Álvaro Santos, President of CCDR Norte and Chair of the Interreg Atlantic Area Programme, underscored the strategic importance of the Atlantic during his address to the General Assembly of the Atlantic Arc Commission of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR).
“The Atlantic is not on the periphery of Europe, but rather one of its greatest strategic assets,” he stated, calling for European policies to be more closely aligned with today’s geopolitical realities. In a context shaped by major challenges related to energy, competitiveness, climate change and security, he stressed the need to place the Atlantic dimension at the centre of Europe’s strategic agenda.
In his video address, Álvaro Santos also highlighted Northern Portugal’s extensive experience in European Territorial Cooperation, particularly through its role as Managing Authority of the Interreg Atlantic Area Programme over the last three EU programming periods.
Looking ahead, he argued that Interreg Atlantic Area should play a structuring role in the development of a future Atlantic Macro-Regional Strategy. According to Álvaro Santos, the programme provides the operational capacity, territorial proximity and governance experience needed to support effective policy implementation and deliver tangible results for Atlantic regions and communities.
