The Coordination and Regional Development Commission of Lisbon and Tagus Valley (CCDR LVT) launched a series of debates in Setúbal to align solutions shaping the region's future, with the goal of ensuring the timely and effective execution of upcoming European funds. The session, held at Casa da Baía, was attended by mayors, businesses, higher education institutions, the scientific community, and public and associative entities.
At the opening, the President of CCDR LVT, Teresa Almeida, emphasized the importance of active regional participation in discussing European proposals. "It is in the regions that major transformations are secured and competitiveness is decided," she stated.
The diagnosis presented for the Setúbal Peninsula highlights the urgency of accelerating economic convergence. In 2024, the GDP per capita in purchasing power parity stood at 55% of the European Union average, and in 2025, youth unemployment reached 23.2%. Teresa Almeida noted that "these figures give us concrete reasons to invest in productive modernization and qualifications, in emerging areas within the assumed innovation framework".
This initiative by CCDR LVT continues strategic preparation work, focusing on "mobilizing agendas within the challenge and strategy of reindustrialization," integrated into urban systems, functional networks, and human resource qualification. The entity aims to identify investment opportunities, strengthen partnerships between companies and knowledge institutions, and overcome obstacles to project preparation and execution, with the goal of "reinforcing investment priorities with more anchor projects before 2028," as Teresa Almeida summarized.
The President highlighted the territory's industrial, port, and scientific capabilities, as well as its connection to the sea, as pillars of this transformation. Measuring the impact of the new airport, railway links, and Tagus crossings also requires land-use planning. The new PROT for Lisbon, Oeste, and Tagus Valley (PROT LOVT), which will replace the 2002 PROT AML, is considered imperative.
This collective effort is based on two future instruments: the PROT LOVT and the PPNR (National and Regional Partnership Plan). Together, they will support planning, organization, financing, and effective execution, creating conditions for regional development and the international affirmation of each territory. The debate series continues with sessions dedicated to the Lisbon Metropolitan Area and the Oeste and Tagus Valley.
