The Committee of the Regions (CoR), an institution that brings together regional and local governments of the Union, called for a "renewed and ambitious" support strategy so that the outermost regions (ORs) can cope with the impact of the crises derived from Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine.
The Committee approved during its plenary session an opinion that urges the EU to "update" its support policies and investment instruments for the remote European regions located in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean basin, South America and the Indian Ocean.
In these outermost regions live more than five million EU citizens, who face, according to the CoR, not only the crises derived from the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine, but also "specific vulnerabilities" that have been accentuated by natural disasters, which are becoming more frequent.
However, he assured that, for this, it is necessary to address the "structural weaknesses and limitations" of these territories, which require a "great adaptation" of European policies.
Torres: "the outermost regions need adapted policies"
The president of the regional government of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, expressed his satisfaction for the adoption of the opinion since "it constitutes a further step in the constant recognition of territorial differences in the EU and in the need for adapted policies, tailored to the territories whose structural difficulties are recognized in the European treaties," he said.
For Torres, "this recognition is consistent with the principle of territorial cohesion, highlighting that the strategy for the ORs must be implemented in a consistent, coordinated and integrated manner to achieve the double energy and digital transition, and its full economic and social development".
The president of the Canary Islands Government pointed out that "territorial realities must be included in European policies from their conception to their implementation", and recalled that this issue will be addressed in a seminar of the Committee on Territorial Cohesion (COTER) that will take place in Tenerife on March 7.
For his part, the president of the European Committee of the Regions, the Portuguese Vasco Alves Cordeiro, who is also a member of the regional parliament of the Azores, stressed that "the outermost regions of the EU are very rich territories, which bring together great challenges, great opportunities and great assets for the EU, but also face significant difficulties".
The Undersecretary of the Presidency of the Regional Government of the Azores, Pedro de Paría e Castro, promoter of this opinion, stressed that these regions "offer a large number of opportunities to the EU". However, he assured that, for this, it is necessary to address the "structural weaknesses and limitations" of these territories, which require a "great adaptation" of European policies.
"Only a policy that adapts to the specific characteristics of the ORs will allow a structural and sustainable development that brings hope to its populations. This Opinion is another decisive step in the search for the indispensable answers to face the difficult times we are going through," said de Paría e Castro.
The CoR regretted that the European Commission's communication on a renewed strategy for the ORs presented last May does not address "adequately" some of the essential policies for their development.
Support for the green transition and European Tourism Agency
Therefore, the Committee urges to promote the energy autonomy of these regions through specific support and promotion policies that allow "an adequate and affordable transition from the current dependence on fossil fuels to sustainable sources".
It also highlighted the role played by the outermost regions in strengthening the maritime dimension of the EU, since thanks to them the community club has the largest maritime space in the world and "important" economic opportunities.
Likewise, the opinion asks the Community Executive to accelerate the development of a European tourism policy that foresees the creation of a European Tourism Agency, which supports the double transition of European tourist destinations and promotes the recovery of this strategic sector for these regions.
