If we are conscious that in the last 40 years the population of the Spanish municipalities of less than 10,000 inhabitants has happened to be 57% of the Spanish population to only a 23% and that the surface of the countryside includes more of 80 ' 2% of the total surface, these data by themselves llamarian us to the necessity of a policy of Rural Development and still more if it is descended to more concrete data. Our problematic rural common one with other European countries, and also the noncommon one, are approached by means of included communitarian policies of Rural Development in the CAP, referring the immediate one of these policies has their origin in November of 1996 when expert of the different communitarian and observant countries from other European countries, after different debates approved the Declaration of Cork (Ireland). In this meeting, after analyzing in detail the changes in international the commercial relations and the liberalization of the agrarian markets and the effect that these facts would have on the European countryside, conclusions were extracted to maintain the cultural and natural wealth of rural Europe, to assign it a new paper in the society of the new century that approached and to avoid any negative effect for their inhabitants. The declaration finished with ten points of performance and a call to the European politicians so that: ” they conciencien to the public opinion of the necessity to undertake a new way in the policy of rural development; ” they make of the countryside a more attractive place in where to live and to work in a scene in where they can find a life better more and more diverse people of all the ages; ” they support the program of ten points and cooperate like partners in the attainment of all and each one of the objectives expressed in the declaration; ” And they play a role active to foment the sustainable rural development in an international context Since then constant steps in this direction have occurred. The reality is that at the beginning of 2003 the Commission of the U.E, the D.G of Rural Development of the General Administration of the State and the competent organisms of the different CC.AA., have articulated the mechanisms of adaptation and operation of the new policy of integrated Rural Development within the Communitarian Agrarian Policy.
The tools of the policy of Rural Development are based, fundamentally, in the application of the communitarian and national norm and in the use of the different communitarian Bottoms of financing: For the period of programming in which we were (2000 - 2006) these Bottoms of Financing support to the Spanish Rural Development through Integrated Operative Programs, the Programs of Rural Development and the Communitarian Initiatives (fundamentally Leader +).Within the Operative Programs Integrated and the Programs of Rural Development, so diverse aspects for the Rural Development are integrated as they are: The Management of the Hydric Resources, the Investments in Improvement of Agrarian Operations, the Generational relief and the agroambientales Incorporation of the Young people to the Titularidad of the Agrarian Operations, aid to the cease of the agrarian activity for which therefore they wish it, Compensatorias Indemnifications, Forestación de Agrarian Tierras or measures for agriculture. Within Leader , the high-priority axes of performance talk about to the strategies of Development for the agrarian regions in which the Groups act of Battle of local significance (Expenses of management and administrative operation, Services to the population, valuation of the natural Patrimony, agrarian local product Valuation, PYMES and services, Rural Tourism, Formation and use, etc.) and to the Cooperation between Spanish Groups of Battle of local significance to each other and with other European Groups, without forgetting the creation a network Telematics and a Magazine organ of diffusion of Leader + - Spain (Observatory Leader +) or the performances of management and Coordination. Finally to mention that within the Operative Programs and of Rural Development, some games are destined to the financing of Programs PRODER II, with high-priority axes and measures similar to already mentioned for Leader.