Spain starts intergenerational tutoring pilot in Cantabria as study warns future fiscal deficit

The Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITECO) signed a protocol on Tuesday to launch the first intergenerational tutoring scheme under the Campus Rural programme in Cantabria. The pilot, targeting municipalities with fewer than 5,000 residents, will pair volunteers aged 55 and over from UNATE and the Mapfre Foundation with university students, supplementing the students' institutional tutors and aiming to strengthen community ties and counter depopulation. The initiative involves the University of Cantabria, local councils and other social agents, and will produce a roadmap for expansion to other Spanish regions.

A separate study by researchers Miguel Almunia and Pablo García‑Guzmán, released by EsadeEcPol, examined lifetime transfers between the Spanish state and its citizens. It found that a person born today in Spain is expected to receive about €140,000 more from public funds than they will contribute through taxes, a gap that will widen as the population ages. The authors warn that the fiscal deficit could rise to 8.5% of GDP by 2050 without policy changes such as extending working ages or linking retirement to longevity.