THE LARGEST CROSS-BORDER PROGRAMME
POCTEP is linked to the border between Spain and Portugal, one of the longest borders in Europe. It is the largest cross-border cooperation program in the EU, with a total allocation of 475 million euros (356 million from ERDF)
What is POCTEP?
The POCTEP programme promotes development and cross-border cooperation with ERDF funds along the Spain-Portugal border. The acronym POCTEP stands for “Operational Program for Cross-Border Cooperation Spain-Portugal,” the name of the program during the 2007-2013 period, which later became known as the “Interreg Spain-Portugal Cooperation Program” from the 2014-2020 period onwards.
The Interreg Spain-Portugal program (POCTEP) 2021-2027 is the largest cross-border cooperation program in the EU, with a total budget of 475 million euros (356 million from ERDF).
It has been developed by the Member States of Spain and Portugal in order to address key challenges in the border area between the two countries.
The program’s design takes into account the prior diagnosis of the current situation in the cooperation area, strategic references impacting the area, the principles of partnership and multilevel governance, and the results of the strategic environmental assessment.
Million euros (total)
Million euros (ERDF)
Who can participate?
- Universidades, entidades de enseñanza superior, Centros Tecnológicos, Institutos de Investigación, Parques Científicos y Tecnológicos.
- Administraciones Públicas, Agencias de Desarrollo Regional, Fundaciones de Desarrollo y Promoción Económica.
- Cámaras de Comercio, Empresas, agrupaciones de empresas, asociaciones empresariales, asociaciones y organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil.
- Servicios de Protección Civil, Confederaciones Hidrográficas, Parques Naturales y Asociaciones para la defensa y gestión del Patrimonio Natural.
What is the cooperation area?
The Interreg Spain-Portugal Cross-Border Cooperation Program (POCTEP) 2021-2027 is linked to the border between Spain and Portugal, which, with a total of 1,234 km, is one of the longest borders in Europe.
Considering the specificity of each territory, its historical background, and the good results achieved, the structure of the program will continue to be based on the 6 Areas of Cooperation and 36 NUT III regions that have shaped the territory in the previous programs:
AC1: Galicia / Northern Portugal
AC2: Northern Portugal / Castilla y León
AC3: Castilla y León / Central Portugal
AC4: Central / Extremadura / Alentejo
AC5: Alentejo / Algarve / Andalusia
AC6: Pluriregional
36 NUT III
ESPAÑA: A Coruña, Lugo, Ourense, Pontevedra, Ávila, León, Salamanca, Valladolid, Zamora, Badajoz, Cáceres, Cádiz, Córdoba, Huelva y Sevilla.
PORTUGAL: Alto Minho, Cávado, Ave, Área Metropolitana de Porto, Alto Tâmega, Tâmega e Sousa, Douro, Terras de Trás-os-Montes, Algarve, Oeste, Região de Aveiro, Região de Coimbra, Região de Leiria, Viseu Dão-Lafões, Beira Baixa, Médio Tejo, Beiras e Serra da Estrela, Alentejo Litoral, Alto Alentejo, Alentejo Central y Baixo Alentejo.
Objectives and priorities of POCTEP 2021-2027
The POCTEP 2021-2027 is structured around priorities that respond to four of the Political Objectives (OP) plus one specific Interreg objective, for which different specific objectives (OE) and types of actions that can be financed in each of them have been established:
Management structures
Managing Authority
Ministerio de Hacienda y Función Pública. Dirección General de Fondos Europeos
Certification Authority
Agência para o Desenvolvimento e Coesão, I.P. (Agência, I.P.)
