cohesion. 

The findings reveal pronounced territorial disparities in the conditions that enable people to remain in their home region. These disparities exist not only between northern, western, southern and eastern Europe but also within many Member States, while no region performs strongly across all of the dimensions that determine the freedom to stay. The results point to the need for coordinated, place-based policies that reflect the diverse challenges facing Europe's regions.

The insights are made possible by Eurofound’s new FTS index, which maps EU regions at NUTS 2 level across six dimensions:

1. access to essential services;

2. economic conditions and job opportunities;

3. environmental quality;

4. digital skills and infrastructure;

5. housing affordability;

6. institutional quality.

Regions are scored from 1 to 100: the higher the score, the more the region enables its people to stay. Applying the index across the EU regions shows that the capacity to remain in one's region and to have access to quality jobs and services without having to move is characterised by significant geographic inequality across the EU.

Regional disparities

The FTS index highlights a clear hierarchical structure in the EU: northern regions (mean score of 69.8 points) lead, followed by western (64.1 points), southern (53.3 points) and eastern (51.4 points) regions. The 18.4-point gap between northern and eastern regions signals the wide disparities across Europe in the conditions enabling people to lead fulfilling lives in their home region.

The disparities within some Member States are also striking. Italy, Hungary and Romania exhibit the widest internal spreads, of around 20 points, marking radically different lived experiences within the same national borders. Twenty-one regions feature in the top group in at least four dimensions. These regions are a geographically narrow set and include the Randstad (the Netherlands), Flanders  (Belgium), Dublin (Ireland), Luxembourg and most of the Nordic (Denmark, Finland and Sweden) regions. No single region stands out as a top performer in all six dimensions, pointing to a complex interlacing of conditions that can determine the freedom to stay and the demographic patterns of a region.

Capital city premium

A clear capital-region premium is evident across most Member States, with the areas surrounding capital cities scoring higher than the rest of their respective countries. This pattern is particularly pronounced in central and eastern Europe, where the gaps between the regions that include the capital city and the national average are particularly large. While this capital-centric pattern is well-documented in respect of economic indicators, our research reveals that it persists across multiple dimensions.

Demographic patterns

When we explore the relationship between the index and regional demographic patterns, regions with very high FTS scores consistently exhibit positive population growth and are more likely to experience either natural growth or migration-sustained growth. In contrast, regions with low or very low FTS scores frequently undergo simultaneous natural population decline and negative net migration (‘double decline’). These patterns suggest that policy responses must be differentiated according to the interaction between the index and the demographic pattern; for example, regions with a high FTS score and a growing population need to invest to expand access to services to meet rising demand. Regions with a medium-high FTS score and a growing population, which in many cases is sustained by net migration in the region, need to maintain the FTS score to keep their attractiveness and simultaneously put in place policies for social inclusion and integration. Regions experiencing double decline are the weakest territories, necessitating both social and structural investment.

Net migration across EU regions is associated with a combination of regional and national factors. This reinforces the view that demographic change is a multidimensional phenomenon, shaped not only by economic conditions but also by a broader set of territorial characteristics influencing the attractiveness and resilience of places, which are identified by the Letta Report as access to services and quality jobs. Eurofound’s forthcoming report presenting the study findings in full focuses on access to services and includes case studies on education and healthcare specifically. The 10 case studies illustrate solutions that are being implemented in rural or sparsely populated regions facing demographic decline. They span local- and municipal-level initiatives and national policies implemented locally, each exemplifying a solution enhancing the freedom to stay.

The case studies capture both the immediate and the longer-term dimensions of staying. They show that freedom to stay requires place-based mixes of provision and innovation: because accessibility gaps arise in many contexts (mountain and border areas, inner peripheries, remote rural areas, etc.), solutions should adapt service delivery to regional structures (taking account of travel times, population potential, demographic profiles and so on) and combine local provision with innovative tools (digital, cooperation and cross-border initiatives) to secure access. Two examples are described below.

Digital mediation: overcoming distance through technology

To maintain regional liveability, healthcare provision must evolve beyond mere physical proximity. The case study of the Molise region in Italy provides a proof-of-concept for 'mediated access' models, where local pharmacies can function as digital hubs for remote consultations. This approach directly addresses the access dimension of the FTS index by decoupling service delivery from geographical distance, offering a scalable solution for ageing rural populations.

Institutional cooperation: overcoming scale through cooperation

Educational provision – spanning early childcare through secondary levels – acts as a critical determinant of family retention and regional demographic resilience. Where declining populations threaten the viability threshold of local institutions, an initiative highlighted in the Irish case study demonstrates the efficacy of collaborative institutional scaling: by joining forces through inter-school cooperation, smaller institutions were able to pool resources to ensure service provision (implemented in different areas according to necessity). This model moves away from zero-sum competition for pupils and instead focuses on collective service sustainability, ensuring that education remains available and preventing the forced outward migration of young families.

While the tools suggested in these two case studies are different (digital versus organisational), the policy logic is the same: adapting service delivery to match the demographic reality of the region. These findings speak directly to the objective of territorial cohesion enshrined in the EU treaties, namely the reduction of disparities between regions and the assurance that no territory is left structurally disadvantaged. As discussions on the next multiannual financial framework (MFF) and the future design of cohesion instruments continue, regional and place-based evidence is critical. The FTS index, a unique tool for measuring freedom to stay and its dimensions at regional level, offers the starting point for a discussion on the types of solutions needed.

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