The Chambers of Commerce of the Atlantic Arc met today at the Palacio de los Condes de Toreno in Oviedo with the aim of analyzing the steps taken so far to advance the development of inter-chamber and inter-institutional cooperation mechanisms that contribute to working jointly on the economic, social, and environmental challenges faced by the regions comprising the Atlantic Arc, given the current risk of loss of competitiveness, territorial attractiveness, and influence capacity of the regions.
The objective of this III Forum of the Chambers of Commerce of the Atlantic Arc—which represents 21 Chambers from Portugal, Spain, and France gathered around this initiative—is to transform the Atlantic region into a more competitive, sustainable, dynamic, open, and connected territory; as well as more attractive and offering a higher quality of life for its citizens.
The meeting began with a welcome from the President of the Oviedo Chamber of Commerce, Carlos Paniceres, who then introduced the interventions of the President of the Bilbao Chamber of Commerce, José Ignacio Zudaire, and the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Mobility of the Principality of Asturias, Jorge García.
The meeting continued with the presentation of the main milestones achieved since the forum held last February in Porto. The President of the Bilbao Chamber of Commerce, José Ignacio Zudaire, representing the technical secretariat of the Chambers of Commerce of the Atlantic Arc, presented the progress made by the working groups designated to analyze and define in detail the identified projects.
Specifically, he outlined the results obtained regarding the shared challenge identified as ‘Connectivity and Capacity to Influence,’ in which three specific impact axes and one transversal support axis were established, identifying seven and four areas of action, respectively:
The specific impact axis ‘Transport and Intermodality‘ includes two areas of action: ‘Promotion of the Atlantic rail corridor,’ aiming to act jointly, generating pressure and influence to ensure that the railway connection, at least the core network, is completed along the Atlantic Arc within the established deadlines; and ‘Support for intermodality and connectivity of the Atlantic Arc Ports,’ complementing the previous axis and seeking greater interconnectivity while highlighting the important network of relevant ports and good land connections throughout the region.
‘The Camino de Santiago as a Structuring Trademark‘ forms the second specific impact axis and includes two areas of action: ‘Wine tourism-related activity’ and ‘Leisure, nature, and well-being activities,’ both related to creating and promoting activities aimed at fostering the economic and business development of these sectors while attracting tourists and visitors.
The third specific impact axis, ‘Hydrogen and Renewable Energy Corridor,’ aims to generate synergies that deepen the Atlantic Arc’s potential in sustainable energies. This axis brings together the areas of action: ‘Development of the Atlantic Arc Hydrogen Corridor,’ aiming to position the region in the hydrogen sector and boost technological, industrial, and scientific activity, as well as demand related to new developments; ‘Incorporation into the European Hydrogen Infrastructure Map,’ ensuring that the Atlantic Arc is well positioned for logistics of hydrogen transport; and ‘Promotion of marine renewable energies,’ contributing to the sector through the development of industrial value chains.
The fourth transversal support axis, ‘Communication and Impact,’ includes four areas of action: ‘Adhesion of leading companies,’ promoting a balance between business and government interests for the Atlantic corridor through a collaborative framework; ‘Annual forums,’ ensuring meetings, opinion exchange, media presence, renewal of commitments, evaluation of achieved results, and updating the action plan; ‘Institutional impact,’ to generate actions aimed at producing relevant impacts at various institutional levels; and ‘Atlantic Arc Brand,’ to develop communication and dissemination regarding activities and projects in the Atlantic Macroregion, cooperation between territories, and progress achieved jointly.
After reviewing the conclusions of the working groups, the project update was presented. Subsequently, the President of the Principality of Asturias, Adrián Barbón, joined the Chambers’ representatives to discuss the established work lines, planning, and next steps to continue collaborating to improve connectivity; act in a coordinated way to enhance capacity to influence; work towards sustainable diversification and entrepreneurship; promote sustainability, innovation, and internationalization; foster strategies to address the demographic challenge; and activate levers to create an attractive territory that retains and attracts talent. The Director of European Affairs of the Basque Government, Mikel Antón, also provided an assessment of the Atlantic Macroregion’s situation.
The President of the Principality of Asturias, Adrián Barbón, closed the session.
Meeting with the Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility
A delegation from the Chambers of Commerce of the Atlantic Arc met yesterday with the Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, José Antonio Santano Clavero.
During the meeting, they presented to the Secretary of State the axes of this initiative, which seeks, from the strength of the local level, to join forces to transform the Atlantic Arc into a more competitive, sustainable, dynamic, open and connected territory; as well as more attractive and offering a higher quality of life for its citizens. They also highlighted the role that Chambers of Commerce can play due to their nature, representing general interest, and their proven capacity to develop actions in favor of improving competitiveness of territories and businesses, contributing to addressing the challenges faced by the region.
They also proposed to the Secretary of State the creation of a joint table to monitor strategic projects in the development of the Atlantic Arc, an initiative well received by the Secretary of State, who requested that the various business agents coordinate and unite to create this table.