The President of the Government stated in Brussels that it is time for the European Union to come up with answers for the Outermost Regions (ORs), namely on the future of cohesion policy, which he considered to be "one of the cornerstones of the European project," and on the measures and projects to be implemented in these regions.
 
"We are here because we need answers," said Vasco Cordeiro at the opening session of the 4th Forum of the Outermost Regions. He added that Outermost Regions are available to help building these answers so that they may be "more assertive, more effective and more focused if they are ready to accept our participation."
 
"At the end of this Forum, we cannot stay without an answer to the measures, policies and projects that the European Union intends to implement in outermost regions," said Vasco Cordeiro. However, he warned that this meeting might become "an irrelevant event if we fail to find the necessary answers."
 
In his speech delivered at the meeting that brings together political and civil society representatives of the nine outermost regions, Vasco Cordeiro stressed that the European Commission "knows" the challenges these regions face and, thus, it is now time of giving answers to overcome challenges in areas such as agriculture or fisheries.
 
Vasco Cordeiro asked why the European Commission's evaluation report on POSEI, dating back to December 2016, "recognises it as a tool that has the capacity to deal with the particular agricultural challenges in its implications regarding the geographical situation of outermost regions; however, it fails to mention the scarcity of financial resources under this programme to face abnormal situations, such as that experienced by the Azorean dairy sector."
 
"Especially, when these effects are partly due to the deregulation policy set by the EU itself," added the government official.
 
On the other hand, he questioned why "fishers should be guided by rules set at a distance, in Brussels, when they know that they seem to contradict what they claim to defend, either due to ignorance, distance or estrangement."
 
"What answer do we give to an entrepreneur who feels that competition policies are not suitable, neither in their concept nor in their implementation nor in its effect, to small-scale, isolated and scattered economies of outermost regions? Or which transport policy does not allow what is essential, i.e., connect their territory to others that are vital to the promotion of exports," asked the President of the Government.
 
"In view of all these questions and need for answers, we want our work and effort, which is part of the Memorandum we intend to submit to the Commission, to inspire the joint construction of an ambitious strategy for outermost regions and the answers everyone expects," said the President of the Government.
 
For Vasco Cordeiro, this strategy should mark "the beginning of a period of reflection, dialogue and work for future programming, immediately post 2020, which will lead the ORs to a virtuous circle of development, based on an innovative approach in sectors like agriculture, environment, state aids, economic, social and territorial cohesion, employment, training, mobility, research, fisheries, sea or transport. "
 
"For my part, on the part of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, we are ready to, with full commitment and determination, do our part so that the European Union may be an increasingly better collective experience project with concrete results for the benefit of the citizens of our regions," said Vasco Cordeiro.