Working day on September 26th and 27th brings together Matosinhos and Vilagarcia de Arousa
Matosinhos receives on 26 and 27 September a committee of the Spanish municipality of Vilagarcia de Arousa, led by Mayor Alberto Varela, also president of the Galician Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEGAMP), for a meeting under the project "The Sea that Unites Us".
The initiative, with funding recently approved by the European Commission, and with the support of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) of the Euroregion Galicia - Northern Portugal, under the call for proposals of the CERV program (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values), aims to bring together these municipalities through a joint program of activities in the areas of sea economy, tourism and its relationship with the Camino de Santiago, gastronomy, culture and business collaboration that will take place today and tomorrow in Matosinhos, with the participation of various institutions, associations, companies and citizens of both municipalities.
"The Sea that Unites Us" began today, in the Salão Nobre dos Paços do Concelho, with the opening session and welcome, in charge of the Mayor of Matosinhos, Luísa Salgueiro, and the mayor of Vilagarcía de Arousa, Alberto Varela Paz.
The working day began with the showing of two promotional videos of both municipalities, moving then to the speeches.
The mayor of Vilagarcia began by thanking the hospitality of Matosinhos, recalling the "very special bond" established with Matosinhos many years ago, based on a relationship between his clubs, Arousa and Leixões, which led to later strengthening the ties between the two municipalities. "We have a lot in common," Alberto Varela Paz pointed out. "Culture, tradition, modernity, gastronomy, business strategy, gastronomy, and the 'sea that unites us,'" he added. After some time of interregnum and "cooling off" of relations, we now want to relaunch our ties with Matosinhos, "to strengthen ties and exchange experiences," he assumed.
The mayor of Matosinhos went back in time to remember that it was in 1959 that a twinning protocol was established between Matosinhos and Vilagarcia de Arousa. The relationship between the two clubs, Leixões and Arousa, led to a strengthening of ties that was later also embodied in common actions and youth policies," she said. "Now we want to resume the relationship with Arousa. We have a lot of common identity. It is not by chance that the project is called 'the sea that unites us', because we have a natural, historical, and economic relationship with the sea that is common to both cities," he continued. "Matosinhos is a city open to the world. We are very excited to resume this relationship and to be able to work with Vilagarcia. We believe in territorial cooperation and its added values. We bet on solidarity and partnership, on stimulating synergies and on mutual recognition." Welcome to Matosinhos. Let's work together," Luísa Salgueiro concluded.
This was followed by a workshop on "municipal and civic/citizen cooperation within the strategy of European cross-border cooperation between Galicia and the North of Portugal" with the participation of the town's councilman of culture, Fernando Rocha, the councillor for economic promotion, Alba Briones Gamarra, and the deputy director of the EGTC, GNP, Xosé Lago.
Also present from the Matosinhos City Hall were the vice-president, Carlos Mouta, the councilor for the Environment, Manuela Álvares, and the councilor for Economic Development, Trade and Tourism, Marta Pontes.
In the afternoon, the panel "Tourism and Economic Activities", will bring to debate the municipal strategies for economic development, the development of local tourism and its economic agents and the promotion of the territories and future actions, under the scope of the joint Strategic Plan that is being developed.
Fernando Rocha will also accompany the delegation from Vilagarcia on a visit to some of the most emblematic places in Matosinhos, such as the Piscina das Marés, the Casa da Arquitectura, and the Igreja do Senhor de Matosinhos.
The first day of work will end with a panel dedicated to associations and companies. Note that this is another initiative included in the "Month of the Companies" developed in Matosinhos until October 14 with the aim of disseminating and boosting the economic and business sectors of the county.
See the complete program here: https://www.cm-matosinhos.pt/servicos-municipais/apoio-as-atividades-economicas-e-investidor/mes-das-empresas-be-matosinhos The second day, September 27, will be marked by the closing session and the signing of an addendum to the twinning agreement between Matosinhos and Vilagarcía de Arousa, signed in 1959, introducing new aspects of cooperation. The ceremony will take place tomorrow in the Sala dos Espelhos of MuMMa - Museu da Memória de Matosinhos.
On this day, which also marks the World Tourism Day, the Spanish delegation will also have the opportunity to visit two more emblematic places of the municipality: MuMMa and Fábrica de Conservas Ramirez.
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