TERRA-MED: An Interregional PhD Programme for Advancing Sustainability and Climate Resilience in Occitania, the Balearic Islands, and Catalonia.

TERRA-MED is a pioneering international PhD programme led by the Euroregion Pyrenees Mediterranean that addresses the growing challenges of climate change in the Mediterranean. The programme will attract and train talented young researchers from around the world  and bring together leading universities, research centres, public authorities, and local organisations to develop practical solutions that directly benefit people, communities, and territories.

The three Mediterranean regions forming the Euroregion are particularly exposed to the compounded impacts of climate change, which disrupt natural resources, ecosystems, and socio-economic systems. To respond to these shared problems, TERRA-MED focuses on the Water–Land–Energy nexus, looking at how water, land, and energy systems are closely connected and how they can be managed more sustainably and efficiently in the face of climate change.

With a total budget of €8.1 million, including €4.3 million EU Funds, TERRA-MED will recruit and support 33 PhD researchers through an international call for applications opening in late 2026. The recruited young talents will work across borders and disciplines, combining science, innovation, and real-world experience. Each PhD project will involve partners from different regions and sectors, with time spent abroad and collaboration between universities, public institutions, and industry.

The 33 doctoral researchers will benefit from a dedicated training programme jointly designed and delivered by the 12 academia partners and 22 associated partners. This programme will help them develop not only strong scientific skills, but also practical, social, and entrepreneurial abilities, preparing them for careers in research, public policy, or industry.

TERRA-MED is the first Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND programme ever coordinated by a Euroregion and the largest competitive research project ever led by the Euroregion Pyrenees Mediterranean. Fully aligned with the European Green Deal and key European missions on water and climate adaptation, TERRA-MED sets the Euroregio as a leading cross-border space for developing innovative and practical solutions to climate change and sustainability challenges in Mediterranean regions.

L'entrada TERRA-MED, the new Interregional PhD Programme coordinated by the Euroregion Pyrenees Mediterranean ha aparegut primer a Euroregion.

The Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion is allocating €119,000 to fund seven cultural projects that promote cultural cooperation between the Occitanie region, Catalonia, and the Balearic Islands, as part of its 15th edition of the APC call for proposals

The Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion has published the results of the deliberations of the 15th edition of the APC Call for Cultural Projects, which selected 7 winning projects from among the 12 applications submitted. This edition, which marks its 15th anniversary this year, reinforces the fundamental role of culture not only as a tool for representing Euroregional territories, but also as an inclusive bridge and space for cooperation between communities, creators, and institutions.

The #APC25 call for projects ran from June 2 to September 3, 2025, with a total budget of €119,000 in grants for cultural actors and creative industries in our territory. This now well-established annual call covers all areas of culture and artistic expression: performing arts, visual arts, crafts, literature, architecture, heritage, dance, digital creation, and many more. It particularly encourages initiatives that integrate social inclusion, ecological transition, youth participation, and the digital dimension in a cross-cutting manner.

The selection process was particularly competitive due to the high quality of the applications submitted by consortia bringing together entities from the three Euroregional territories. The projects proposed actions in the areas of creation, production, research, dissemination, cultural mediation, and heritage promotion, thereby contributing to strengthening cultural and human ties within the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion. Following the jury’s deliberations, seven projects representing the diversity and cultural richness of the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion were selected, distinguished by their capacity for innovation, their networking, and their territorial impact.

