A Fitting Finale: From Coastal Tourism to Mountain Inclusion

After five successful meetings across Malta, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus and Portugal, the GreenMove consortium now turns its attention to the unique mobility challenges faced by women living in mountainous and remote areas. The Valongo meeting’s theme, “Sustainable and Social Inclusion: Empowering Women in Mountainous Regions through Mobility and Gender Equality,” reflects the project’s evolution from technical solutions to deep social inclusion.

“Women in mountain communities often face long distances, unsafe roads, infrequent public transport, and care responsibilities that limit their economic and social participation,” said a representative of the Municipality of Valongo, the host. “This final meeting is not just a closing ceremony – it is a commitment to design real, lasting solutions for those who have been overlooked for too long.”

Key Objectives and Activities

Over three days, participants will:

• Develop gender‑sensitive transport guidelines tailored to mountainous terrain and women’s daily mobility patterns through their 17 presentations.
• Finalise the sixth and final chapter of the GreenMove Interactive Sustainable Living Guidebook (GISLG), focusing on integrated transportation infrastructure, gender equality, and social inclusion.
• Engage in a targeted round table discussion on sustainable mountainous development, with possible contributions from the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), national authorities, and civil society.
• Participate in a workshop where Community active citizens and local women co‑design practical solutions, from safe bus shelters to on‑demand shuttles.
• Visit Valongo’s Town Hall and cultural heritage sites, reinforcing the link between local identity, inclusive governance and sustainable mobility.

A Legacy of Citizen‑Led Change

The GreenMove project (CERV‑2024), funded under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme, has demonstrated that bottom‑up, citizen‑driven approaches are the most effective path to sustainable rural mobility. Its key achievements include:

• Five transnational meetings engaging over 200 participants across Europe.
• The Interactive Sustainable Living Guidebook (GISLG) – a practical, open‑access toolkit with five completed chapters.
• The GreenMove Digital Toolbox – a scalable repository of e‑tools, policy templates and best practices.
• The Demos‑Kratos Scorecard – a citizen‑owned accountability framework now used by partner municipalities.
• A unified call for a European Day of Sustainable Mobility on 9 May.

“GreenMove has proven that when municipalities and citizens work together, lasting change is possible. The Valongo meeting will seal this legacy and open the door to future cooperation, including an Interreg Europe pathway,” added the project coordinator.

What Comes After Valongo?

The consortium will use the Valongo meeting to sign a Joint Declaration of Continuity, committing to keep the Scorecard and the Digital Toolbox alive. Partners will also explore small‑scale follow‑up actions (Erasmus+, CERV‑sustainability grants) and prepare the ground for a possible Interreg Europe proposal to scale the Observatory model to more European regions.