At the invitation of the Mayor of Barcelos, Dr. Mário Constantino, the President of UMinho’s School of Engineering, Professor Pedro Arezes, has joined the Advisory Council for the Economic Development of the Municipality of Barcelos.

Over the last two years, in the context of preparing its strategic development plan, the Municipality of Barcelos has been developing the ‘Created In Barcelos’ brand. The affirmation of this brand should reflect a new development paradigm, in which wealth creation

is based on knowledge, innovation and talent. This development model should respect the history and endogenous competitiveness factors of the municipality of Barcelos, valuing the talent and qualifications of its young people.

The new development strategy aims to position Barcelos as a competitive territory, promoting the well-being and cohesion of its population, and making the municipality a benchmark in terms of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

In this context, the Municipality created an Advisory Council made up of personalities linked to the Municipality of Barcelos and with experience in different sectors of activity, who can, with their vision and advice, contribute to the affirmation of a new development model.

The first meeting of the Strategic Council was held on July 3, during which the members of the Strategic Council were sworn in and the Strategic Plan for the Development of the Municipality of Barcelos produced by Professor João Cerejeira was presented.