• ARX+ Expanded Archives: dissemination of multidisciplinary contemporary creative projects based on archives and creation of a space for exchange between professionals in the Euroregion.
• TraMeCAC: cross-border artistic and educational initiative exploring Camus’s thinking from the Mediterranean perspective, linking it to the complexity of its heritage and the values of the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion.
• RCMPM: cross-border network bringing together cultural organizations involved in contemporary music creation. It promotes the exchange of artists, works, and knowledge.
• LaboArtMed: interdisciplinary research laboratory in arts and sciences, focusing on climate change and the Mediterranean region. It includes the production, dissemination, and training of street artists, artistic residencies, mediation activities, and public performances.
• SOUVENIRS DE L’OBLIT: construction of a critical audiovisual narrative on touristification, based on visual, narrative, and sound experimentation using archival materials.
• CIDAM: international laboratory for audiovisual creation and development, focused on content rooted in Mediterranean cultures, societies, and heritage.
• Kazaaa x3: creative hospitality and community participation project, based on inviting artists, writers, and cultural figures from the three territories. Each guest is welcomed in one of the other two territories for a structured immersion experience, combining meetings, studio visits, bookstore debates, and participation in local events.

In this context, the APC Call for Projects, launched in 2010 and fully aligned with the 2021–2030 roadmap, has established itself as one of the key tools for placing culture at the heart of the Euroregional project. Complementary initiatives, such as the mapping of cultural actors or the WhatsApp group for the Euroregion’s cultural community, also help to enhance visibility and cooperation between creators, structures, and institutions, placing citizens at the center of a more inclusive, diverse, and connected Euroregion.

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L'entrada APC25: 15 years supporting culture as a tool for cooperation ha aparegut primer a Euroregion.

The meeting with Commissioner Fitto strengthens the Euroregion as a strategic ally for an EU that is closer to its citizens

A delegation from the Pyrenees–Mediterranean Euroregion, led by Margalida Prohens, President of the Balearic Islands and acting President of the Euroregion; Nadia Pellefigue, Vice-President of the Occitanie Region; Jaume Duch, Minister for the European Union and External Action of the Government of Catalonia; and Xavier Bernard Sans, Secretary-General of the Pyrenees–Mediterranean Euroregion, met yesterday, 9 December, with the European Commissioner for Cohesion Policy and Reforms and Vice-President of the European Commission, Raffaele Fitto, in Brussels.

The meeting made it possible to reaffirm the commitment of the three territories to a cohesive and territorially balanced Europe, capable of addressing the increasingly significant Mediterranean challenges.

The three representatives stressed the need for Mediterranean regions to play a more relevant role in both the definition and implementation of cohesion policy in the Mediterranean context. The Euroregion, the only European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) that includes both island and mainland territories and which has more than two decades of solid cooperation, asked the Commissioner for additional means and European instruments to expand the scope of its cooperation projects. It also defended the need for stable and sufficient European funding to ensure balanced territorial development and cohesion among all members of the Euroregion.

During the meeting, the need for specific treatment for island territories was also highlighted, taking into account their geographic uniqueness and associated costs. The delegation emphasised the cooperation between the Balearic Islands and the mainland members, Catalonia and the Occitanie Region. In this context, the Euroregion proposed the creation of a specific maritime and coastal cross-border programme within the future INTERREG POCTEFA for the post-2028 period, including the Balearic Islands. This would make it possible to address shared challenges such as climate change adaptation, coastal management and the development of a sustainable blue economy.

Finally, the delegation stressed the need to move towards a specific status for EGTC staff, in order to ensure more efficient legal, administrative and human-resource management of these cooperation structures, acting as pioneers in this initiative.

This meeting, stemming from Commissioner Fitto’s positive assessment during the Euroregion’s 20th anniversary declaration, served to reaffirm the Euroregion’s intention to position itself as an essential ally and partner of DG REGIO, to bring Europe closer to its citizens, and to ensure that the new cohesion policy incorporates the voice of Mediterranean regions.

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L'entrada The Pyrenees–Mediterranean Euroregion defends a more ambitious cohesion policy in Brussels and asserts its role in connecting the EU with its citizens ha aparegut primer a Euroregion.

The event, held from 26 to 28 November, brought together for three days the rural and fisheries Local Action Groups (LAGs and FLAGs), public administrations and organizations from the three territories of the Euroregion Pyrenees-Mediterranean.

