03 Sep AECT Rio Minho joins Cooperation Day 2026 with three cross-border cooperation initiatives
The AECT Rio Minho is joining Interreg Cooperation Day 2026, an initiative that showcases European cooperation and the results it delivers in border regions.
Under the motto “Stronger Together”, this year’s edition also marks the 15th anniversary of Cooperation Day and provides an opportunity to show how cooperation goes beyond administrative borders and takes shape through the people, institutions and organisations that work together.
In the Rio Minho territory, this participation takes the form of three initiatives developed within the REDE_GOV_MINHO and VISIT_RIO_MINHO_PLUS projects, co-funded by the Interreg VI-A Spain–Portugal Programme (POCTEP) 2021–2027. Citizen participation, tourism development and knowledge-sharing on cross-border tourism are the three areas chosen to showcase different ways of building a shared territory.
Choosing our future together: citizens and municipalities shaping the Urban Agendas
Within REDE_GOV_MINHO, the Citizen Participation Days for the Rio Minho Urban Agendas will open a new stage of public participation in the development of the Cross-Border Urban Agendas for Eurocidade do Minho and Eurocidade da Foz do Minho.
The initiative involves two Eurocities, eight municipalities and two countries: Arbo, A Caniza, Crecente, As Neves and Melgaço in Eurocidade do Minho; and Caminha, A Guarda and O Rosal in Eurocidade da Foz do Minho. Citizens, associations, economic and social stakeholders, the educational community, local organisations and institutional representatives will be invited to discuss the proposals identified and help define the priorities of the two Urban Agendas.
Following the diagnostic phase, the process now moves into a stage where learning, discussing, proposing and prioritising will turn community participation into contributions to the future Action Plans. Here, the Stronger Together motto takes on a very concrete meaning: institutions, local stakeholders and citizens from both sides of the border working together to shape the future of territories that share challenges and opportunities.
Experience the Rio Minho to the fullest: 14 operators and one shared river
The second initiative is part of VISIT_RIO_MINHO_PLUS and its programme of nautical experiences, which, between June and September, offers participants the opportunity to discover the Rio Minho from the river itself.
The programme brings together 14 Portuguese and Galician nautical operators, with a total of 26 outings and 300 places — 100 for tourism professionals and 200 for the general public. The experiences cover different areas of the Rio Minho, from the estuary to the inland stretches, and include activities in both Portuguese and Galician territory, as well as routes directly connecting the two riverbanks.
Boat trips, rafting, kayaking experiences and activities adapted for people with reduced mobility form part of a programme designed to consolidate the “Rio Minho navegável” tourism product and strengthen the Rio Minho as a cross-border destination.
Cooperation takes shape through local operators, tourism professionals and participants, but also through a natural resource that does not end at the border.
ITC’26: cross-border tourism and knowledge in dialogue
The third initiative is the 18th International Tourism Congress – ITC’26, which will take place on 1 and 2 October at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of the University of Vigo. This year’s edition will focus on cross-border tourism, with the AECT Rio Minho taking part as a co-organiser of the congress.
As the annual scientific meeting of the Centre for Tourism Research, Development and Innovation (CiTUR), ITC’26 brings together researchers, students, public administration representatives, companies and tourism professionals. The Rio Minho will be one of the reference territories for discussions on the role of tourism in sustainable development and cooperation in border regions.
The inclusion of the congress in Cooperation Day therefore adds a third dimension to the AECT Rio Minho’s participation: cooperation through knowledge. Universities, public institutions, companies and professionals will have the opportunity to bring together research, experience and different perspectives on the challenges and opportunities of cross-border tourism.
Different protagonists, one shared territory
The three initiatives focus on different areas, but they share one essential element: cooperation happens through the people who take part in it.
Municipalities and citizens defining priorities together; Portuguese and Galician operators building a tourism offer around the same river; universities, institutions, companies, researchers and professionals sharing knowledge about border regions.
It is this diversity of protagonists that the AECT Rio Minho seeks to highlight through its participation in Interreg Cooperation Day 2026. The motto “Stronger Together” finds a concrete expression in the Rio Minho: two countries, two riverbanks and different protagonists brought together by shared projects, resources and goals.
