Carlos César expects European islands to be taken into account in the EU territorial cohesion policies
The President of the Government was optimistic about the future role of regions, particularly those that are islands, in the context of the territorial cohesion policies undertaken by the European Union.
Presiding over the meeting of the Islands Commission of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) held in the city of Aberdeen, Scotland, on Wednesday afternoon, Carlos César said the meeting “is crucial because it allow us, once again, a reflection in particularly sensitive period for the definition of the European Union, especially with regard to the EU 2020 strategy and the future of cohesion policy, and the financial perspectives after 2013.”
The Azorean President said that embodying the principle of territorial cohesion as a new pillar of the European Union was a major achievement “and it is necessary to explore this new pillar of EU policies, for that reason the effort that we have to undertake – to combine interests, particularly of the islands within the commission I chair - was the main goal of this meeting.”
Stressing that the Declaration of the 30th Annual Meeting of the Islands Commission, which took place in the Azores in May this year, encompasses the strategy and the main concerns of the islands, Carlos César expects that “the islands be considered, in the European context, as realities to which must correspond an appropriate flexibility by European legislation, whose specific features should be respected, despite the renewed commitment of the islands with sustainable development and the 2020 strategy.”
Nevertheless, the President acknowledged that the work that has been done carried out, at the level of the European Commission, since the meeting held in the Azores has been especially productive; the same can be said with regard to the initiatives carried out by the Directorate-General for Regional Policy of the European Commission.
Moreover, Carlos César mentioned the remarkable progresses that were also registered “with the important approval of the European Parliament by large majority as well as with various interventions in the plenary, including the one made Commissioner Hubner and others on the solution for the economic and social development of mountain regions, islands and regions with low population density.
For the President of the Regional Government, this represents an important step to ensure that the following policies provide flexible measures to overcome the permanent limitations of these areas and adapt their development model, thus taking advantage of their benefits.
“We must continue, bearing these guidelines in mind. And the leadership position I hold at the Islands Commission encompasses these concerns. Tomorrow, at the Annual Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions, it is my duty, as President of the Islands Commission and as representative of the Government of the Azores and the outermost regions, to present these goals among the commissioner who will attend the meeting and follow these works,” concluded Carlos César.
The Islands Commission is composed by governmental representatives from 24 European islands, making up a total of approximately 13.5 million citizens from Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.