The President of the Government signed in Brussels the "# CohesionAlliance" Declaration. The document formalises the accession of the Azores to a coalition of European regions and entities claiming the existence of a strong and effective Cohesion Policy under the Community budget for the period after 2020.
 
Vasco Cordeiro signed the "# CohesionAlliance: Towards a Strong European Cohesion Policy After 2020" Declaration at a meeting held in the Belgian capital with the President of the Committee of the Regions, Karl-Heinz Lambertz.
 
"This is a challenge in which all those who have an exact notion of what the Cohesion Policy means should be involved. In fact, there is a growing number of regions and interregional cooperation entities that have joined this alliance in defines of Cohesion Policy and, from this standpoint, this is extremely positive," said the President of the Government.
 
Speaking to journalists, Vasco Cordeiro also stressed that what is at stake is a policy that "represents a long-term investment in all European regions and embodies the very concept that lies at the heart of the European project - economic, social and territorial cohesion."
 
"At a time when new options and more needs for intervention on the part of the European Union are emerging, this policy cannot be called into question insofar as it concerns the very core of the European project," warned Vasco Cordeiro.
 
During today's meeting, the President of the Regional Government had the opportunity to exchange views with Karl-Heinz Lambertz on the next multiannual financial framework and on the future of Cohesion Policy as the main tool for investment in regions with a view to promoting economic, social and territorial cohesion.
 
This alliance arises from cooperation between regions, various European entities and the Committee of the Regions to defend the Cohesion Policy as a pillar of the future of the European Union in face of the possible reduction of financial resources from 2020.
 
In this context, the Declaration signed by Vasco Cordeiro emphasises that the Cohesion Policy is a "clear asset insofar as it generates jobs, sustainable growth and modern infrastructures by removing structural obstacles, promoting human capital and improving the quality of life."
 
According to the document, the Cohesion Policy should continue to be endowed with sufficient resources - equivalent to at least one-third of the future EU budget - based on existing European structural and investment funds.
 
In addition, the Declaration calls for the simplification and improvement in management of the Cohesion Policy, based on greater trust between the different levels of government applying the funds and on a more flexible and differentiated approach.