The idea was put forward this morning at the conference ‘40 years of European integration - building with Local Government’, which took place in the auditorium of the Camilo Castelo Branco Municipal Library and marked the celebrations of Europe Day in Famalicão. 

The mayor Mário Passos, the president of CCDR-Norte, António Cunha, MEP Paulo Cunha and the executive president of the Mestre Casais Foundation, José Mendes, attended the initiative. 

Opening the debate, the mayor, Mário Passos, recalled the municipality's active participation in European Union programmes and projects, international dynamics and urban diplomacy strategy, which aim to stimulate the city's internationalisation and its participation in various sustainable urban development, innovation and cooperation initiatives.

Mário Passos also pointed out that ‘the Municipality of Famalicão has been able to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the EU support frameworks, attracting funding for structuring projects in the areas of education, culture, the environment, sustainable development and social inclusion’.

By way of example, in the programming cycle covering Portugal 2030, Norte 2030, Europa 2030 and the PRR alone, the municipality of Vila Nova de Famalicão has already contracted a total of 94.5 million euros.

In terms of the RRP, the municipality of Vila Nova de Famalicão leads the NUTS III Ave region with 3,461 approved applications, totalling 237 million euros in support. The municipality alone has contracted 58.8 million euros, in 20 applications relating to the construction/rehabilitation of new health units, the new university residence, the renovation of the school park, urban parks, the digital shopping district and housing, with the First Right programme. 

‘Europe is present in our daily lives, in schools, in social projects, in environmental innovation and in the modernisation of our services. Celebrating Europe Day is also about celebrating the concrete benefits of our participation in the European Union,‘ the mayor emphasised, adding that these are projects that “have an impact on citizens” lives, so that they have better well-being and an ever better quality of life’.

During the debate, Famalicense MEP Paulo Cunha pointed to local government as fundamental to the pursuit of the European project. ‘If we can't focus the attention of local actors, we won't be able to reach the citizens. Local authorities are the interlocutors with the most power to interact with people.’

In his speech, José Mendes highlighted Famalicão's role as a driving force behind what he sees as the strategy for building a European economy, which must be based on sustainability in all its different dimensions. ‘The figures position Famalicão as a true industrial and export engine for Portugal, with strategic relevance for Europe,’ emphasising the importance of “local policies to achieve these goals”. 

In his speech, António Cunha emphasised the importance of Europe and Portugal's 40 years of European integration, ‘which have brought us added value and which are the result of what will always be a political project that it is up to all of us to fulfil’. 

The president of IPCA, Maria José Fernandes, moderated the debate.