The President of the Government, Vasco Cordeiro, participates in the 23rd Conference of Presidents of the Outermost Regions of the European Union that will take place in Las Palmas on Thursday and Friday. The event will be also attended by King Philip VI of Spain and the President of European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker.
 
The Conference of Presidents of the Outermost Regions is a political cooperation structure that 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.
 
This meeting of Presidents of the nine European Outermost Regions will be also involve the participation of the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Creţu, members of the Portuguese, Spanish and French Governments and members of the European Parliament.
 
The 23rd Conference of Presidents of the Outermost Regions will be mainly focused on the discussion of the next Multiannual Financial Framework for the 2021-2027 period, considering the significant turning point in this process. It will also address the Communication on "A Stronger and Renewed Strategic Partnership with the EU's Outermost Regions," presented by the Juncker Commission in October 2017.
 
The conference works, chaired by the President of the Government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, begins Thursday with the official opening and an internal session, where the President of the Azorean Government, Vasco Cordeiro, will deliver a speech.
 
Also, on this day, the Presidents of the Outermost regions visit the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands - PLOCAN, where they will learn about some of the ongoing projects at this scientific and technical infrastructure, which is supported by knowledge and technology for the development of a new productive fabric in the marine and maritime sectors.
 
The Partnership Session is scheduled for Friday, which will also include representatives of Member States and European institutions. In addition to all the Presidents of Outermost Regions, King Philip VI of Spain will also speak as well as the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Creţu, among others.
 
The 23rd Conference of Presidents of the Outermost Regions will also be marked by the signing of the Final Declaration. The document summarises the main political positions of the Outermost Regions and contains their main political points of action for the future, with a special emphasis on their concerns and proposals under the Community framework.
 
The Regional Government has held the rotating presidency of the Conference of Presidents of the Outermost Regions for three times, the last time between 2011 and 2012, when the meeting of the Outermost Regions took place on Faial Island. The event was attended by the then Commissioner for Regional Policy, Johannes Hahn.
 
The nine European Outermost Regions hold a specific status, as defined in Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, given their structural and permanent characteristics, such as their remoteness, insularity, economic weaknesses stemming from small size and rough relief or harsh climate.