Alcoutim Mayor wants to join forces with neighbouring Mértola and Spanish border councils to apply for EU funds.
Mayor Osvaldo Gonçalves told Lusa news agency that the two Portuguese boroughs were keen to establish a “partnership” with Spanish neighbours Sanlúcar del Guadiana, El Granado and Villablanca, raising their chances of obtaining EU funds in the 2014-2020 financial programme, particularly for tourism-related investments.
However, there is one project that has been in the pipeline for two decades – the construction of an international bridge over the Guadiana River, connecting Alcoutim and Sanlúcar.
“This is an old project, desired by some but not by all,” said Gonçalves who doubts it will become a reality in the next few years due to “a lack of money” and the general economic climate at both sides of the border.
