Spain and Portugal for Visitors

Posted by : John Ross on May 08, 2008 - 11:14 AM Places

Spanish and Portuguese rural villages have joined to create the first European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation, the Duero-Douro EGTC. The 175 municipalities involved are joined by the River Duero (Douro in Portuguese) and separated by the border between the two countries. On both sides of the border, the Duero-Douro region is wild and mountainous. and more than a little backward economically, its main economic sectors being tourism and agriculture, notably vines for wine production. The main purpose of the EGTC are to "facilitate and promote cross-border, transnational and regional cooperation" but it also allows the area direct communication with Brussels, for example to apply for regional development funds. For the moment, the application has been presented and approval is expected. The Duero-Douro EGTC will have its headquarters in Trabanca, Salamanca (population 251), within the Arribes de Duero nature reserve, the Spanish answer to the Portuguese Parque Natural Douro Internacional. Click here to leave a comment, but for the moment there is little more to read of this slightly bureaucratic story.

Links:
European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation, EGTC