Processes of de-frontiering between Galicia and Northern Portugal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21814/diacritica.6282Keywords:
Cross-border cooperation, Border, Euroregion, EuropeanizationAbstract
Cross-border cooperation experiences are often cited as living laboratories of European integration, as they help to correct certain symbolic and institutional mismatches caused by the artificiality of state borders. In the case of Portugal and Spain, this is particularly relevant, as much of the 20th century was marked by a rigid and heavily controlled border division under the Iberian dictatorships. The entry of both states into the European project was quickly seized by political, economic, social, and cultural actors from Galicia and Northern Portugal to strengthen ties based on their complementarities. Through a review of key concepts, analysis of data from official sources, and mapping of territorial initiatives, this text identifies the main processes of “de-bordering” observed in recent years along the Galicia-Northern Portugal border, highlighting their origins and outcomes. The text concludes with a reflection on the obstacles that still persist and hinder the consolidation of the Galicia-Northern Portugal Euroregion as a territory for political, economic, and territorial action, capable of overcoming the barriers imposed by territorial logics based on the nation-state.
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