The Regional Director for European Affairs defended on Santa Maria the importance of "continuing to work together towards the cooperation between the Atlantic regions of Portugal and Spain in a sustained, coordinated and complementary manner, always in partnership."
 
Célia Azevedo spoke at the roundtable on "Insularity, Identity and Development: The Azores and the geostrategy of the Atlantic. From the construction of modernity to 21st-century Europe," an initiative held under the 2nd International Seminar "Portugal, Spain and the Atlantic." On the occasion, the government official emphasised that this cooperation is "a choice shared and stimulated" by the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands.
 
In her speech, the Regional Director identified three moments that mark this cooperation, considering that it is largely based on a "maritime dimension" that deserves to be further developed.
 
Célia Azevedo recalled the "moment of recognition" of the importance of interregional dialogue in order to bring the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands closer to the European project, namely with regard to the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions. The three regions have participated in the conference works since 1979, well before the accession of Portugal and Spain to the European Community.
 
This was followed by the Community programmes for Territorial Cooperation. In fact, they have given a "new impetus to the relation between these regions," through the REGIS and INTERREG programmes and, more recently, to the expansion of this cooperation beyond the European area, namely to Cape Verde, Senegal and Mauritania.
 
For the future, the Regional Director, alluding to the proposals under discussion for the Financial Framework 2021-2027, stressed that a "new component" is being considered, besides cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation. It concerns the "cooperation of Outermost Regions," which will allow these regions to cooperate with each other as well as with neighbouring countries and territories in a more efficient and simple manner to facilitate regional integration.
 
"The evolution of cooperation between the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands is reinforced by several initiatives promoted by the three archipelagos," said Célia Azevedo. In this regard, she stressed that "close institutional relations" are embodied in several memoranda of understanding, establishment and implementation of protocols, project development and joint defence of common interests, often within the geographically broader framework of Outermost Regions.
 
The Regional Director also reminded some steps in the positioning of the Santa Maria Island and the Azores in the context of the European space policy, such as the installation of the Galileo station, the Atlantic Network of Geodynamic and Space Stations (RAEGE), where this roundtable is taking place, or the European Space Agency's (ESA) Satellite Tracking Station. In addition to mentioning services and projects developed at this station, she also pointed out projects under development linked to EUMETSAT, an initiative promoted by the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites
 
Célia Azevedo emphasised the existence of a "balance" between "sustainable and cohesive development and growth in favour of people" and "the establishment of key infrastructures for scientific and technological development that will establish solid foundations to strengthen the archipelago's central role in the Atlantic."