The President of the Parliament of the Canary Islands and of the Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies, Astrid Pérez, presided this Wednesday in Brussels over the plenary session of the Assembly and the Standing Committee of the Calre, in which a manifesto has been unanimously approved that includes the main demands of the regional parliaments for the next Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034.
Astrid Pérez expressed her satisfaction for having reached an agreement among the regions that make up Calre, while assuring that "today is an important day in which cooperation, dialogue and consensus-building are more necessary than ever in the face of an increasingly centralist Europe," Pérez indicated.
During the plenary session, representatives of several regional parliaments were able to argue their contributions and 55 amendments were debated. The document includes, among other issues, the need to maintain social cohesion and cooperation policies and to orient agricultural and fisheries policy to guarantee a fair income for workers and affordable prices for consumers.
Regarding the Canary Islands, the manifesto highlights the need for Europe to increase the allocation of structural funds such as the ERDF and to establish a specific budget for the Outermost Regions that guarantees greater cohesion and integration.
The President of the Parliament of the Canary Islands insisted that Europe must respond to the needs of the ORs to alleviate the health, economic and social differences of territories far from the continent, highlighting massive migratory flows. "This manifesto, which will be sent to the Committee of the Regions for its information, includes our priorities and concerns regarding the next budget, where each regional perspective is represented," she said.
Astrid Pérez has presided over this institution since January, which was founded in Oviedo in 1997 and its objective is to deepen democratic and participatory principles within the framework of the European Union, defend the values and principles of regional democracy and strengthen the links between regional legislative assemblies.
CALRE Awards 2025. Starts of Europe in Tenerife
Tenerife will host the next CALRE Awards 2025, Starts of Europe, awards that recognize the best practices and initiatives of the Regional Parliamentary Assemblies of Europe. During the plenary session this Wednesday, the bases have been approved and regional parliaments have been invited to submit their proposals for these awards, which will be presented in December.