During the next 11th and 12th of June, more than 200 young people from all over Spain —among whom, 11 participants will represent the Canary Islands— will attend the Youth Campus “The answer is Europe”, an initiative promoted by the Spanish Socialist Delegation in the European Parliament that will offer an opportunity to debate and reflect on the present and future of Europe. During these days I will have the honor of accompanying them in a meeting that will be marked by a plural, resounding and decisive representation, in which all will transmit an unequivocal message: the Outermost Regions have a fundamental role in shaping European policies.
Without fear of being mistaken, we can affirm that the unquestionable impact that adhesion to the European project has meant for the entire archipelago is a constant in the political, economic and social landscape.
The EU —as we know it today— and its entire historical process of supranational construction are originally based on the correction of existing inequalities derived from the specificities of the Outermost Regions, included in Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). This legal basis allows the ORs to have unique and exclusive legal protection, which mandates the European Commission not only to adapt EU rules to the reality of these territories, but also to adopt all necessary measures to safeguard their singularities.
As only a few days have passed since the celebration of Europe Day (May 9th) and Canary Islands Day (May 30th), it is unnecessary to recall that the Canary Islands are not understood today without the European Union. Sometimes, we tend to forget —or, in other words, to take for granted— many advances: traveling without borders, paying with the same currency, studying with the Erasmus program or receiving European funds that have made possible the development in renewable energies and ecological transition; the promotion of programs related to social inclusion and employability, as well as the construction of roads, hospitals and universities; or, guaranteeing the existence of sectors such as agriculture, livestock and fishing, dependent on POSEI and ERDF funds. In this reflection, it is only necessary to look back and remember the living memory of those who, at some point, made decisions that are now part of our daily lives.
Europe goes far beyond being an ATM or a mere dispenser of European funds. It has also managed to consolidate a European lifestyle: a democratic culture based on rights, freedoms, opportunities, and common values. It is true that Europe faces a situation of uncertainty in which it is more necessary than ever to act and think on a European scale.
In this context, we must face the challenges and tasks of the 21st century with determination: guarantee our security and strengthen our strategic autonomy in an unstable world, boost competitiveness, develop artificial intelligence with greater guarantees, advance the energy transition, and strengthen European defense and security. But we must also build a Europe capable of responding to real needs, especially among young people: access to housing, job insecurity, climate change, or disinformation.
Canary Islands needs to respond better to these real needs, with efficient instruments and effective policies that also allow us to recover something essential: the trust of young generations that democracy, even if imperfect, serves to improve their daily lives.
It is important to know that nothing we have today can be taken for granted. Democracy is not defended every four years at the ballot box, but every day, in every gesture, in every debate, and in every action. Europe is built day by day and, more than ever, needs our attention, our demands, and our participation.
The Union is stronger when it listens to its regions and engages with their territorial diversity. Therefore, ensuring that no one is left behind is the best way to regain the trust of the generations leading the conversation about Europe's present and future.
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