• Municipalities with low population density
• High percentage of elderly population
• Weak local economic activity
• Per capita income below the convergence threshold of the EU-27

The Laboreiro river and the Trancoso river are located between the municipalities of Entrimo (Ourense, Galicia), Padrenda (Ourense, Galicia) and Melgaço (Viana do Castelo District, Northern Region and Subregion of Minho-Lima).

These municipalities, located in the cooperative area of ​​North-Galicia, are characterized by low population density:

• While the average density of population in Galicia is 94.54 habs/km2, the population density in Padrenda is 41 habs/km2 and the population density in Entrimo is only 16.17 Entrimo habs/km2
• While the average density in the Minho-Lima sub-region is 111 habs/km2, the density in Melgaço is 41.8 habs/km2 and the density in Arcos de Valdevez hardly exceeds 54 habs/km.

The average age of the population shows worrying figures. The percentage ratio between the number of people older than 65 years in relation to those younger than 20 years indicates the following: In the Autonomous Community of Galicia, the percentage is 136.7%, but in Padrenda the aging percentage is 329% and in Entrimo it is a 467.8% (IGE, 2009)

In northern Portugal, the aging percentage/ratio is 157.9%, in Melgaço it is 379% and in Arcos de Valdevez it is 252.2%.

The data on the activity of both municipalities also show a very weak local economic activity: the rate of activity in both municipalities is only 35% , while in the Autonomous Community of Galicia the percentage is 55%.

In the Portuguese municipalities, while the percentage of activity in the northern region is 62.2%, the percentage in Melgaço is 31.7% and in Arcos de Valdevez it is 33.4%.

(Source: INE- National Institute of Statistics- Spain, INE Portugal)