Speaking to the Lusa news agency regarding the announced demonstration for the construction of the IC31—scheduled for May 20 at the Monfortinho International Bridge, in the municipality of Idanha-a-Nova—Leopoldo Rodrigues noted that the new transport link is much more than just a road.

“This is not merely a road, but rather a pillar of Iberian cohesion. We have been talking about this for over 30 years, and I would like to see it completed in time for the 2030 World Cup [hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco]. It would greatly facilitate travel on both sides of the border,” the mayor emphasised.

In a statement sent to Lusa, the organizers of the demonstration—the North Extremadura and Beira Baixa European Territorial Alliance (ATE), of which the municipality of Castelo Branco is a member and which brings together some 40 Portuguese and Spanish entities—explained that Wednesday’s initiative “aims to underscore the urgency of completing the road link between the A23 [motorway] in Castelo Branco and the EX-A1 ​​in Moraleja.” This route covers approximately 72 kilometres—20 on the Spanish side leading to the border at Monfortinho, and the remainder on Portuguese soil extending to the Alcains and Lardosa area.

According to the ATE, this motorway connection between the two regions is considered “strategic infrastructure for territorial cohesion, economic development, and the mobility of the populations of Beira Baixa and North Extremadura.”

Emphasising that the demonstration “is not against the Portuguese Government nor against the Government of Extremadura,” Leopoldo Rodrigues highlighted the “historic movement of shared purpose” in Portugal and Spain—a movement which, from this side of the border, he believes to be supra-municipal in scope and “a national objective.”

“This union, realised through the Territorial Alliance, is unique; it has never occurred in this manner before—not least due to the 40 entities that comprise it, which are non-partisan and involve civil society in identifying common goals within regions that rank among the most peripheral and impoverished in the European Union, particularly when speaking of cross-border regions,” the mayor emphasised.

The Mayor of Castelo Branco also recalled a working meeting he held earlier this month with the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, highlighting the assurance given by the government official that the IC31 project is a priority and will proceed as planned.

“We believe that this will indeed be the case, and that the Minister is acting in good faith regarding this process. It is imperative that the project comes to fruition and that nothing is left behind once again. We want to see machinery on the ground to ensure that the project is irreversible,” observed Leopoldo Rodrigues.