Cooperativa Tecnológica de Viana do Castelo (CTVC), CRL

EU Legislative Interests

CTVC’s primary focus is on the European Artificial Intelligence Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) and its implementing measures. As a cooperative grounded in democratic governance, we are particularly concerned with how the AI Act is applied in practice, ensuring that SMEs, cooperatives, and civil society organisations have a voice in shaping responsible AI deployment. Beyond the AI Act, CTVC also follows closely the Digital Services Act, Digital Markets Act, and the European Data Governance Act, given their impact on innovation ecosystems and cooperative technology models. We are engaged in areas where AI intersects with fundamental rights, ethics, and education, including AI literacy, transparency in algorithmic systems, and cooperative-led digital infrastructures. We are particularly interested in contributing to debates around high-risk AI classification, conformity assessment procedures, real-world testing environments, and standardisation. In addition, CTVC monitors EU initiatives on sustainable digitalisation, data spaces, and Horizon Europe funding programs, where our projects (AI, extended reality, governance software) align with EU innovation priorities. Our goal is to ensure that EU legislation is not only technically robust but also inclusive of alternative organisational models such as cooperatives, which can offer socially responsible and community-driven approaches to AI development and deployment.

Communication Activities

CTVC regularly communicates around EU digital policy through workshops, seminars, and educational initiatives focused on AI, extended reality, and cooperative governance. We organise training sessions under the Atlas Program, where EU regulatory frameworks such as the AI Act, Digital Services Act, and Data Governance Act are introduced to engineers, students, and local professionals. CTVC members publish articles and opinion pieces on our website and in local media, highlighting EU policy developments and their impact on SMEs and cooperatives. We also present in academic and professional conferences, linking EU legislation to practical applications in AI and distributed systems. Through EU-funded projects (Xarp, SIGO, Mob2is), CTVC disseminates results and best practices to partners, stakeholders, and the broader community, explicitly connecting project outcomes to the EU’s legislative context. Our cooperative governance model ensures communication is collective, transparent, and oriented toward both local communities and the European innovation ecosystem.

Interests Represented

Promotes their own interests or the collective interests of their members

Member Of

CTVC is affiliated with: CONFECOOP – Confederação Cooperativa Portuguesa (national cooperative federation) INESC TEC – R&D collaboration IPVC / FEUP – partnerships in education and research

Organisation Members

CTVC is a worker cooperative composed of software engineers, researchers, and technology professionals based in Portugal. Members are both workers and co-owners, participating in the cooperative’s governance on a one-member-one-vote basis. Public overview of CTVC’s structure and initiatives: https://www.cooperativatecnologica.pt/en

Additional Information

CTVC’s policy-related costs are limited to participation in EU consultations, expert groups, and dissemination of project results.