The Euroregional meeting “Cooperate to Transform”, organised by the Association of Rural and Maritime Initiatives of Catalonia (ARCA), the Euroregion Pyrenees-Mediterranean, and the Government of Catalonia, took place on 26, 27 and 28 November in Barcelona. Framed within the Day of the Mediterranean, the event reaffirmed the commitment of participating territories to defending their rural and maritime identity, while advancing cross-border and national cooperation. The meeting created a space for exchanging experiences between rural and fisheries Local Action Groups (LAGs and FLAGs), a particularly significant step in view of the future budgetary framework and the projects that will depend on the European Commission from 2027 onwards.

Throughout the sessions, participants addressed common challenges such as access to housing and mobility in rural areas, forest management, energy transition, fisheries sustainability, economic diversification, and the need to ensure generational renewal in both the agricultural and fisheries sectors. Several experts highlighted that the climate crisis directly affects water resource management, increases extreme weather events, and forces a shift toward an energy model based on electricity and renewable sources. The importance of supporting producers working with sustainability criteria, fostering cooperative models, and developing public policies that guarantee dignified living conditions in the territories was also emphasised. The Euroregional meeting aligned with the planning strategies of the three territories, promoting the creation of joint projects and strengthening collaboration among local stakeholders.

One of the key moments of the event was the reading and institutional endorsement, at the Parliament of Catalonia, of the Call for the Mediterranean: a joint manifesto promoted by ARCA and the territories of the Euroregion Pyrenees-Mediterranean. The document calls for stable and sufficient European funding for the Leader programmes and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) beyond 2027. It also highlights the role of rural and fisheries Local Action Groups which, for more than three decades, have contributed to revitalising the territory, fostering innovation, creating employment, and promoting local projects, as well as recognising the particularities of the Mediterranean fisheries model. The document further warns that the European Commission’s proposed budget cuts could negatively impact the viability of many farms, businesses, and rural and fisheries communities.

This working framework has helped turn “Cooperate to Transform” into a key reference meeting, consolidating a Euroregional network that facilitates the exchange of experiences, the creation of alliances, and the building of a united voice before Europe. The sessions form part of the Euroregion’s roadmap and priorities. Currently, thanks to the new Balearic Presidency, a Fisheries Working Group has been established, which has also coordinated actions such as a Declaration in defence of Mediterranean fisheries and fishing communities, as well as a letter addressed to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, conveying shared concerns and calling for measures to ensure the continuity and sustainability of the sector.

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L'entrada The territories of the Euroregion call for greater European support for rural and maritime areas at the Euroregional meeting “Cooperate to Transform” ha aparegut primer a Euroregion.

• Some days before the International Mediterranean Day, November 28, Barcelona will host an event from November 25 to 27, bringing together stakeholders from all backgrounds to share their knowledge and address the region’s most pressing environmental challenges.
• The LocAll4Flood project and two other projects will present their actions to adapt cities to flooding. Several pilot projects are located in Catalonia and Palma de Mallorca.
• The Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion is participating in the three-day conference co-organized by CREAF and MedCities within the framework of the Interreg Euro-MED Natural Heritage Mission program, in collaboration with other international entities

The Mediterranean region is one of the epicenters of climate change: it is warming 20% ​​faster than the rest of the world and is already suffering the consequences of extreme events such as heat waves, widespread forest fires, biodiversity loss, and torrential rains. The latter remain vivid in the collective memory of Catalonia and Spain. In this context, the Natural Heritage Mission of the Interreg Euro-MED program brings together a consortium of 16 Mediterranean entities working to share knowledge, develop tools, and disseminate the results of 18 projects funded by the program to various key stakeholders in the Mediterranean region, such as public administrations, research institutes, NGOs, businesses, and other important Mediterranean actors like the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion. The goal is to jointly address urgent environmental challenges such as these.

Three of these initiatives specifically aim to protect the cities and territories most vulnerable to flooding. Some of the results will be presented from November 25 to 27 in Barcelona, ​​ahead of World Mediterranean Day on November 28, at an in-person event organized by CREAF, the knowledge transfer partner, in collaboration with MedCities. More than 130 political, technical, and scientific figures will participate.

