- With the participation of the project beneficiary entities, the European Commission and the POCTEP Joint Secretariat.
- The project is co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg Spain–Portugal Programme (POCTEP) 2021–2027.
04/06/2026, published on the EUROACE website
The Cross-Border Cooperation Observatory of the EUROACE Euroregion (Alentejo–Central Portugal–Extremadura) held its first meeting. The event took place in Badajoz, at the Faculty of Documentation and Communication Sciences, and brought together representatives of all the institutions that make up the Observatory, namely the Regional Government of Extremadura – which leads the project – and the Universities of Extremadura, Évora and Beira Interior.
Among the initiatives of the EUROACE Observatory project is the creation of cross-border research teams, which will produce studies, forecasts and other research aimed at helping identify solutions to the challenges facing the EUROACE Euroregion.
The aim is to develop territorial analyses, foresight studies, maps and other materials that will help the authorities of the three regions assess the impact of their actions, identify new challenges and potential opportunities, and design effective development policies for the future. In addition, Euroace Analytics will be created, a platform that will provide access to all the scientific content generated.
The Observatory’s activities will initially focus on three areas: Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Economy and Energy; and Competitiveness, although additional fields of study may be incorporated over time.
Participation of the European Commission and POCTEP
The meeting was attended by Ricardo Ferreira, representative of the European Commission, who stressed the importance of having interoperable cross-border data to improve knowledge of border areas and contribute to their territorial development. Also attending were Pablo Hurtado, Director-General for European Affairs and External Action, who thanked the university teams from the three regions for their commitment and highlighted the need to transfer this knowledge to public administrations and the business community in order to support strategic decision-making, as well as representatives of the three participating universities.
Also present at the meeting were Rosa Ramos, Director-General for Regional Financing and European Funds of the Regional Government of Extremadura; Elena de Miguel, Director of the POCTEP Joint Secretariat; representatives of the Regional Coordination and Development Commissions (CCDR) of Alentejo and Central Portugal; and representatives of the Statistical Institutes of Extremadura and Portugal.
The EUROACE Cross-Border Cooperation Observatory project is co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg Spain–Portugal (POCTEP) 2021–2027 Programme and will run until 2028.