Population. Date established: 29 October EGTC: Established on 25 August 2009 The Euroregion s legal and administrative arm

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2 KEY DATES AND FIGURES Date established: 29 October 2004 Surface area: km 2 Member territories: Catalonia, Balearic Islands, Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées EGTC: Established on 25 August 2009 The Euroregion s legal and administrative arm Població: 15.2 million Source: INE 2011, INSEE 2011 GDP: million Source: INE 2010, INSEE 2009 Midi-Pyrénées ,50% Population Languedoc- Roussillon ,50% Catalonia % Balearic Islands %

3 EUROREGION PYRENEES-MEDITERRANEAN: A MAJOR EUROPEAN SPACE FOR COOPERATION The Euroregion Pyrenees-Mediterranean, established on 29 October 2004, is a political cooperation project between Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and the French regions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées. 1 Its founding statement set out two key goals: to create, in the northwest of the Mediterranean, an important European space for sustainable development based on innovation and social and economic integration of the territory; and to contribute to building a united, solidarity-based Europe that is close to its citizens. The Euroregion focuses particularly on working to improve transport infrastructure. Ten years on, the Euroregion has taken on new goals: to assert itself as a territory for European projects; to speak with a single voice in advocating projects that are essential for balanced, sustainable development in the territory; and to improve international competitiveness. 1 In May 2006, Aragon suspended its participation in the Euroregion Pyrenees- Mediterranean. HIGHER EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND INNOVATION The Euroregion has always focused on brainpower as a driver of innovation and job creation. With the Eurocampus initiative, launched in 2009, the Euroregion created a federation linking universities in its territory. The goal is to increase the competitiveness and attractiveness of the Euroregion s higher education institutions and research centres. The project has already made it possible to carry out many actions, including calls to provide funding for the creation of Euroregion double degrees and for jointly supervised theses, the Eurocampus cheque programme, which supports student mobility, an internet portal, and a pilot programme aimed at overcoming language barriers. The Euroregion Innovation Strategy, 2 launched in 2014, recognises the need to create and sustain transregional initiatives. The framework document establishes four key areas of specialisation: water, the agri-food sector, ICT and health. In the area of health, the Euroregion has provided financial support to the RDI Conference in ICT and Health (held in Girona) since 2011 and to the Castres ehealth Summer School since

4 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND BUSINESS CREATION The Euroregion aspires to become a model space for sustainable development and the preservation of natural heritage, taking into account the diversity of its territories. The Euroregion understands that supporting the spirit of enterprise and young entrepreneurs is crucial for development. Since 2006, the guide Investing in the Euroregion has offered business people a series of tools for investing in the Euroregion territory. Between 2010 and 2013, the European CreaMed project 3 (Interreg IVB SUDOE), led by the Euroregion, made it possible to set up a network of 89 business incubators in the Euroregion territory to stimulate innovation, encourage exchanges between young entrepreneurs, and support the incubation and development of companies, particularly in their efforts to gain a foothold in the international market. Since 2011, the Euroregion has issued an annual joint call for projects under the Resource-efficient Europe flagship initiative of the Europe 2020 strategy, which is aimed at generating smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The goal is to reduce energy dependence, expand use of renewable energies and shift towards a low-carbon society. Another initiative aimed at promoting entrepreneurship is the Mercure project, coordinated by the Euroregion from 2012 to 2014 within the framework of the European Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs (EYE) programme. The project has enabled the mobility of young entrepreneurs and the exchange of knowledge between experienced and young business people (36 exchanges). 3

