Gateway to Europe Eurocity: a failed project of local cross-border cooperation on the Spain–Portugal Border?

Abstract

The Gateway to Europe Eurocity European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (GEE EGTC), located in a low-density area of the Portuguese–Spanish border, serves as the case study for this research. Drawing on semi-structured interviews, the paper examines local perspectives on the Eurocity and cross-border cooperation. The findings reveal deep demographic and socio-economic challenges, particularly depopulation and the decline of border-related activities, alongside the persistence of symbolic and cultural ties that foster shared identity. While the GEE EGTC has so far remained largely inactive and disconnected from everyday life, the study highlights both the obstacles that hinder its implementation—such as political discontinuities, institutional fragmentation, and limited resources—and the opportunities to reshape cross-border cooperation through more bottom-up and multi-scalar approaches. These results contribute to the debate on the role and limitations of Eurocities in rural border contexts and invite further reflection on the need to adapt this concept beyond predominantly urban settings.