Network activities

Atlantic Cities brings together cities from the Atlantic Area and provides a forum for the exchange of experiences and best practice. The network’s members as a whole guide its activities and set its priorities at an annual general assembly, whilst the members of the Political Bureau meet every three months.

Alongside these statutory meetings, the cities meet regularly to take part in joint thematic working groups.

Working Group: Culture

The working group on culture enables cities to exchange information on their cultural initiatives relating to topics such as urban art and gastronomy. This working group raises the profile of local cultural stakeholders and highlights the cultural richness of the territories within the Atlantic Area. Thanks to these meetings, cities can draw inspiration from one another and develop new cultural initiatives. Between 2024 and 2025, discussions amongst members focused on the topic of Atlantic gastronomy.

Atlantic gastronomy is an emerging concept covering the culinary richness and gastronomic traditions of the Atlantic region. It represents a unique opportunity to foster the economic, cultural and tourism development of the cities of the Atlantic Arc. Although scientific research and initiatives relating to Atlantic gastronomy already exist, these have been carried out separately and have not been promoted sufficiently to have a significant impact.

In this context, Atlantic Cities has collaborated with the Innovation Centre at the Basque Culinary Centre in Donostia / San Sebastián to produce the study ‘Preliminary Research and Innovation Project: Characterisation and Promotion of Atlantic Gastronomy’. To this end, the BCC organised two co-creation workshops with several member cities: one in person in Gijón and another online (autumn 2024).

This preparatory work enabled us to submit a proposal to the third call for projects under the 2021–2027 programming period of the Interreg Atlantic programme, under the name ‘CATCH’. Although the project was not selected, it provided an opportunity to reflect on and strengthen existing initiatives related to the promotion of Atlantic gastronomy, with a view to creating a collaborative platform to identify, characterise and promote its diversity and uniqueness on a global scale. The aim of the project was to implement a coordinated strategy, with a view to increasing international recognition of this important culinary heritage, whilst also fostering innovation, sustainability and social cohesion within Atlantic communities. This holistic approach would position Atlantic gastronomy as a driver of overall development for these regions, fostering high-quality tourism, encouraging local entrepreneurship and strengthening the cultural identity of the cities of the Atlantic Arc.

Working Group: Protection of the Oceans and Waters

At the 2023 General Assembly in Biarritz, the Atlantic Cities made a strong commitment to protecting the oceans by signing a joint declaration. Fully recognising the crucial role of cities in the fight against climate change, the Atlantic Cities resolutely expressed their determination to take concrete action to actively contribute to the preservation of the seas and oceans. To give substance to this commitment, the Atlantic Cities have decided to set up a working group dedicated to understanding and protecting the oceans, which will meet regularly to exchange ideas and coordinate collective actions to preserve these precious marine ecosystems.

The working group’s first session served to present the Canary Islands’ ‘Marine Protected Areas’ project. Its objective is twofold: to strengthen existing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and to expand the MPA network. This is an interesting initiative aimed at addressing ocean protection from an urban and territorial perspective, using the Canary Islands as a pilot project. These may constitute an interesting case study within the Atlantic Arc, as they boast great biodiversity, but their governance is complex; the marine area is subject to different uses, managed by various authorities and governed by numerous regulations. The project’s methodology and knowledge base were made available to interested member cities.

The project is supported by the ‘Ciudad del mar’ technical unit, a municipal department of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria City Council whose remit focuses exclusively on the ocean, in a cross-cutting manner.

The Working Group will also serve to support the work carried out in collaboration with the EU4Ocean Coalition and to address priority issues for the cities of the Atlantic Arc, such as the promotion of a sustainable blue economy and enhanced cooperation between local authorities and ports.

Working Group: Atlantic Governance

This working group is dedicated to monitoring issues relating to cooperation in the Atlantic Area and to supporting the creation of the future Atlantic Macro-region in 2027. The working group also forms part of Atlantic Cities’ ongoing commitment to key initiatives, such as the European Union’s Atlantic Maritime Strategy and the Interreg Atlantic Area programme – the main funding instrument for interregional cooperation projects along the Atlantic coast – as well as strategic projects such as GRAAL. It enables the coordination of cities’ contributions to various initiatives and ensures their role in the multi-level governance of the Atlantic Arc. The WG is coordinated by the cities of Bilbao and Donostia/San Sebastián.