evidence: There is a 200-year old dormant claim by Portugal to territories ceded to Spain around the town of Olivenza near the border with Elvas. Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over Olivenza and as a result the border between the two countries in the Olivenza area has never been clearly defined. [...] The relationship between Galicia and North Portugal was strengthened in 1991 with the creation of a Working Community between the two regions. The so-called Territorial Co-operation Communities combine all the Galician town councils and Portuguese municipal councils along the border. There is also official co-operation between trade unions, consumer institutes and employers’ associations. As an autonomous region Galicia is able to negotiate some matters directly with the Portuguese government in Lisbon without having to refer them to Spain’s central government in Madrid. [...] Banco Bilbao Vizcaya (BBV), as it was called before it merged with Argentaria to form BBVA, Spain’s second largest bank, was the first Spanish bank to buy an outlet in Portugal when it acquired Lloyds Bank’s retail network (first established in 1862) in 1991. BBVA has a market share of around 1% in Portugal and concentrates more on the medium and high income segments. Francisco González, BBVA’s chairman, denied reports in 2003 that the bank was looking to increase its presence in Portugal by acquiring another bank. He said BBVA would grow organically in the country, but this has not quelled the speculation that it would like to buy another bank. Such a move would be fiercely resisted by the Portuguese authorities.