The Euroregion demands the fulfilment of the commitments made on Atlantic interconnections

• Nouvelle Aquitaine, the Basque Country and Navarre share their concern at the risk of the Atlantic coast “being left behind” in the network of corridors that run through the EU's geography

• Iñigo Urkullu has appealed for the reopening of the border crossing points that have been closed since 2021

The Lehendakari has demanded that “the competent institutions” fulfil the commitments acquired in relation to the Atlantic interconnections and has assured that Nouvelle Aquitaine, the Basque Country and Navarre will continue to defend their shared objectives so as not to remain “outside the European spotlight and to have the capacity to influence decisions”.

Iñigo Urkullu headed the Basque Country's representation at the Assembly held this afternoon by the Nouvelle Aquitaine/Euskadi/Navarre Euroregion in Donibane Garazi, where he once again appealed for the reopening “as soon as possible” of the border crossings at the port of Larrau, Aldudes, the Izpegi pass and the avenue of Hendaye, which have been closed since 2021, “due to the negative consequences for the people living in these areas”.

Together with the Lehendakari, the Minister for Economic Development, Sustainability and the Environment, Arantxa Tapia, the Minister for Education, Jokin Bildarrtaz, and the Minister for Tourism, Trade and Consumer Affairs, Javier Hurtado, travelled to Donibane Garazi. This was the first of the two general meetings held annually by the Euroregion, at which the activity report for 2022 was presented and the budget guidelines for 2023 were discussed.  The framework for the Euroregion's call for projects in 2023 was also approved.

After the meeting and in a joint appearance by the three presidents, the Lehendakari reaffirmed the Euroregion's commitment to continue “improving the quality of life and opportunities for people and companies in our cross-border ecosystem”.

At another point in his speech, he assured that the territories of the Euroregion share the concern for the future railway connections since, according to him, everything points to the fact that the Bordeaux-Dax connection would not see the light of day until 2042 and the connection with Hendaye and the Basque Y has no scheduled date of execution, which would mean a “serious breach” of the commitments set out in the European TEN-T Regulation.  “This situation,” he said, “causes great concern both in Nouvelle Aquitaine and in the Basque Country and Navarre because the Atlantic coast would be left out of the network of corridors that run through the EU, which would affect the economic and social development of our Communities.”

Finally, the Lehendakari assured that Nouvelle Aquitaine, the Basque Country and Navarre would continue to face shared challenges together and thanked Alain Rousset and María Chivite for the commitment shown by their respective governments to the Atlantic Macroregion project.