Once again, Atlantic Cities is in line with (inspires?) the positions taken by European leaders.
On 15 March, in an interview for the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), the rapporteur representing the region of Cantabria (Spain), Ms. Paula Fernández Viaña, expressed her wish for an Atlantic macro-region.
In this interview, which you can read here, Ms. Fernández explains that the time is right for the constitution of an Atlantic macro-region, notably with the arrival of a new programming period, the new Council presidency, and the need to renew links with the United Kingdom, following the Brexit. She also detailed the areas in which cooperation around a macro-region would bring added value: marine energies, the fight against climate change, tourism, transport, and research and innovation.
This intervention reminds of Atlantic Cities’ position for the constitution of a macro-region, expressed in particular in the Final Declaration of the General Assembly of November 2020. Indeed, in the paragraphs concerning the macro-region, the Final Declaration highlights the importance of maintaining relations with the United Kingdom, of better structuring the Atlantic Corridor, and, to this end, of relying on the current Presidency (Portugal) of the Council of Europe, as well as the forthcoming French and Spanish Presidencies.
Let’s not forget that the macro-region is a flagship project of the Atlantic Cities action plan.
