Ongoing projects
GRAAL
Governance and Regional Atlantic Area Lighthouse
GRAAL is a strategic project of the programme as it provides a significant contribution to the achievement of the objectives of the Interreg Atlantic Area.
The primary aim of the project is to increase the programme’s impact on its key goals, such as environmental protection, prosperity, and preparedness for climate change. It focuses on improving the valorisation of the results of projects supported by the Interreg Atlantic Area.
This includes developing and implementing strategies for better integration into public policies and fostering future collaboration through roadmaps, an action plan, and flagship projects. It also looks at a better coordination between European programmes supporting environmental policies in the Atlantic Region and aims at making proposals for the future. The approach focuses on 5 thematic areas: energy, ocean pollution, climate and risks, nature, and sustainable tourism, as well as 3 cross-cutting topics: digitisation and innovation, circular economy, and governance.
Capitalising on results and integrating them into public policy. The experiences gained from Interreg projects must be thoroughly analysed in order to inform, adapt or inspire public policy at national and European level.
GRAAL also aims to improve coordination between the various European programmes that support environmental policies in the Atlantic region, in order to enhance their consistency and effectiveness. It takes a long-term view, formulating proposals for the future of territorial cooperation.
Duration: 2025–2029
EU programme: Interreg Atlantic
Consortium: The project brings together a broad partnership of regions, public agencies, research centres and socio-economic organisations. This collaborative governance ensures an integrated approach tailored to the specific characteristics of each coastal area in the Atlantic Area.
- Cerema – Centre for Studies and Expertise on Risks, the Environment, Mobility and Urban Planning (Bretagne, France)
- European Regions Network for the Application of Communications Technology (Northern and Western, Ireland)
- Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional de Lisboa e Vale do Tejo (Grande Lisboa, Portugal)
- Fundación Instituto de Hidráulica Ambiental de Cantabria (Cantabria, Spain)
- Fundación AZTI – AZTI Fundazioa, Marine and Food Research (País Vasco, Spain)
- Pôle Mer Bretagne Atlantique (Bretagne, France)
- Atlantic Cities (Bretagne, France)
- Fórum Oceano – Associação da Economia do Mar (Norte, Portugal)
- Conférence des Régions Périphériques Maritimes d’Europe – Atlantic Arc Commission (Bretagne, France)
- Fundación Asturiana de la Energía (Asturias, Spain)
POST – Polycentric tourism
Atlantic Cities is a partner on the European project POST (Polycentric Sustainable Tourism), co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg Atlantic Area cooperation programme.
This project will be implemented between 2023 and 2026 with a total budget of 1,160,973.33 euros.
The POST project seeks to identify and implement a strategy for a sustainable tourism sector in the Atlantic Area, with a dual objective: to promote tourism in the hinterland of the Atlantic area and to help alleviate the pressure of tourism in the most affected areas.
As part of the construction of a common methodology of POST, international learning activities are organised. Four study visits take place to allow partners to know and experience each tourism reality; see, in situ, the best practices and challenges of the area. These field trips take place in each pilot area: Northern Portugal, Ourense in Spain, Ouest Charente et Cognac in France and Dun Laoghaire Rathdown in Ireland.
The project is also carried out at the local level, where a Local Support Group made up of key stakeholders meets regularly to assess the progress of the project.
In February 2025, Atlantic Cities organised a webinaire to showcase good practices on sustainable and polycentric tourism (agenda and good practices).
ACA will also assist the PETR Cognac Ouest – Charente with the organisation of a hackathon on tourism, that will take place on 9 October 2025 in Cognac.
Find all the information about the project here: https://www.petrouestcharentecognac.fr/polycentrique
