- The cross-border emergency project, with an investment of €4.8 million, has demonstrated over the past three years that cooperation between Galicia, Castile and León, and Northern Portugal saves lives.
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Co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg Spain–Portugal (POCTEP) 2021–2027 Programme.
ATEMPO is a cross-border cooperation project with a total investment of €4.8 million, 75% co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the Interreg VI-A Spain–Portugal (POCTEP) 2021–2027 Territorial Cooperation Programme, Policy Objective 1, Priority 1, Specific Objective 1.1.
PRESS RELEASE
Porto, 8 July 2026. – The European project ATEMPO (Cross-Border Emergency Assistance under POCTEP 2021–2027) has concluded three years of cross-border cooperation, delivering tangible results, including reduced emergency response times, improved interoperability of civil protection systems, new joint operational protocols and the integration of technological tools, including Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), to support operational coordination between Galicia, Castile and León, and Northern Portugal. Active across 21 NUTS III regions in Spain and Portugal, ATEMPO has been recognised as an Operation of Strategic Importance under the POCTEP 2021–2027 Programme. The initiative has a direct impact on more than 570,000 people within the cooperation area and extends its potential benefits to over 9 million people.
ATEMPO held its Final Conference today at the Alfândega do Porto Congress Centre, bringing together the project’s seven partners, more than 100 participants, and representatives of the European Commission and the Managing Authority of the Interreg VI-A Spain–Portugal (POCTEP) 2021–2027 Cross-Border Cooperation Programme. Jointly organised by the Axencia Galega de Emerxencias (AXEGA) and the Northern Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-N), the event marked the conclusion of three years of collaborative work in the field of civil protection and emergency management across the Spanish-Portuguese border region.
The conference provided an opportunity to present the project’s main achievements and milestones, including the equipment acquired, the coordination protocols developed, the training activities carried out, and the materials and resources produced throughout the project. The event also marked the launch of the project’s new official website.
The opening institutional addresses were delivered by Pedro Machado, Vice-President of CCDR Norte; Santiago Villanueva Álvarez, Director-General for Emergencies and Interior of the Xunta de Galicia; Ángel Manuel Sánchez, Director-General for Fire Prevention and Extinction of the Regional Government of Castile and León; António Barbosa, President of CIM Alto Minho; and Commander Paulo Jorge Macedo Gonçalves. This was followed by a round table on cross-border emergency assistance, bringing together representatives from CITIC at the University of A Coruña, CIM Alto Minho, the Viana do Castelo District Command, and the Regional Government of Castile and León. The discussion was moderated by Joaquim Mamede Alonso, from the Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo.
During the afternoon, following a visit to the exhibition and a brief demonstration exercise carried out as part of the project, each of the ATEMPO partners presented their conclusions and an overview of the results achieved. The session concluded with remarks by Marcos Araújo, Manager of the Axencia Galega de Emerxencias (AXEGA) and lead partner of the project, who highlighted the progress made over the past three years, during which ATEMPO significantly strengthened cross-border emergency response between Galicia, Castile and León, and Northern Portugal.
The institutional closing session featured the participation of João Manuel Esteves, Portugal’s Secretary of State for the Environment; Diego Calvo Pouso, Regional Minister for the Presidency, Justice and Sports of the Xunta de Galicia; Álvaro Santos, President of CCDR Norte; and, via videoconference, Simona Pohlova, Deputy Head of Unit for the Interreg Programme, who presented the future outlook for cross-border territorial cooperation.
A strategic project benefiting more than 570,000 people
Recognised as an Operation of Strategic Importance by the Monitoring Committee of the Interreg VI-A Spain–Portugal (POCTEP) 2021–2027 Cross-Border Cooperation Programme, ATEMPO developed, throughout its implementation, a cross-border emergency response model with a direct impact on 570,000 residents in the cross-border area. Several of its actions also have the potential to benefit a population of more than 9 million people.
The project brings together seven organisations from three territories: the Axencia Galega de Emerxencias (AXEGA) as lead partner; the Directorate-General for Natural Heritage and Forest Policy of Castile and León; the University of A Coruña (CITIC and CITENI Research Centres); the Alto Minho Intermunicipal Community (CIM Alto Minho); the Northern Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-N); the Portuguese National Republican Guard (GNR); and the Portuguese National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM). Over the course of three years, this partnership established a common operational framework that reduced response times in border areas, improved the interoperability of emergency systems, and developed technological tools, including Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), to support operational coordination.
The end of one cycle and the consolidation of a model
ATEMPO builds on a long-standing process of cross-border cooperation in the field of emergency management, following previous projects such as ARIEM and PROTEMPO, which mobilised more than €3 million. The Final Conference formally marked the end of this cycle while also confirming that the model developed—based on the principle that emergencies do not recognise administrative borders—has proven effective and can be replicated in other territories across the Euroregion.
The clearest demonstration of this progress took place last December, when the ATEMPO 2025 Multi-Hazard Exercise brought together around 200 emergency personnel from Portugal, Galicia and Castile and León in a LIVEX cross-border simulation exercise held in A Guarda. The exercise tested, in real time, the protocols and capabilities developed throughout the project through five simultaneous scenarios, including road traffic accidents, wildfires, high-angle rescues and missing-person search operations.
ATEMPO COMMUNICATION
Isabel Blanco
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