The Secretary of the Presidency André Bradford defended in Brussels today the pioneer model of management and preservation of the marine environment, which the Government of the Azores implemented over the past decade, as an example for Europe.

André Bradford, who spoke at the Seminar of the European Week of Regions and Cities on “The Atlantic: A Source of Opportunities for Sustainable Development,” stressed that “the Atlantic is the second home of Azoreans and the Regional Government has developed a number of legal instruments and programmes for resource management, environmental protection and research aimed at exploring the existing potential and putting it at the service of regional development.”

The declaration of protected marine areas outside the 200-mile EEZ under the Natura 2000 Network, the drafting of legislation for the creation of the Azores Marine Park, the work for extending the Portuguese continental shelf, and the unique research in the field of hydrothermal vents were among the examples provided by the member of the Azorean executive.

André Bradford argued that “now that the European Commission is about to finalise and present the “Strategy for the Atlantic,” it is essential to look at the example from the Azores to better understand how to combine environmental protection, resource management and the development of cutting-edge research in favour of the populations and the economic growth of the regions.” He also added that “it is essential for this strategy to emphasise the role that regions such as the Azores play in the context of the whole Union, as living laboratories, as places where biodiversity is preserved and as outposts of the UE in the world."