ARCHAM participated in the 2026 Macro-Regional and Sea Basin Strategies Days, held in Brussels on 8–9 July and co-organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) and Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE).
The event brought together the eight European Macro-Regional and Sea Basin Strategies—Alpine, Danube, Adriatic-Ionian, Baltic Sea, Atlantic, WestMED (Western Mediterranean), Black Sea and Greater North Sea—to discuss the European Commission’s new policy directions and the role that transnational territories can play in advancing security, resilience, competitiveness, enlargement and the implementation of the European Union’s priorities.
The conference provided a platform to reflect on current and future challenges and opportunities, while fostering dialogue on the experiences of the Macro-Regional and Sea Basin Strategies and their potential to position themselves as key actors for the benefit of territories and citizens.
Strengthening Atlantic Cooperation
As part of the event, the ARCHAM delegation took part in the workshop “Dialogue with Regional and Local Authorities and Socio-Economic Stakeholders on the Future Atlantic Maritime and Macro-Regional Strategy”, organised by the Secretariat of the Atlantic Arc Commission of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR), together with INTERACT, DG MARE and DG REGIO.
During the session, the ARCHAM delegation shared its expertise across the different thematic areas addressed in the workshop and exchanged views with regional and local public authorities, as well as representatives of Atlantic civil society, on the role that a future Atlantic Maritime and Macro-Regional Strategy could play. The discussion built on the invitation made by the European Council to the European Commission on 18 December 2025 to develop an Atlantic macro-regional strategy.
The new strategy aims to expand and consolidate the work carried out to date under the Atlantic Maritime Strategy and its Action Plan by integrating their objectives, achievements and areas of action into a broader territorial and strategic framework. Its purpose is to ensure the continuity of ongoing initiatives, strengthen synergies among stakeholders and avoid duplication of efforts.
Guillermo Miró, Deputy Director of the Bilbao Chamber of Commerce, who spoke on behalf of ARCHAM during the session, highlighted that “one of the main challenges we have identified as critical for the competitiveness of Atlantic territories is connectivity, infrastructure and smart logistics.” He added: “Peripheral areas tend to lose their capacity to influence decision-making, and this loss further reinforces their peripheral status. The way to break this cycle is through regional cooperation, enabling us to become more influential and ensure that our voice is heard by the institutions whose decisions have a direct impact on our competitiveness.”
Miró also stressed that “an Atlantic Macro-Region will give the territories of the Atlantic Arc greater political weight and access to dedicated European funding. In terms of connectivity, this joint strategy will facilitate an integrated and sustainable transport system through key actions such as boosting rail investment to complete and modernise the Atlantic Corridor before 2030; improving port connectivity to promote intermodality and strengthen the logistics role of ports, thereby enhancing their competitiveness; and accelerating the development of energy corridors by investing in key infrastructure for offshore renewable energy and the European green hydrogen corridor, including projects such as H2MED, thus reinforcing Europe’s energy autonomy.”
About ARCHAM
The Chambers of Commerce of northern Portugal, Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, Burgos, Navarra, the Basque Country, and Nouvelle-Aquitaine signed the Declaration of the Chambers of Commerce of the Atlantic Arc in Bilbao in June 2023, with the aim of creating mechanisms for inter-chamber and inter-institutional cooperation to jointly address the economic, social, and environmental challenges faced by the regions of the Atlantic Arc. Since this first conference, five more have been held—in Bilbao, Porto, Oviedo, Vigo, and Brussels—advancing the identification of shared areas of interest, the drafting of a strategic document, and the inclusion of public administrations and other institutions in the project. The strategic document establishes three priority areas of work of common interest to all territories:
- Transport and Intermodality
- Promotion of the Atlantic rail corridor
- Support for intermodality and connectivity of Atlantic Arc ports
- Hydrogen Corridor and Renewable Energy
- Development of the hydrogen corridor
- Offshore wind energy
- The Camino de Santiago as a unifying hallmark
- Wine tourism
- Leisure, nature, and wellness activities
The Chambers of the Atlantic Arc aim to generate synergies around these areas of work to transform the territory and make it more competitive, more sustainable, more dynamic, more open and connected; as well as more attractive and with a higher quality of life for its citizens.