The external action of the Government of the Azores has the objective of “reinforcing the participation, visibility and effectiveness” of the Region action in the context of several inter-regional cooperation organisations.
The information was provided today, at the Azorean Parliament, by the Under Secretary for European Affairs and External Cooperation, when he participated in the debates on the proposals for the Medium-term Guidelines for 2009-2012 and for the Plan and Budget of the Region for 2009.
According to Rodrigo Oliveira, it is also part of these objectives, the establishment of cooperation actions with territories of priority interest to the Azores and the knowledge, coordination and participation of the Government in the European Union affairs.
He underlined that the Government has just created the Interdepartmental Commission for European Affairs and External Cooperation, a coordination body of the Presidency of the Government, transverse to all regional public administration, which will allow “an integrated approach, a closer accompaniment and a more effective external performance of the Region.”
He also revealed that the hiring process of a lobby company in the European Institutions “is in the final stage of assessment of the proposals and the negotiation,” in the context of the international application launched for that purposed-
By not substituting the Government action, these services “will an additional factor of the presence and influence of the Region, boosting its contact network and interventive capacity,” underlined the Under Secretary.
With regard to the external cooperation of the Region, Rodrigo Oliveira stated that priority will be awarded to the reinforcement of the relations “with geographical and political areas with which we already have solid, permanent relationship,” as it happens with Outermost Regions and Cape Verde.
Concerning the United States of America and Canada, he assured that contacts will be carried on “with regard to the implementation of the documents of understanding, already signed, at the highest level, which will enable the development of political, academic and scientific cooperation, along with political issues related to community-related themes.”
Rodrigo Oliveira also considered as “clear priority” the implementation of a relation based on a policy of approach in other territories with which there are already ties of friendship, having also assured “a word of encouragement to initiatives of the civil society that promote a fundamental value to our regional policy and to the national and European insertion of the Region.