The Interreg MAC programme is participating in the Interreg event taking place these days in Gorizia and Nova Gorica. High level political representatives from the Commission and the different Interreg programmes, managing authorities and other stakeholders will discuss the key points of the consultation on the post 2027 period and on the current and future priorities of European Territorial Cooperation. 

The Director General for European Affairs of the Government of the Canary Islands and Managing Authority of the MAC, Celia Alberto, took part as a speaker in the panel dedicated to the future of cooperation at the external borders of the EU, together with representatives of the Interreg NEXT and IPA programmes. 

During her speech, she highlighted the unique nature of the EU’s outermost borders in the Caribbean, South America, the Indian Ocean and the mid-Atlantic, and the importance of the Interreg programmes in strengthening their regional integration through closer cooperation with neighbouring third countries.

The Director highlighted the contribution of the MAC programme to the relations between the Canary Islands, Azores and Madeira and their neighbours on the West African coast, creating the right environment to increase exchanges between entities on each side of the border – universities, research institutes, public administrations, port authorities and business associations, among others – always from a perspective of mutual benefit. 

The geographical area covered by the MAC programme presents significant challenges, arising from the differences between the partners, not only in terms of economic development, but also in terms of governance and administrative capacity. Thanks to the effort and commitment of the project partners and their interest in making things work, these constraints have been overcome. 

‘Interreg MAC is about working together in a win-win relationship”