About us

Presentation

Atlantic Cities, established on 7 July 2000 through the Rennes Declaration, is a non-profit organisation seeking to foster cooperation among cities within the Atlantic arc. Since July 2024, is is chaired by Mr. Inés rey, Lady Mayor of A Coruña (Spain). Atlantic Cities represents the voices of 17 member cities and a population of over 3 million residents vis-à-vis the European Union and Atlantic governance bodies.

Connected by a common coastline, the cities of the Atlantic Arc are attractive, innovative communities which offer a high standard of living on thanks to their many economic assets. Located on the periphery of Europe, they have created sturdy diverse cultural identities thanks to the influence of the ocean, a blending of cultures, trade, and migratory movements that have emerged down through the centuries.

They possess a remarkable natural and historical heritage, but also vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The peripheral location of these cities, particularly since the advent of Brexit, represents a major social and economic challenge. Atlantic Arc cities consider that these issues go beyond the merely local level, and call for transnational territorial cooperation to come up with collective answers to all of them.

This cooperation takes the form of:

• Thematic working groups
• Territorial cooperation projects (Interreg Atlantic Area, Horizon Europe, EMFAF fund, ESPON programme)
• Collaboration with other Atlantic stakeholders (economic and non-profit Atlantic stakeholders and Regions)

The Atlantic Cities network also strives to represent the interests of Atlantic arc cities vis-à-vis the European union and Atlantic governance bodies. The network is an:

• Observer member on the Interreg Atlantic Area program
• Observer member for the Atlantic Maritime Strategy of the European Commission:
  • Member of pillar II: Blue Skills and Ocean Literacy
  • Member of pillar IV: Coastal Resilience and a Healthy Ocean