The Municipalities of Alcoutim and Sanlúcar de Guadiana sent a joint letter to the Governments of Portugal and Spain appealing for a new political and administrative effort to overcome the obstacles that still prevent the construction of the International Bridge over the Guadiana. The presidents of the two municipalities, Paulo Jorge Cavaco Paulino and José María Pérez Díaz, expressed "deep concern" over the impasse affecting this strategic infrastructure, awaited for several decades by the populations on both banks.
The project advanced in October 2024, when Portugal and Spain signed the agreement during the XXXV Luso-Spanish Summit in Faro. A Luso-Spanish Mixed Technical Commission was then established, which began the analysis of the project in October 2025. Currently, the process awaits an environmental assessment from the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge of Spain, considered necessary for the work to proceed.
The municipalities argue that the bridge can improve accessibility of the cross-border territory, strengthen the connection between the Algarve and Andalusia and contribute to the territorial cohesion of two communities marked by inland location, low population density and depopulation. The infrastructure may also boost the economy and tourism, attract investment and new residents and reinforce cooperation in the provision of public services, particularly in the areas of firefighting and civil protection.
Alcoutim and Sanlúcar made themselves available to the governments to collaborate in resolving pending issues and stated their intention to contribute to meeting all environmental, technical and administrative requirements. The two municipalities ask that the opportunity and all the work already carried out not be lost, considering the bridge a long-awaited transformation for the territory.
