There is a loneliness that cannot be seen. It doesn’t make any noise, it doesn’t occupy the front pages, but it digs inside. It’s what you feel when you feel alone despite living among others. And it affects one in five people.
In Spain the Government has decided to take it seriously. The Council of Ministers has approved the State Strategic Framework for Loneliness (2026-2030), a national strategy to recognize and combat all forms of unwanted loneliness. A truly transversal plan that involves ministries, local authorities, the academic world and the Third Sector to rebuild ties, networks and communities.
The underlying idea is simple and powerful: loneliness is not just a private matter, but a social issue. For this reason, the strategy aims to integrate public policies at state, regional and local levels, creating stable tools for participation and a monitoring system to measure and prevent isolation.
Among the planned actions:
We will not leave anyone alone – declared Minister Pablo Bustinduy, claiming the need to defend a model of cohesion and solidarity against an increasingly individualistic and fragmented society.
A clear message: taking care of ties is a political choice.
And in Italy?
Here too, social isolation, psychological fragility, elderly people living alone, young people closed in real or virtual rooms, internal areas that are emptying are growing. Loneliness weighs on health, increases the risk of depression and chronic diseases, and weakens the democratic fabric.
If Spain has chosen to address it with a national strategy, why not do it here too? Why not recognize that feeling part of a community is not a luxury, but a right?
