FGE-Galicia News

Feces from Abaixo, 24 July 2019. The study "EUROCITY CHAVES-VERÍN: Situation and Perspectives" is part of the Eurocity 2020 project, financed by the Interreg V-A Spain-Portugal - POCTEP programme. Its aim is to promote reflection on the status of the project as an instrument for promoting cross-border cooperation for local and regional development. To this end, it analyses both the institutional point of view and the vision of the young people of the territory on the Eurocity.

Based on the opinions and reflections shared both by policy makers since its creation and by young people aged between 16 and 30, the work analyses the merits and weaknesses of Eurocity, presenting proposals and recommendations based on the expectations of all participants in the study.

In order to obtain information on what Eurocity is and should be, face-to-face and written interviews have been carried out, with more than 190 questionnaires, as well as discussion groups, and more than 70 documentary sources have been analysed during the six months of the study. Due to the process of population ageing, the vision of the resident population under 30 years of age has been considered especially relevant, with the intention of knowing their priorities when it comes to attracting and retaining population and talent. 

During the presentation, Xosé Lago, regional coordinator POCTEP and deputy director general of External Action and Cross-Border Cooperation, emphasized the importance of promoting Eurocitizenship, especially in the areas of health, social and cultural. He stressed the importance of a Eurocity as young as this one being a turning point for studying and analysing its own future.

Nerea Pérez Adriano, Eurocity Chaves-Verín"s European project technician and part of the study"s writing team, underlined the achievements of the project as well as the challenges it faces. Among the recommendations proposed by the study, the need to exploit the will of the youngest population in the area to continue being part of this project stands out. To this end, it is necessary to maximize the opportunities derived from the external recognition achieved by the territory and increase the capacity to make important investments for the region and its citizens. It also establishes as a priority the promotion of cooperation between local communities and the involvement of institutions in the resolution of problems. On the other hand, Pérez assured that the Eurocity must address the fundamental issues that continue to prevent the effective dissolution of borders, orienting the regional, national and European political agendas. She thanked in a special way the contributions of young people in the different working groups established and, above all, their presence at the event.

After the intense and fluid debate between speakers and assistants, in which many doubts about the study were clarified, Rodrigo Moreira, head of the Sustainability and Competitiveness division of the Chaves Municipal Chamber, took the word and presented the conclusions, reaffirming the commitment to effective and valuable cross-border cooperation for the community. 

Diego Lorenzo, deputy mayor of Verín City Council, closed the event with the firm conviction that Eurocity has much to contribute to the population of La Raya, and that the future of the region is largely linked to this european project. He remarked the involvement of the younger population, which showed a special interest and commitment, and the cooperation of all the surrounding institutions, thanking all participants for their presence and highlighting the good work done in the study, which will be a benchmark with which they will begin to work this afternoon.