The President of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, Astrid Pérez, was unanimously elected this Thursday as President of the Conference of Regional Legislative Assemblies of Europe (CALRE) for the year 2025, becoming the first woman in the Canary Islands to preside over this international body. The vote took place within the framework of the celebration of the Standing Committee and the Assembly of this international body.
“It is an honor to represent my fellow presidents from all European Parliaments,” began the Canary Islands president, first thanking the representatives of the Spanish regional chambers, who proposed her candidacy.
Astrid Pérez has defended the need to ensure that “our regions feel co-participants in the adoption of decisions of European relevance,” and has insisted that “cohesion policy is the most effective instrument to maintain the specific status of the territories furthest from the continent.”
In her speech, the president stated that she will preside over CALRE with the primary objective of strengthening European democracy and the values that served as the basis for the foundation of the Union, preserving coexistence, tolerance and territorial singularities.
Regarding the Canary Islands, Astrid Pérez said that “Europe must continue to compensate for the disadvantages of being an outermost region,” an aspect that “must be reflected in the Financial Framework for the period 2027-2033.” She valued the need to “defend and consolidate decentralization and establish a commitment to unity in decisions relating to the singularities of the territories.”
Regarding the situation of current communication networks, the president stated that “Artificial Intelligence and technologies mark a new era in the global and European socioeconomic scenario and the Conference must mark a strategy that brings us closer to our citizens.”
To conclude, Astrid Pérez invited all the representatives of the assemblies and parliaments of CALRE to collaborate together in the progress of Europe and the regions.
