The President of the Government of the Azores welcomed the position taken by the President of the European Commission on the future of the Cohesion Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy, considering it as a "good sign" for the negotiations on the multiannual budget of the Union after 2020.
 
"Although this process is at a very early stage and is expected to be a tough negotiation, we believe that the defence of these fundamental policies for regions such as the Azores by President Jean-Claude Juncker is a good sign," added Vasco Cordeiro.
 
The President of the Government mentioned the statements made by the President of the European Commission during a debate at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. On the occasion, he expressed his opposition to the weakening of the Cohesion Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy under the next EU budget for the post-2020 period.
 
According to Vasco Cordeiro, this position is even more relevant because the European Commission is responsible for presenting the proposals for the next multiannual budget. This is especially relevant at a time when there is an expected reduction in Community funding due to the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Brexit); it is one of the main contributors to the Union's budget.
 
Given the importance of these two financial tools, this is not a sole concern of the Azores, the President of the Government added, recalling that about 90 percent of the funds allocated to Portugal in 2016 were legitimised by the Cohesion Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy.
 
In the beginning of December, the President of the Government raised these concerns with Jean-Claude Juncker at a meeting in Brussels. Last week, Vasco Cordeiro also met in Brussels with the European Commission's negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier, the Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, and the President of the Committee of the Regions, Karl-Heinz Lambertz. At all meetings, he reiterated the importance of a strong Cohesion Policy as the main Community investment tool in the Regions.