5 CULTURE INFRASTRUCTURE The Euroregion, which is notable for its wealth of culture, also wants to make this sector an engine of economic growth and job creation. Between 2004 and 2009, the Euroregion carried out a European project known as LabTechnoCulturS (Interreg IVB SUDOE), which involved setting up a potent cultural and technical lab in southern Europe and an Internet space linking museums and creative centres in the Euroregion. Efforts to strengthen cultural cooperation between the member territories culminated in the creation of a joint call for cultural projects in 2010, after four years in which each region had managed its own separate call. The joint call is aimed at strengthening and expanding existing cultural cooperation and launching new projects in the sector. Between 2010 and 2013, the Euroregion provided funding for 26 projects spanning a wide variety of cultural and artistic activities, including music, dance, circus arts, heritage and urban arts. Right from its inception, the Euroregion has focused on the important goal of linking up transport networks on either side of the Pyrenees and major ports, which is recognised as a key challenge for its economic development. Following a joint declaration on Transport in the Euroregion, signed by the presidents of the Euroregion territories on 10 February 2006, a memorandum on this matter was submitted to European Commissioner Jacques Barrot in February In 2012 a joint declaration on Transport and Infrastructure in the Euroregion Pyrenees-Mediterranean was signed, calling on European and national institutions to draw up an accelerated schedule for work on high-speed rail lines between Barcelona, Toulouse and Montpellier. Continued lobbying is essential to ensure that definitive steps are taken to finish this line and integrate the Euroregion territory in the European high-speed network. CIVIL SOCIETY AND GENDER EQUALITY Since it was set up, the Euroregion has supported the creation of civil society organisations by providing financial support for the establishment and consolidation of sectoral networks and for events of interest to the Euroregion, such as the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Cultural and Sports Meetings, which aim to teach children civic values through sport. The Euroregion has also organised meetings and workshops on gender equality, involving both political actors and representatives of civil society

6 LOBBYING, INFLUENCE AND PRESENCE BEFORE EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS Over the last 10 years, the Euroregion has issued joint statements on a range of issues to contribute to debate on the future of EU Cohesion Policy and territorial development. Among other matters, the Euroregion signed a joint statement on its role in the Union for the Mediterranean (2008), contributed to the consultation on the European Commission s 5th Report on Economic, Social and Territorial Cohesion (2010), and called on European institutions to make the Mediterranean Corridor a priority (2012). Each year the Euroregion participates in the Open Days an event held in Brussels that focuses on regions and cities to promote the role of EGTCs made up of regions in the context of Cohesion Policy. As the first EGTC of this kind, the Euroregion s experience serves as a valuable example for others. The Euroregion has also carried out many actions to position itself at the heart of the Mediterranean dialogue. These include working with the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) to organise political meetings on Mediterranean issues in October 2009 and taking part in the founding meeting of the Euro- Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) in January 2010.

7 COMMUNICATING TO RAISE THE PROFILE OF THE EUROREGION Since its inception, the Euroregion has undertaken many communication actions. In 2005, a visual identity manual was created to define the visual elements that give the Euroregion project a recognisable image. A new website was developed in 2006 and then revamped in The site provides information on the organisation of the Euroregion, its constituent territories, news and projects. The Euroregion has also produced many communication and promotional elements, including roll-ups and brochures in four languages, newsletters and social media profiles, as well as establishing exchanges and ongoing collaborations with media outlets. CREATION OF THE EUROPEAN GROUPING FOR TERRITORIAL COOPERATION (EGTC) The European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation is a new instrument created by the European Union to reflect the importance of regions in the European context. In August 2009, the Euroregion set up the Pyrenees-Mediterranean EGTC in order to gain its own independent legal status, a step that enabled the Euroregion to act on its own behalf and achieve its objectives, particularly in relation to economic, social and territorial cohesion. The Euroregion and its EGTC operate based on a rotating 18-month presidency. In consultation with its partners, the region that holds the presidency seeks to ensure that political momentum is sustained. The General Assembly, composed of the presidents of the member regions or their representatives, provides policy guidance for the Euroregion, seeks to advance specific projects, and provides financial resources to carry out projects and undertake lobbying actions. Since its establishment, the Pyrenees-Mediterranean EGTC has had a technical team based at offices in Toulouse (headquarters) and Barcelona (general secretariat). In February 2014, the Committee of the Regions presented the Pyrene es-mediterranean EGTC with the first European Building Europe across Borders award in recognition of the achievements of the Crea- Med project. The award aims to recognise and give visibility to EGTC actions related to the creation of growth and jobs.

8 Euroregion Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion General Secretariat Via Laietana, Barcelona Tel. (+34) EGTC Headquarters 15 rue Rivals CS 31505, Toulouse Cedex 6 Tel (0)