The 29th Iberian Summit starts today and continues until tomorrow, 29th and 30th May, in Vila Real, at the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD). On the agenda, as a central topic, is cross-border cooperation. On the same occasion, a Portuguese-Spanish seminar is held to discuss the subject. I will now advance some reflections that I will have the opportunity to share at UTAD.
In 30 years of integration, Portugal has had 15 years of convergence and 15 years of economic divergence. We know that the period between 2011 and 2014 was very unusual, conditioned by the Troika program, which put cohesion policy and cross-border cooperation on hold.
On the other hand, in the current phase of the eurozone, there is still no doctrine and strategy for a Europe of Regions, from the macro-regions of 50 to 60 million citizens (the Iberian Peninsula) to the cross-border Euroregions and Eurocities, known as groupings European territorial cooperation (EGTC).
Although there are already some trials, there is still a long way to go for these “young territorial communities” of countries, regions and cities.
And yet, we also know that proximity cooperation is a relatively abundant resource that can be used intelligently and collaboratively by neighbors.
We know that Portugal and Spain form a “natural cooperation ecosystem” and that this collaboration is part of the Peninsula's DNA.
We know, for example, that Alentejo and Algarve are transition regions between the metropolitan area of Lisbon and the metropolitan area of Seville, a corridor that needs to be conceived and organized in a much more imaginative and promising way.
We also know that the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, after the Arab Springs, Brexit, the suspension of the transatlantic treaty and the Trump presidency, may suffer unpredictable geopolitical consequences on the south-west of the peninsular, justifying the creation of a privileged observation post in this corner. westernmost part of the Eurasian peninsula.
Topics for a cross-border work program
We already know that the main objective of the Iberian summit, which is politically announced, is to create new cross-border centralities that are central places in the European single market.
To this end, new technologies, digital networks and virtual platforms can make a decisive contribution. Beyond the “peninsular macroregion” and its mega-investments in infrastructure and equipment, which we do not cover here, our proposal for cross-border cooperation is simpler and includes the following topics.
1. The constitution of “cross-border collaborative platforms”: in the digital society, Euroregions and Eurocities can relaunch cross-border cooperation around collaborative structures of pluriactivity and multi-income, with a view to producing new forms of collective territorial intelligence.
2. Citizens' Mobility and Personal Services: cross-border identities depend on mobility and access to personal services, specifically, a greenway for young people and seniors, especially those at risk.
3. A cross-border business extension network/platform with a program and scholarship for professional internships: this is the corollary of the principle of mobility and access.
4. An “inter-university postgraduate platform” with joint degrees: it is the mobility of students and the common recognition of diplomas.
5. A common civil protection program for the prevention and training of major hazards: major hazards call for the mobility of services and operatives and the continuous exchange of pertinent information.
6. A pilot circular economy program to combat climate change: it concerns soils, waterways, fauna and flora, biodiversity and ecosystem services.
7. A pilot program for the rehabilitation of the landscape ecology of large rivers and their environmental services: water scarcity and severe and prolonged drought as the main problem for transboundary communities.
8. A cross-border program to support scientific, artistic and cultural residencies: the aim is to organize prestigious international events and create a common culture.
9. An internal and cross-border security platform: the management of the external border between all security forces, duly accompanied by judicial cooperation and the courts;
10. A cross-border foreign affairs community: the organization of joint actions for international cooperation and development.
Territorial governance of cross-border cooperation
In full digital society, in the time of technological platforms, of appswhich start-ups and the spaces of co-working, we are obliged to give concrete evidence of this new territorial collective intelligence.
Now that the launch of the “digital single market” is prepared, the existence of polytechnic institutes, inter-municipal communities and business associations along the border is an excellent opportunity for bolder cooperation initiatives.
The establishment of one or more "cross-border collaborative platforms" is very useful in several areas and initiatives, for example: the collective management of spot markets, regional exchanges, collective brands, regional commons, group farming and niche markets, contracts in institutional food, time bank management, microgeneration energy networks, short commercialization circuits, regional microcredit network, social and complementary currencies, participatory financing, spaces for co-working for a new generation of start-ups cross-border, scientific, artistic and cultural residencies, among other examples, always in a logic of communion and sharing of common interests with civil society on both sides of the border, with a view to creating a common culture of cooperation.
Eurocities, for example, can be an excellent testing ground for developing these initiatives.
Final grade
In addition to the decalogue and previous initiatives, the economy of cross-border relations for the post-2020 period awaits fundamental reforms in European policy: a budget for the eurozone and changes in the stability pact and fiscal treaty, a regional equalization mechanism within the framework of a strategy for the Europe of the Regions and in the wider context of the digital single market, whose regulation needs to be duly taken care of.
This is, moreover, the right framework for “enhanced cooperation” in cross-border relations, in particular, through the deepening of community law on European groupings of territorial cooperation (EGTC) and their specific financing instruments.
Let's not forget the essentials. Cross-border cooperation is the privileged field for the return of the "commons" and it is in the provision of commons that multilevel territorial governance must be focused: environmental services, educational and training services, health and social protection services, civil protection services , accessible mobility services, technological, creative and cultural services.
We therefore need to rehearse several “collaborative platforms” that help us proactively promote and sponsor new initiatives in the cross-border region, not only managing shared services and some infrastructure of a collaborative nature, but also sponsoring participatory management and financing instruments and establishing the necessary bridges with other European collaborative networks that operate in the same spheres of action.
Author António Covas is a full professor at the University of Algarve and a PhD in European Affairs from the Free University of Brussels
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