The President of the Government of the Azores stated that reinforcing the importance of local and regional governance in Europe is one of the most effective ways of combating populist impetus in various countries that pose a threat to the European project.
 
Vasco Cordeiro spoke in Brussels, where as President of the Conference of Peripheral and Maritime Regions (CPMR), an organisation representing nearly 200 million European citizens, presented a Declaration on the Future of Europe.
 
"This is the moment to have a very clear idea" about the future paths of the European project, Vasco Cordeiro stressed, adding that CPMR, as an interregional cooperation organisation comprising 150 regions, has added responsibility to contribute to the definition of what the European Union will be in coming years.
 
For the President of the Government and CPMR, despite all the recent circumstances, European citizens must "continue to believe in this project," which has brought them peace, prosperity and well-being in recent decades.
 
Speaking to journalists, Vasco Cordeiro defended three principles that should underpin the definition of Europe's future; the first of which is the strengthening of democratic participation, through mechanisms that should not be limited to the citizens' vote.
 
The second principle is to award priority status to long-term investment, which allows job creation and wealth generation in the regions, Vasco Cordeiro said, adding that the third principle concerns the need for Europe to take up a leading role in the international stage.
 
With this Declaration on the Future of Europe, CPMR intends that European regions take up an increasingly active role in this matter. Moreover, this body will present a manifesto embodying the formal establishment of the regions' positions by the 2019 European elections.