Phoenix H2020 Project at the European Parliament

It was with great pride that we witnessed yesterday the participation of researcher and doctoral candidate Anabela Paula, from the Societies and Environmental Sustainability Research Group at the Centre for Functional Ecology – Science for People & the Planet, part of the Terra Associate Laboratory of the University of Coimbra and its extension at the Universidade Aberta (Portugal), in the presentation of the work developed under the Phoenix H2020 European project, which aims to strengthen democratic participation across 11 pilot territories in Europe.

Anabela represented the Gata-Malcata cross-border pilot (Portugal–Spain), an initiative built in close collaboration with local and regional partners, including Adisgata, Opaflor, and the Cross-Border Cooperation Office of the Junta de Extremadura, who also joined this critical visit to the European Parliament.

The Gata-Malcata pilot is the result of a deep collaborative effort between the Centre for Functional Ecology – Science for People & the Planet, particularly through the Societies and Environmental Sustainability Research Group, and the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra, under the coordination of Giovanni Allegretti.

For three and a half years, this work has underscored the importance of local and cross-border co-creation processes, demonstrating how science and citizen participation can work in tandem to address today’s ecological and social challenges.

Congratulations to the entire team and to the representatives of the Gata-Malcata cross-border commission for bringing their voices to Brussels!