Castelo Branco, Portugal, sept. 1, 2026 (Lusa) - The European Territorial Alliance (ATE) for Northern Extremadura and Beira Baixa on Tuesday called for concrete commitments and binding timetables to start work on the cross-border link with Spain.

In a statement sent to the Lusa news agency on the eve of a meeting in Lisbon, the ATE called for concrete commitments and timetables to start work on the «Motorway of Hope» and to unblock cross-border links.

«The province of Cáceres [Spain], Beira Baixa and Alto Alentejo deserve recognition as fully connected regions. Inland areas with fewer people still enjoy equal rights,» said Francisco Martín, a Spanish national and spokesperson for ATE.

The meeting between Francisco Ramírez, the Extremadura Regional Government's Councillor for Infrastructure, and Miguel Pinto Luz, Portugal's Minister for Infrastructure and Housing, is taking place on Wednesday in Lisbon.

ATE, which represents various organisations from northern Extremadura in Spain and Beira Baixa in Portugal, emphasised that it has been waiting for this high-level meeting for two and a half years.

Whilst it regards the meeting as an important step, the organisation stressed that local communities deserve to see their expectations fulfilled.

To maintain progress, the Alliance has set out key priorities and demands, notably the immediate start of work on the first section of the project, on the stretches between Moraleja and Cilleros (Spanish side, EX-A1), and between Alcains and the town of Idanha-a-Nova (Portuguese side, IC31).

The unblocking of the international bridges over the Rivers Erges and Cedilho is another priority advocated.

According to the Alliance, this entails the «immediate finalisation of the pending procedures so that the Spanish Congress of Deputies may approve the international agreement on the bridge over the River Erges, following the model adopted at the 35th Portuguese-Spanish Summit in Faro».

They are also calling for work to begin swiftly on the international bridge at Cedilho (Spain) and for the creation of a logistics and industrial corridor.

«Currently, 88% of the route between Madrid and Lisbon via this route is already a toll-free motorway,» they emphasised.

Finally, ATE emphasised that the new infrastructure will bring the beaches of Central Portugal within just two and a half hours of the north of Extremadura and less than five hours from Madrid.

ATE estimates that improving modern transport links could attract around one million additional tourists a year to the interior.

«The completion of this link is vital for the competitiveness of our businesses, for retaining the local population and for transforming the interior into a genuine hub for cross-border development,» said the Mayor of Castelo Branco, Leopoldo Rodrigues.

The Alliance aims to complete the remaining 72 kilometres by the end of 2029, ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

CCC/ADB // ADB.

Lusa