The Governments of the Outermost Regions have unanimously adopted the Final Declaration of the 23rd Conference of Presidents of the Outermost Regions, which safeguards the interests of these regions in the upcoming negotiations on the next Community funds for the 2021-2017 period.
 
At the meeting in Las Palmas, the President of the Azorean Government, Vasco Cordeiro, presented several proposals for amendments to the final text, which will now be sent to European institutions and to the Governments of Portugal, France and Spain.
 
One of the proposals presented by Vasco Cordeiro defends the "necessity to conclude, as soon as possible, the negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027 in order negative effects on the ongoing economic and social growth of Regions."
 
Additionally, the President of the Azorean Government proposed the introduction of another amendment, urging Portugal, France and Spain not to accept, under the current negotiations on Community funds, any position that would "hinder the goals" of ORs in this matter.
 
The goals set out in the Final Declaration include the rejection of any reduction in the financial resources allocated for the outermost regions after 2020, namely in terms of cohesion and common agricultural policies as far as they are "indispensable for growth and employment" in Outermost Regions.
 
In addition, the text approved by the Governments of the nine ORs "rejects any reduction in European co-financing rates and demands the resumption of the 85 percent support rate for ORs."
 
The President of the Azorean Government participated in the Internal Session of the 23rd Conference of Presidents of the Outermost Regions (CPOR), which began today in Las Palmas. This political cooperation structure brings together the presidents of the executive bodies of the Outermost Regions of the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique, Réunion, Mayotte and Saint-Martin. These territories comprise almost five million European citizens.
 
During the joint press conference held at the end of today's works, Vasco Cordeiro stressed that Community bodies should stop regarding ORs as "problematic regions" and consider them as "opportunity regions."
 
"What we did here today was to say that the ORs have their challenges and difficulties, but there are also many opportunities that need to be seized for the benefit of their economy, their Peoples and the European Union itself," said the President of the Government.
 
Regarding the negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework, Vasco Cordeiro considered that what is at stake is not just the financial amount the European Union will allocate in the 2021-2027 period.
 
"What is at stake is which Europe we want for the next decade. Therefore, we highlight important matters concerning the Cohesion Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy and the way in which ORs are considered in the distribution of these resources," warned Vasco Cordeiro. According to him, Cohesion Policy is, perchance, the EU tool that is easily perceived by every citizen.
 
"When we see a road, a health centre or a school built with the EU's financial contribution under the Cohesion Policy, this is Europe in action," the President of the Government stressed, warning that the desire to weaken this policy is "a bad for European project and for European Union itself."
 
Vasco Cordeiro highlighted the importance of being attentive and vigilant so as to this negotiation does not divide Europe. In the case of the Azores, "we repudiate the prospect that this is the moment when Europe has to do without these policies because it now wants new policies and focus on new areas."
 
"We do not agree with this view when it represents the weakening of important policies such as the Cohesion Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy in favour of other priorities, which are entirely legitimate," said Vasco Cordeiro.
 
Tomorrow, Friday, the works of 23rd CPOR include the Partnership Session, which will also be attended by representatives of Member States and European institutions. In addition to the participation of all the Presidents of ORs, King Philip VI of Spain and the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Creţu, will also speak at this session.