Cross-border project
Introduction
The Eurocity of Guadiana is a group of municipalities made up of the Portuguese towns of Castromarín and Villarreal de San Antonio and the Spanish city of Ayamonte. The Eurocity[1] was established on May 9, 2013 through an agreement[2] between the three municipalities. On April 23, 2018, the legal recognition as EGTC (European Group of Territorial Cooperation) was published[3] in the Official State Gazette.[4] The three municipalities have a total area of 503 square kilometers, and a population of almost 50,000 inhabitants.
The creation of this entity culminates a process of cordial and stable relationship between these nearby populations and aims to lay the foundations for higher-level territorial integration, with sectoral agreements aimed at the joint planning and management of inter-municipal services and the promotion of events.[5] In the new cooperation framework[6] that is proposed in the European Union, the Eurocity is a cross-border space in which pre-existing ties are strengthened while being enhanced with new actions for economic development and social of the population.[7].
Presidency
The presidency of the organization is exercised, on a rotating basis in alphabetical order, by the three municipalities.
• - Antonio Javier Rodríguez Castillo, mayor of Ayamonte (May 9, 2013 to June 14, 2015).
• - Alberto Fernández Rodríguez, mayor of Ayamonte (June 14, 2015 to August 8, 2015).
• - Francisco Amaral, mayor of Castromarín (August 8, 2015 to May 13, 2017; June 24, 2021 to May 9, 2024).
• - Maria Assunção Cabrita, mayor of Villarreal de San Antonio (May 13, 2017 to August 7, 2019).
• - Natalia Santos Mena, mayor of Ayamonte (August 7, 2019 to June 24, 2021).
• - Álvaro Araujo, mayor of Villarreal de San Antonio (May 9, 2024, to date).
European projects
The Eurocity of Guadiana developed (June 2019/March 2023), the EuroGuadiana 2020 project (European Cross-Border Governance Laboratory), co-financed by the European Union through the Spain-Portugal Cross-Border Cooperation Program Interreg V-A, of the European Regional Development Fund ERDF.[8] The EuroGuadiana 2020 project[9] aims to address the new territorial challenges through cohesive urban and social development, following the guidelines of the Amsterdam Pact and promoting new methodologies for working together and the design of new strategies for municipalities that are in accordance with the new community guidelines. The project was divided into four blocks of actions: cross-border governance, urban agenda, mobility/accessibility and tourism strategy. As tangible results, the Urban Agenda 2030 was drafted, a mobility plan for the entire territory, a joint Tourism Strategy and Brand document, a tourist accessibility plan, an articulation of culture and heritage in the Territorio Museo project ().