The Socialist Women – Equality and Rights (MS-ID) of the Algarve participated in a PS journey dedicated to the interior and cross-border cooperation, which took place in the municipality of Alcoutim and featured the presence of José Luís Carneiro and the national president of the structure, Carla Tavares. The initiative sought to debate the challenges faced by low-density territories and border area populations, addressing issues such as demographic aging, social responses, population retention and cooperation between the Algarve and Andalusia.
In Alcoutim, the delegation visited the Home of the Humanitarian Firefighters Association, where they learned about the work developed by the institution and the responses directed at a resident population in a territory marked by aging. The route ended with a boat trip along the Guadiana River, between Alcoutim and Vila Real de Santo António, in an initiative that also sought to highlight the geographic and social proximity between Portuguese and Spanish communities.
The president of the Socialist Women of the Algarve, Ana Cruz, considered that the journey constituted an opportunity to strengthen proximity and place the challenges of the interior at the center of the political agenda. Ana Cruz argued that the interior should not be seen merely as a territory that needs responses to combat desertification, but as a territory with enormous potential that must be valued.
The structure argues that the border should be viewed not as a barrier, but as an opportunity to bring together people, institutions and businesses, strengthen services and create new economic and social opportunities. The Socialist Women of the Algarve consider it a priority to deepen economic, social, cultural and institutional relations between the Algarve and Andalusia, seeking to make greater use of the region's border location.
