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ABSTRACT
The Portuguese–Spanish border perfectly embodies the common characteristics of European cross-borders territories with the present time characterized by abundant initiatives of cross-border cooperation. In this paper we will analyze the institutional aspects of the cross-border cooperation on the Spanish–Portuguese border from its configurative elements: starting from the normative tools which have promoted it, up to the new institutions which have developed it; its results relating to the deactivation of the cross-border discontinuity and the minimization of inherent transaction costs due to the cross-border factor. The final conclusions of research reveal an important impact of the cross-border cooperation, of its institutions and tools in the political and administrative landscape of Portuguese–Spanish cross-border areas even though they are impregnated by excessive Community bureaucracy and with important administrative, fiscal and juridical-legal limitation.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1 Territorial communities or authorities should be understood to mean “the communities or authorities or organisms which exercise local or regional functions and which are regarded as such in the domestic law of each State.”
2 The “Raya Iberian” as we know it, is founded on Treaties of Zamora (1143), Badajoz (1267) and Alcañices (1297). But only after the signing of the Treaty of Lisbon (1864), which was amended in the Agreement Limits (1926), when the last disagreements were resolved it achieved the current state.
3 For the purposes of European administrative-territorial organization the Spanish–Portuguese Raya (Borderline) encompasses a territorial whole composed of 17 territorial cross-border units of nomenclature (NUT III) which cover an area of 136.640 km2 (23.5% of the Iberian space) and a population of 5,474,225 inhabitants (10% of the total population of the two states). In turn, 17 NUT III (Nomenclature of Territorial Units) are distributed in six areas of cooperation for the purposes of cross-border cooperation: 1) North Region–Autonomous Community of Galicia; 2) North Region–Autonomous Community of Castile and Leon; 3) Central Region–Autonomous Community of Extremadura; 4) Alemtejo Region–Autonomous Community of Extremadura; 5) Alemtejo Region–Autonomous Community of Andalusia and 6) Algarve Region– Autonomous Community of Andalusia.
4 Both institutions, being promoters and protagonists of the “Europe without borders” have encouraged key regulations to that effect, as “The European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Cooperation between Territorial Communities or Authorities” (CMECT), also so-called Treaty of Madrid (21/05/1980) and the European Charter of Border Regions (1994).
5 Particularly establishing the so-called European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) by Regulation (EC) No 1082/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of July 5, 2006. Amended through Regulation (EU) No 1302/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of December 17, 2013. The EGTC is a facilitator and dynamic instrument for territorial cooperation within the EU, it is supposed to be a new generation of instruments in relation to CMECT that tries to overcome its limitations, making possible much more flexible formulas for cooperation in the field of the European Union, adapted to the current global circumstances, by promoting regional cooperation as a whole, including the strategic planning and the management of regional and local issues in line with cohesion policy and other EU policies, following the coordinates of the Europe 2020 Strategy.
6 It being understood from the European authorities that the integration necessarily involves the correction of regional and social imbalances between Member States and not only in the implementation of economic liberalization measures.
7 Particularly active in local markets located on the borderline or nearby (Valença do Minho, Miranda do Douro, Vilar Formoso, Elvas, Vila Real, etc.).
8 The great communication border axes being presented from south to north of the border would be the following: Ayamonte (Spain)–Vilar Real do Santo Antonio (Portugal); Badajoz (Spain)–Elvas-Campo Maior (Portugal) ; Fuentes de Oñoro (Spain)–Save (Portugal), located on the N-620, one of the main routes between Portugal–Spain–France; Verin (Spain)–Chaves (Portugal), Tuy (Pontevedra, Spain) and Valenca do Minho (Viana do Castelo, Portugal), which have always maintained the commercial and exchange tone.
9 Particularly important in the case of the Raya: On the one hand, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which aims to strengthen economic and social cohesion within the EU by correcting imbalances between its regions. Furthermore, the (no less generous) Community initiatives and programs, in particular INTERREG and to a lesser extent, the LEADER program (Liaisons between activités de L’Economie Developement Rural).
10 We must point out that when we talk about cross-border cooperation, we refer to institutional interactions between border administrations and agencies of regional, local or municipal level.
11 That are Hispanic CCAA (from north to south) of Galicia, Castilla y Leon, Extremadura and Andalusia.
12 Therefore, the Regiões (from north to south) North of Portugal, Central Portugal Region, Alentejo Region and Algarve Region.
13 Peer Sectorial Commissions (10) responsible for matters of common interest to the parties: regional and local administrations; agriculture, environment, natural resources, and management; culture, heritage, and tourism; local development; economic revitalization; education, training and employment; scientific research and universities; fishing; health and social affairs; and transportation.
14 That is, the Grupo de Iniciativas Transfronterizas or Cross-border Initiatives Group.
15 The Council of Europe defines Euroregion as “any agreement or framework for cross-border cooperation between public entities on either side of the border with territorial responsibilities for the promotion of common interests and benefit of border populations.” In a nutshell, a Euroregion is a type of cross-border cooperation structure between two or more European countries that serves for channelling it. The Euroregions do not correspond to any legislative government or governmental institution, they do not have their own legislative power and their competences are often limited to local and regional government.
16 European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (GNP-AECT), Galicia-Norte de Portugal; Euroregion EUROACE Extremadura- Alentejo-Centro (Euro-Ace); Euroregion (AAA), Andalucía–Algarve–Alentejo.
17 Performed infrastructure have vastly improved the permeability of the Raya. Similarly, commercial transactions and relationships between companies are steadily growing. Also appears to have improved the cultural knowledge of the “other” by increasing the teaching of Portuguese in Extremadura and Andalusia and the Spanish in Algarve, Alentejo and Centro.
18 The macro-regions are innovative policy instruments that respond to the necessity to find new ways to provide more efficient public policies, encouraging and giving greater added value to cross-border and interregional cooperation, without creating new administrative structures. They are platforms for facing up to common challenges that know no borders, through common projects to be presented to European and state agencies on issues relating to industry, renewable energy, food and agriculture, forestry, research, universities, tourism, transport, logistics and network of protected areas, among others.