It is a second level local administration association from four EU Member States: Spain, France, Italy and Portugal. It covers a large geographical area with over 70 million inhabitants which was officially established in 2002 in Montpellier (although it exists since 1999).

The Arco Latino allows enhancing the capacity of its members, internationalize their actions and strategies and to join forces in favor of common objectives previously defined in fields such as communication, political influence and pilot actions. The main objectives of this association are:

• Define an integrated development and planning strategy for the Arco Latino area, including and mobilizing the socioeconomic actors, from the bottom to the top;

• Establish a regular, dynamic and flexible agreement focused on the most important development areas of the territory;

• Cooperate in common projects and iniciatives;

• Defend the regional interests and needs of these territories in front of the EC and national institutions;

• Create a space of cooperation with South and East Mediterranean countries.

The Arco Latino works with four thematic committees (Social Cohesion, Territorial Cohesion, Economic Cohesion and Cooperation in the Mediterranean). The Territorial Cohesion is chaired by the Diputació de Lleida, and its vicepresidents are the Metropolitan Città of Napoli and the Conseil Général des Pyrénées-Orientales.

Commission for Territorial Cohesion. Territorial cohesion is not only focused on redistribution but also on competitiveness. It works in regional planning (which harmonizes all relevant policies in the area) in the decisions taken by unanimity on the basis of economic and social criteria in order to promote sustainable and structured economic growth.The main themes deal with environment; regional planning, local development; infrastructure and European contests; regional policy and Common Agricultural Policy.//