The Directorate General

The Directorate-General for International and EU Affairs (Dirección Xeral de Relacións Exteriores e coa UE) is the department of the autonomous government of Galicia (Xunta de Galicia) in charge of assisting, supporting and advising the president and the government in the following fields:

• Galicia’s Foreign Action
• Cross-border Cooperation
• EU Affairs
• International Cooperation and Development
• International Analysis

The Directorate General is divided into 4 Units:

• The European Union Unit assists the Director in formulating and implementing Galicia’s participation in the EU institutions (directly, through the Committee of the Regions and indirectly, through the General Administration of the State). This unit  works in close collaboration with Fundación Galicia Europa, a private, non-profit-making institution created to promote all the actions that favour a closer relationship between Galicia and Europe.
• The Foreign Action and Cross-Border Cooperation Unit assists the Director in formulating and executing the proposals and overall objectives of Galicia’s Foreign Action. It also promotes cross-border cooperation with the North of Portugal. Galicia and North Portugal region have established a “Working Community” which puts forward a trans-frontier, inter-regional Euro-Region. Another instrument of major importance linked to this department is the European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) Galicia-North of Portugal, a new European legal instrument designed to facilitate and promote cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation. which is located in Vigo.
• The International Cooperation Unit assists the Director in formulating, directing and executing development and cooperation policy. The Fundación Axencia Humanitaria depends on this Unit.
• The Analysis and Programming Unit is responsible for advising the Directorate-General in EU legal framework related-issues.