Perspetivas atuais da cooperação transfronteiriça da Euro-região Galiza-Norte de Portugal: os planos de investimentos conjuntos

Abstract

Relations between Galicia and the north of Portugal go back a long way (to the Middle Ages), based on linguistic, cultural and historical ties over a common geographical area – the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. More recently, in times of democracy, territorial cooperation, based on the historical ties, geographical affinities and cultural identity that connect these regions, has developed through specific programmes and projects that receive funding from different sources, including funds from the European Union (EU) under the Interreg programme and the EU’s main financial instrument for promoting economic and social cohesion between European regions, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The aim of this study is to carry out a descriptive and explanatory analysis of the investment programmes of the Euroregion Galicia Norte de Portugal, identifying the evolutionary pattern of the axes of cooperation between the two regions, which aim to promote joint development and the resolution of common challenges, looking to the future of cross-border cooperation. The structure of the article is organised into three topics. The first defines the most recent evolutionary framework of relations between the two regions in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula, the second refers to the establishment of the Galicia-Northern Portugal Euroregion and finally the priority axes of cross-border cooperation framework are analysed, with an emphasis on the strategic programs and EU funding programmes since 2007 until 2027, in a comparative perspective.