The Galicia–North Portugal Euroregion aims to build a cross-border competitiveness hub to establish itself as “a more competitive and innovative territory, capable of attracting investment,” it was announced today.
In a statement, the Galicia–North Portugal European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC-GNP) explains that, with this goal in mind, it is organising a forum in Vigo, Galicia (Spain), on 12 November, to “transform shared capabilities into new opportunities for investment, innovation, and development.”
Part of the EGTC’s 2026–2028 strategic vision, the “Galicia–North Portugal Euroregion: Competitiveness Hub” forum is intended to mark “a new step in the evolution of cross-border cooperation.”
The objective is to “move from merely sharing capabilities to creating synergies, joint projects, and opportunities for economic and technological development.”
Economic value
The forum was created to “identify complementary capabilities between Galicia and Northern Portugal, bringing together companies, universities, and technology centres, and fostering new partnerships that translate into joint projects, investment, and innovation.”
The initiative “seeks to lay the foundations for a more integrated and competitive cross-border ecosystem, capable of generating economic value for the territory.”
This will be achieved “through the exchange of knowledge and the identification of opportunities in areas such as emerging technologies, public-private collaboration in innovation, and strategic infrastructure.”
The ambition is to “mobilise complementary skills, leverage existing resources, and strengthen the Euroregion’s collective capacity to address the challenges of industrial transformation, technological innovation, and the integration of its infrastructure.”
Strategic areas
In its first edition, the forum focuses on three strategic areas.
The AECT highlights “emerging technologies as a driver for productive transformation and the creation of new economic opportunities,” as well as “public-private collaboration in innovation—key elements for promoting knowledge transfer, developing new technological capabilities, and advancing joint projects.”
Another area concerns “strategic infrastructure, which is essential for improving connectivity, attracting investment, and strengthening the socioeconomic integration of the territory.”
The AECT-GNP brings together the Regional Government of Galicia (Junta de Galicia) and the Coordination and Regional Development Commission of the North (CCDR-N).
On 29 September, the president of the CCDR-N argued that the North [of Portugal] and Galicia must coordinate their efforts to turn their geographical proximity and cooperation into a “shared economic and industrial advantage.”
“It is not just about having two neighbouring regions with competitive companies; it is about recognising that, across many new industrial and technological value chains, we can achieve greater scale, innovation capacity, and international presence by acting in a more coordinated manner,” maintained Álvaro Santos.
In his view, cooperation between Galicia and Northern Portugal should not be limited to “a series of individual projects.” Instead, it should establish a “permanent capacity to identify shared opportunities, bring companies and knowledge centres closer together, mobilise investment, and develop joint responses.”
Areas such as energy, mobility, the maritime sector, aeronautics, digital technologies, and dual-use technologies “offer very concrete opportunities for us to combine expertise and strengthen the presence of our companies in European and international markets,” he noted.
The Euroregion has approximately 6.4 million inhabitants, more than 657,000 companies, a GDP [Gross Domestic Product] exceeding 167 billion euros, and annual exports of over 57 billion euros, according to the CCDR-N.