Anticipating floods, protecting wetlands, and monitoring sea levels

One of the projects, LocAll4Flood, coordinated by the Beta Technology Centre, with the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion as a partner, brings together government agencies, research centers, universities, and businesses to improve flood risk management. The plan includes specific actions such as an early warning system tailored to each region to better protect the population; a methodology to improve decision-making among different local stakeholders; and a catalog of nature-based solutions, such as reforestation, urban parks, and permeable paving. These measures are being implemented in nine pilot basins, including Vic and Gurb in Catalonia, and Torrents Gros and Na Bàrbara in Mallorca. They have also developed an educational kit for people living in flood-prone areas.

In parallel, the Wetland4Change project, coordinated by the Bulgarian Forestry University, aims to halt the degradation of Mediterranean wetlands. Its dual objective is to reduce the impact of heavy rainfall on adjacent watercourses, particularly by regulating peak flows and surface runoff, and to increase the wetlands’ capacity to sequester carbon. The project is implementing concrete actions in five pilot areas, including the Albufera de Valencia, which was severely affected by Storm Dana a year ago. This event highlighted the fragility of the ecosystem and the urgent need to restore wetlands. Furthermore, the project has enabled the creation of a database on Mediterranean wetlands and the development of a knowledge transfer plan to help administrations and protected area managers integrate these solutions into their policies.

As for the MedSeaRise project, coordinated by Anatoliki, it assesses the risks associated with sea-level rise in the Mediterranean basin, particularly flooding. To this end, it relies on advanced climate projections and includes case studies in six coastal areas, including the Llobregat Delta.

Fostering Dialogue

Beyond the visibility given to project results, a cross-cutting pillar of this Interreg Euro-MED initiative is the promotion of strengthened collaboration throughout the Mediterranean region. “We are creating opportunities for dialogue and knowledge transfer among the more than 250 organizations in the Interreg community and beyond,” explains Annelies Broekman, a researcher at CREAF and coordinator of the knowledge transfer and dissemination strategy. Our Secretary General, Xavier Bernard Sans, will participate in the discussion on the implications and opportunities of multi-level governance and will present the Euroregion’s perspective. He will also discuss the LocAll4Flood project.

Barcelona, ​​a Meeting Place

Some results from the projects of the Interreg Euro-MED Mission Natural Heritage program will be presented from November 25 to 27 at an event bringing together various stakeholders, including policymakers, experts, and representatives of Mediterranean entities. This meeting, co-organized by CREAF and MedCities with the support of several international institutions and the participation of the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion, takes place within a context of renewed Mediterranean policies, marked by the new Pact for the Mediterranean, the revision of the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development, and the recent European law on nature restoration, all priorities for the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion.

The event will explore the opportunities offered by these frameworks to address the main socio-environmental challenges facing the Mediterranean, such as nature restoration and adaptation to the growing impacts of climate change. It will also showcase Interreg Euro-MED projects that are already implementing innovative solutions in terrestrial and marine ecosystems. “We hope that this event will strengthen cooperation between key Mediterranean stakeholders, both political and scientific, at a time when action is more urgent than ever.” “We also want to highlight the role of local authorities as key players and guarantors of a concrete response to all global and regional challenges,” concludes Carolina Pérez, Head of Policy and Knowledge Transfer at MedCities.

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L'entrada Euroregion joins the debate on nature restoration, early warning systems, and governance ha aparegut primer a Euroregion.

L'entrada Euroregional meeting: “Cooperate to transform” organized by ARCA ha aparegut primer a Euroregion.

Margalida Prohens, President of the Euroregion and of the Government of the Balearic Islands, calls for the new Pact for the Mediterranean to incorporate the island dimension and respond to the main challenges facing the territories of the Euroregion, and in particular the islands.

The Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion, chaired by the President of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Margalida Prohens, participated on Wednesday, October 15, in the European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC) in the political debate “New Pact for the Mediterranean: Challenges and Perspectives between Cohesion and Enlargement.”

The European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC) is the main annual event organised in Brussels by the Committee of the Regions and the European Commission, during which cities and regions from across the European Union demonstrate their capacity to generate growth and employment, implement European cohesion policy, and demonstrate the importance of the local and regional levels for good European governance.

In this context, the members of the MEDCOOPALLIANCE, which brings together the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion, the Adriatic-Ionian Euroregion, the Conference of Peripheral and Maritime Regions (CPMR/CIM), and the Association of Mediterranean Cities (MedCities), organised this meeting in the European Parliament on October 16.

During the session, President Prohens participated with the Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, the President of the Adriatic-Ionian Euroregion, Nikola Dobroslavić, and the Minister for European Union and External Action of the Catalan Government, Jaume Duch.

Margalida Prohens defended the key role of the Euroregions and the need for a specific approach for island regions within the new Pact for the Mediterranean. Mediterranean led by the European Commission. The President emphasised that the Mediterranean islands are rapidly facing all the major challenges that the new Pact seeks to address: the transformation of economic models towards sustainability, innovation, and the green transition; the effects of climate change, with increasingly extreme phenomena such as droughts and storms; and migratory pressure, which makes the islands the southern border of the European Union.

In this regard, the President emphasised the good understanding between the members of the Euroregion, made up of the Government of the Balearic Islands, the Generalitat of Catalonia, and the Occitania Region, to jointly defend their interests and address the shared challenges of the three territories so that the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion can be an active voice for the Mediterranean territories and the Mediterranean.

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L'entrada European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC) and the New Pact for the Mediterranean ha aparegut primer a Euroregion.

A new edition of the CREAOCCAT competition is underway with a renewed format and a total budget of €12,000 in grants for creators of content in Catalan and Occitan aged 35 and under 

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L'entrada The 3rd edition of CREAOCCAT is back! ha aparegut primer a Euroregion.

L'entrada Let’s Clean Up Europe ha aparegut primer a Euroregion.

This “APC25” call covers all areas of culture—from languages to performing arts, as well as arts and crafts and architecture. The Euroregion places a strong emphasis on social inclusion, environmental sustainability, youth, and digital engagement in these territorial and international cooperation projects.

#APC25 – Call open until September 3, 2025
On Monday, June 2, the Euroregion Pyrenees-Mediterranean published the guidelines for its fifteenth Culture call for projects. All disciplines and artistic expressions from the culture and arts sectors are eligible. The total funding available for the 2025 Culture call (APC25) amounts to €120,000.

Projects must include partners from each of the three Euroregion member territories. The maximum Euroregional co-financing granted will be 60% of the total budget of each supported project, with a cap of €20,000 per project.

The webinar presenting this #APC25 was held on June 19, 2025, and is already available.

The Euroregion has launched two initiatives to facilitate contacts between cultural actors for this call and over the long term:

• WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Iusl6Z0JoDe1MtUONEbAEY, to connect with the call organisers and cultural entities open to cooperation
  
• Map of cultural actors in the Euroregional territory, available on the Euroregion’s website. Registration via this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3Iu1WxA11hy2cJ4VC3lJFbiGKoBURsAq9avy8Bw2AVKH6qQ/viewform. This map will be publicly accessible on the Euroregion’s website.

#APC24 – Ongoing projects
The seven projects supported under the 2024 call are currently in progress, and more details are available on the Euroregion’s website. The structure, which celebrated its 20th anniversary a few months ago, continues to highlight the cultural, linguistic, and heritage diversity of its territory and stands as a key player in European and Mediterranean cooperation in the field of artistic creation in all its forms.

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L'entrada CULTURE IN THE EUROREGION: APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR THE ANNUAL CALL FOR PROJECTS ha aparegut primer a Euroregion.