The President of the Government urged the European Commission for Regional Policy to be “more clear and assertive” regarding key issues on regional policy and the integration of regions in the cohesion policies.
Speaking at the debate on “Europe 2020 Strategy and Cohesion Policy,” which took place in Aberdeen on Thursday under the General Assembly of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of the European Union, Carlos César stressed that - as the European Parliament approved a resolution on a European strategy for social and economic development in mountainous regions, islands and areas with low population density by large majority - “the way how we envisage the future may not be the same and, therefore, we must attach meaning to a very important political act carried out by EU Parliament.”
Thus, it is fundamental to pose the following question: “how will the European Commission respond to the EU Parliament’s initiative, particularly with regard to achieving a specific, integrated and flexible, framework with legal and financial implications.”
Carlos César reminded Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who chaired the meeting, as well as the nearly three hundred participants in the session that “the European Parliament’s resolution stresses that the Commission and Member States must ensure that mountains, islands and areas with low population density will continue to benefit from specific measures under the new financial framework during the programming period,” until 2020.
Therefore, he defended that all must influence the respective states. Moreover, it is fundamental that the majority of the Committee for Regional Policy be more assertive concerning the primacy of cohesion and regional policies.
Reminding that commissioners do not represent their countries - this is European governance – Carlos César said that it is important to know “if the Commission is prepared and whether it has the political will to lead the defence of the primacy of cohesion and regional policy.”
In this context, the President of the Azorean Government questioned Commissioner Hahn on “the importance the attaches to the increase of the regions’ executive and legislative powers in the implementation of Community and national policies.”
On the other hand, with the clarification of the position and expectations of outermost regions and their member states for the next period, Carlos César reiterated that he is awaiting “a response from the Commission, through a Press Release presenting setting out proposals for these regions regarding the future political framework post-2013, based on the establishment of partnerships with Outermost Regions.”