A conclusion on the establishment of a new Macro-Region: the Atlantic Macro-Region

In December 2025, the European Council presented the European Commission with the EU Strategy for the Atlantic Macro-Region, which was based on the already existing macro-regional strategies and aligned with the Atlantic Maritime Strategy, as well as respectful towards the competences of the Member States and the principle of financial neutrality.

On the 18th December 2025, at the European Council meeting, the Heads of State and Government adopted a conclusion on the establishment of a new Macro-Region: the Atlantic Macro-Region, which will join the already existing Baltic, Danube, Adriatic-Ionian and Alpine regions.

The European Council invites the European Commission, in cooperation with Member States, to develop an EU macro-regional strategy for the Atlantic by June 2027.

The Final Report of ESPON, Orientations for the Development of an Atlantic Macro – Region (Atlantic MRS), from July 2025, states that the motivation for an Atlantic Macro-region stems from strategic, geographic, environmental, economic and political factors.

Strategically, the Atlantic coastal regions share common challenges and opportunities that are best addressed through an integrated framework rather than isolated national efforts, as cooperation under a macro-regional strategy would enhance coordination across France, Ireland, Portugal and Spain (and potentially the UK), aligning regional initiatives with broader EU priorities in areas like the Green Deal and digital transition.

The Atlantic seaboard serves as Europe’s gateway to the Americas, conferring strategic importance for transatlantic trade and geopolitical ties. Border regions like Northern Portugal–Galicia have built mature cross-border networks (e.g. RESOE, CRUZOE) that demonstrate the value of joint action alongside the Atlantic Ocean.

Moreover, Atlantic coastal and marine ecosystems face shared threats that do not respect national borders, such as coastal erosion, marine pollution, and biodiversity loss, which are all common concerns across the Bay of Biscay, Celtic Sea and broader Atlantic Ocean. A macro-regional strategy would enable coordinated climate adaptation measures, ensuring that responses are consistent and mutually reinforcing across countries. It would also give way to large-scale investment in offshore renewable energy (wind, wave, tidal), capitalising on the Atlantic’s vast resource potential while aligning with EU climate neutrality goals.

The Atlantic regions possess significant assets (e.g. rich renewable energy potential, major ports, a strong research community in marine sciences, and unique tourism appeal) that remain underutilised due to fragmented development strategies.

As the Cardiff Declaration in 2023 affirmed, there is a clear need for a more integrated and comprehensive approach in the Atlantic area. The proposed Atlantic Macro-Region thus emerges as a timely response to both longstanding regional aspirations and new-found challenges that demand a cohesive, long-term cooperative framework.

The embedding of EU macro-regional strategies and their priorities in Interreg and other EU instruments will be encouraged and will continue in the 2028–2034 period, as is already the case in the current 2021–2027 programming period.