The Eurociudad Vasca Bayonne-San Sebastián ( French: ''Eurocité basque Bayonne-Saint-Sébastien''; Basque: ''Baiona-Donostia Euskal Eurohiria'') is the name given to the urban cross-border region located between

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

along the coast of the

Cantabrian Sea The Cantabrian Sea is the term used mostly in Spain to describe the coastal sea of the Atlantic Ocean that borders the northern coast of Spain and the southwest side of the Atlantic coast of France, included in the Bay of Biscay. It extends from ...

in the

Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay ( ) is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Point Penmarc'h to the Spanish border, and along the northern coast of Spain, extending westward ...

. Given the progressive European integration and the disappearance of internal borders in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

, as of

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

various local institutions on both sides of the border created cross-border cooperation agreements that have led to the creation of a cross-border city project that brings together 42 local entities, both Spanish and French. This project covers the realization of common projects ( synergies in the tourism sector, freight transport, use of common infrastructures, etc.). The consortium that directs the project has the legal entity of a European economic interest group (''Groupement européen d'intérêt économique''). In the future it could become a eurodistrict. The project is based on the existence of a real urban region that crosses the border, on the existence of synergies and complementarities between both sides of the border and on the existence of a common

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

cultural base. The three official languages of the institution are

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, French and

Description

The Basque Eurocity stretches linearly for just over 50 km along the Basque Coast. On the one hand, it encompasses the coastal region of the French department of the Pyrenees-Atlantiques (''Côte Basque''), between the mouth of the

Adour The Adour (; ; ) is a river in southwestern France. It rises in High- Bigorre ( Pyrenees), in the commune of Aspin-Aure, and flows into the Atlantic Ocean ( Bay of Biscay) near Bayonne. It is long, of which the uppermost ca. is known as the ' ...

River and the

Bidasoa __NOTOC__ The Bidasoa (; ; , ) is a river in the Basque Country of northern Spain and southern France that runs largely south to north. Named as such downstream of the village of Oronoz-Mugairi (municipality of Baztan) in the province of Navar ...

River. It is a relatively flat and traditionally tourism-oriented region, heavily urbanized, but with a relatively low population density, since a large part of the homes are single-family homes, second homes or are tourism-oriented. On the other side of the Bidasoa river, the Eurocity extends through the Gipuzkoan regions of Bidasoaldea,

San Sebastián San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...

region and part of Urola Kosta, reaching the town of Getaria at one end. The Spanish part is geographically more rugged than the French, being therefore less urbanized, but it has a different urban typology, with locations with a higher population density and a more industrial character; so it has a larger population. The two poles of the Eurocity are the city of

, on the one hand, and the BAB District (

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

Anglet Anglet (; , )ANGELU
Auñamendi Encyclopedia, Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia is a Communes of Fra ...

Biarritz Biarritz ( , , , ; also spelled ; ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. It is a luxu ...

) on the other. At its central axis are the towns of

Hondarribia Hondarribia (; ; ) is a Spanish town situated on the west shore of the Bidasoa river's estuary, in Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community. The border town is situated on a little promontory facing Hend ...

Irun Irun (, ) is a town of the Bidasoaldea region in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. History It lies on the foundations of the ancient Oiasso, cited as a Roman- Vasconic town. During the Spanish Civil War, ...

and

Hendaye Hendaye (; Basque: ''Hendaia'',HENDAIA
French communes, all of them belonging to the Department of the Pyrenees-Atlantiques and the Basque-French Country (historical province of Labort): * 17 Spanish municipalities, all of them belonging to the

Province of Gipuzkoa Gipuzkoa ( , ; ; ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantique ...

in the

Basque Autonomous Community Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous com ...

History

On January 18, 1993, Henri Grenet, president of the Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz District, and Eli Galdos, deputy general of the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council, signed a cross-border cooperation agreement that would be the germ of the Basque Eurocity.Genesis
. ''Eurociudad.org''. Retrieved March 14, 2020. In 1997 the Bayonne-San Sebastián cross-border observatory was created by the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa and the Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz District (converted into the Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz agglomeration community),Barbería, José Luis (February 25, 1997).
San Sebastián and Bayonne lay the foundations for a 'Eurocity'
. ''El País''. Retrieved March 14, 2020. under the legal form of an Association European Economic Interest. In 2001, the Bidasoa-Txingudi Consortium, which brought together the municipalities of

and

Hendaye Hendaye (; Basque: ''Hendaia'',HENDAIA
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Basque Eurocity Bayona-San Sebastian Geography of Gipuzkoa Geography of the Northern Basque Country