Portugal as ambassador of the E.F. of the Camino at the European Parliament

Vila Pouca de Aguiar took part in the European Parliament in Strasbourg as a delegate of the European Federation of the Camino de Santiago at the event “Os Caminhos de Santiago e a Via Francigena, Rotas Culturais do Conselho da Europa: Identidade Partilhada e Destinos Sustentáveis” (“The Caminos de Santiago and the Via Francigena, Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe: Shared Identity and Sustainable Destinations”). The session took place on October 7 and brought together political and institutional representatives from several European countries.

The initiative was promoted by the Intergrupo sobre Património Cultural Europeu, Caminhos de Santiago e outras Rotas Culturais Europeias (Intergroup on European Cultural Heritage, Caminos de Santiago and other European Cultural Routes), led by the MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) Francisco Millán Mon and Massimiliano Salini, both from the European People’s Party. Among the speakers were representatives of the Via Francigena and the Council of Europe, as well as several MEPs, in a debate focused on the role of these routes in fostering cohesion, sustainability and intercultural dialogue across Europe.

Catarina Chaves, from the Municipality of Vila Pouca de Aguiar and representing the Secretariat of the European Federation of the Camino de Santiago, joined the delegation alongside Francisco Singul, on behalf of the Federation’s president, Ildefonso de la Campa. The Portuguese presence underlined the municipality’s active involvement in European networks related to the Camino de Santiago.

The session highlighted the contribution of cultural routes to building a shared European identity and promoting peace through encounters between peoples and traditions.