"Pirineos-Pyrénées" territory
Countries: Spain , FranceRegions concerned: Diputación Provincial de Huesca, Government of Aragon (Spain); Conseils Départementaux des Pyrénées-Atlantiques et des Hautes-Pyrénées (France)
The European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) "Pirineos-Pyrénées" was launched in March 2018 by the four local authorities of the Diputación Provincial de Huesca, the Government of Aragon and the Departmental Councils of the Atlantic Pyrenees and the High Pyrenees. The adopted joint declaration announces the merger of the Bielsa-Aragnouet Tunnel Consortium and the two EGTCs "Espace Pourtalet" and "Huesca Pirineos-Hautes-Pyrénées" into a single cooperation body. The objective is a better mutualisation for a more effective cooperation through a single body, and in particular the mutualisation of the management and development of cross-border infrastructures. This merger and pooling would make it possible, in particular, to halt the loss of populations in the area through the development of agriculture and new technologies.
The EGTC has four areas of intervention:
- Promote internationally the "Pyrenees" destination
- Adapt local and tourist mobility to the needs of the Pyrenees region
- Develop technological innovation to support the social and economic revitalization of territories
- Manage cross-border infrastructures
As Michel Pélieu, President of the "Hautes-Pyrénées" Department, pointed out when signing the joint declaration for the creation of the grouping: "Together, our territories form a great and beautiful tourist destination that will allow us to have an international dimension and bring the "Pyrenees" brand to life".
The "Pirineos-Pyrénées" EGTC covers a transpyrenean territory of 2.5 million inhabitants.
