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 September 2021 it has been chaired by Mr. Eneko Goia, Mayor of Donostia / San Sebastián (Spain). Atlantic Cities represents the voices of 16 member cities and a population of over 3 million residents vis-à-vis the European Union and Atlantic governance bodies.
Context
Connected by a common coastline, the Atlantic Arc cities are attractive, innovative territories which guarantee high living standards on the basis of a large number of economically appealing areas. 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 natural and historical heritage which is remarkable, but also fragile and 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. The 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