The Rio Minho European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (Rio Minho EGTC) regrets that the Joint Declaration of the 36th Portuguese-Spanish Summit failed to provide structural responses to the main challenges affecting the international stretch of the Rio Minho, despite the warnings and formal requests previously submitted by the territory.

In September 2025, the General Assembly of the Rio Minho EGTC formally requested that several national and regional entities promote the inclusion, on the agenda of the Portuguese-Spanish Summit, of a set of issues considered essential for the sustainability and safety of the Rio Minho. These concerns included the progressive sedimentation of the river, the proliferation of invasive species and the impacts arising from the management of cross-border water flows.

In the document submitted to various institutions, the Rio Minho EGTC also highlighted the need to clarify the legal framework governing the management of the river as an international watercourse and to advance operational instruments capable of supporting concrete actions, including dredging operations, scientific ecosystem monitoring and sustainable water flow management measures.

Despite the strategic importance of these issues for local communities and economic activities across the territory, the final declaration of the Portuguese-Spanish Summit merely refers to the signing of an agreement concerning the safety of navigation and recreational boating on the international section of the Rio Minho, without addressing the structural challenges previously identified.

José Manuel Vaz Carpinteira, Director of the Rio Minho EGTC, stressed that the territory spoke with one voice and presented concrete proposals to address problems that continue to worsen along the Rio Minho, expressing regret that these concerns were not reflected in the final declaration of the Portuguese-Spanish Summit.

He further recalled that the Joint Declaration itself recognises the importance of cross-border cooperation instruments and the role of European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation in improving public policies in border regions. For this reason, he argues that the Rio Minho requires structural responses and effective coordination between the two States.

In this regard, the Rio Minho EGTC reaffirms its commitment to keeping these issues at the centre of the institutional agenda and to promoting, together with national and regional bodies, the initiatives required to achieve concrete solutions to the identified challenges.

The Rio Minho EGTC recalls that the international stretch of the Rio Minho is one of the most dynamic and densely populated sections of the entire Portugal-Spain border. It plays a central role in the cultural identity of the territory and constitutes a fundamental environmental, social and economic resource for riverside communities.

The Rio Minho EGTC considers it imperative that the Governments of Portugal and Spain treat these challenges as an urgent political priority and move forward, with determination and without delay, towards the creation of cooperation mechanisms capable of delivering concrete and lasting solutions for the sustainable management of the Rio Minho.

The Rio Minho EGTC remains fully available to cooperate with all relevant authorities in the definition and implementation of a structured action plan for the Rio Minho.