The new territorial structures for the governance of the borderlands between Portugal and Spain (Eurocities) constitute a novel and exciting example of a local commitment to cross-border cooperation (CBC). The Eurocities are feasible institutions in very close cities and municipalities, and have always had intense relationships. With different speeds, formats and intensities, Eurocities have been forming along the European Union’s internal borders. Compared to other types of cooperation entities created mainly at regional or sub-regional scales (Euroregions and Eurodistricts), Eurocities are created at the municipal or local level, which are the most relevant protagonists of cross-border flows and relations. These new institutions are established based on different common objectives, such as economic dynamism, tourism, mobility, sustainability and access to funding, among many other fields of common interest. The present research deals with the geographical and institutional framework of these new Eurocities on the Portuguese–Spanish border, where they have increased in recent years. Their beginnings, evolution and characteristics are analyzed through a review work. In many cases, Eurocities become responses at the local and municipal scales. Some of these Eurocities have gone one step further by becoming a European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC), such as Chaves–Marín or Guadiana Eurocity. In addition, some of these second-generation CBC structures are integrating into higher regional levels, such as in the case of the Río Minho EGTC. Furthermore, the present study enables us to identify factors, such as the offer of common equipment and services offer, Eurocitizenship, enhancing access to European Funds, or the marketing and advertising of the Eurocity, as some of the critical factors for the success of the Iberian Eurocities.

Se reflexiona en esta aportación sobre los espacios rurales en regresión poblacional y las posibilidades que ofrecen las actividades económicas vinculadas con el turismo rural y de interior para truncar o minimizar la crisis demográfica que sufren. Preferentemente se abordan su reciente evolución de la población y las causas y evolución del turismo rural. Pero de forma transversal se hacen también reflexiones sobre las políticas públicas de desarrollo local y los problemas de organización territorial de los ámbitos locales. El ámbito de estudio es genérico para España. El uso de una base de datos de escala municipal permite una buena radiografía del actual estado de la población y del poblamiento tanto para municipios rurales como urbanos. Para ello se han tomado datos del Instituto Nacional de Estadística y posteriormente se han georreferenciado con el apoyo de un SIG dando como resultado una ilustrativa cartografía que nos permite extraer algunas conclusiones.

In the European Union, there have been significant developments in recent decades in cross-border cooperation and the removal of borders. Thirty years have passed since the launch of the Interreg funds, which finance territorial cooperation policies between Spain and Portugal. Despite these developments, which have encouraged economic and social flows between the two states, the border effect persists in many aspects, especially in terms of governance and shared territorial management. This study, therefore, focuses on how to address the border issue in the different spatial, sectoral, and urban planning instruments. This has involved analysing the different governance, planning, and territorial management systems in Spain and Portugal using the cross-border area of the Baixo Guadiana as a case study. As a preview of the results, following a comparative diagnosis, a number of obstacles and differences in spatial planning, and other territorial actions in this area have been revealed that are a hindrance to the integrated planning and co-management of the Spanish-Portuguese border area.

Governance, innovation and spatial planning are recognised as dimensions of the territorial development process in the European Regional Policy. This paper explores the joint possibilities of Community-led Local Development (CLLD), as an approach that encourages the participation of local actors in sustainable urban development, and the EU Urban Agenda, as a strategic spatial planning instrument, applied in the cross-border area of the Eurocity of Guadiana. It draws on existing literature and the empirical development of the INTERREG EuroGuadiana 2020 project to define the objectives of the process and the key components of the territorial governance scheme. It shows that the urban governance formula for cross-border cities, based on the combination of European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC), CLLD and Urban Agenda, represents an opportunity both to strengthen the organisational capacities of partnerships and to implement inclusive and participatory action plans. It is concluded that the Eurocity of Guadiana must overcome limiting factors such as community resistance to change, as well as the paradox of planning across borders and the demands of cross-border governance.