Alcoutim council is leading a local movement to join the neighbouring Spaniards in order to attract EU funds.
The mayor of Alcoutim expects his municipality to join up with three Spanish counties bordering his patch and that of neighbouring Mértola so as successfully to apply for European funds under the next Community Support Framework funding round.
"We are interested in cementing relations with our Spanish neighbours who want to be our partners," said Osvaldo Gonçalves when asked if the council had any interest in joining Spaniards from San Lucar del Guadiana, Granado and Villablanca so as to be eligible for EU funding in 2014-2020.
The PS mayor, elected in the last election after two decades of PSD rule, has been watching the development down river where Ayamonte and Vila Real de Santo Antonio have successfully joined in on a range of cooperative ventures and initiatives, commenting, "the advantages of a cooperation treaty extends the possibilities of investment and commercial transactions, particularly in terms of tourism." In fact the Alcoutim mayor is annoyed that the bigger council areas to the south did not include Alcoutim in its plans.
Asked about the age old issue of building a bridge over the Guadiana river between Alcoutim and San Lucar, Gonçalves considered that it would bring development to the area, but does not believe that it can be built "in the coming years" due to a lack of money brought about by the economic conditions on both sides of the border.
A bridge has been talked about for over 20 years by municipalities on both sides of the border but a lack of willing, certainly on the Portuguese side, has ensured this project has remained in the long grass.
