During the Portuguese Presidency of the Monitoring Committee of the Interreg Atlantic Area Programme, held at the premises of CCDR NORTE, Hugo Sobral, Director-General for Regional and Urban Policy at the European Commission, underlined the importance of engaging all European regions in developing the future Atlantic Macro-Regional Strategy. He highlighted the contribution of European funding programmes and the active involvement of stakeholders across the Atlantic Region as key elements for its success.
Hugo Sobral emphasised the value of building on the work already carried out by ARMA, the network of Managing Authorities of European programmes operating along the Atlantic façade, coordinated by CCDR NORTE in its role as Managing Authority of the Interreg Atlantic Area Programme. Designed to strengthen complementarities between cooperation programmes and regional funding instruments, while promoting a more integrated approach to territorial development, ARMA could become the “backbone” of the future Atlantic Macro-Region, he noted.
At this stage, the Member States of Portugal, Spain, France and Ireland are being consulted on the governance model and investment priorities of the future macro-regional strategy. Álvaro Santos, President of CCDR NORTE and Chair of Interreg Atlantic Area, reaffirmed the “full support of the Northern Region of Portugal for the creation of the Atlantic Macro-Region” and highlighted the institution’s extensive experience in managing European territorial cooperation programmes and initiatives.
Hugo Sobral emphasised the value of building on the work already carried out by ARMA, the network of Managing Authorities of European programmes operating along the Atlantic façade, coordinated by CCDR NORTE in its role as Managing Authority of the Interreg Atlantic Area Programme. Designed to strengthen complementarities between cooperation programmes and regional funding instruments, while promoting a more integrated approach to territorial development, ARMA could become the “backbone” of the future Atlantic Macro-Region, he noted.
At this stage, the Member States of Portugal, Spain, France and Ireland are being consulted on the governance model and investment priorities of the future macro-regional strategy. Álvaro Santos, President of CCDR NORTE and Chair of Interreg Atlantic Area, reaffirmed the “full support of the Northern Region of Portugal for the creation of the Atlantic Macro-Region” and highlighted the institution’s extensive experience in managing European territorial cooperation programmes and initiatives.
Publish date: 2026-06-22
