28/05/2021 (Agence Europe) – On Friday 28 May, the Bureau of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) adopted the Azores Declaration, which calls on the Commission to pay particular attention to the outermost regions in dealing with the pandemic in the context of the national recovery and resilience plans presented by the Member States. Indeed, as CoR President Apostolos Tzitzikostas reminds us on this occasion, the pandemic has hit hard in these regions, which are mainly dependent on the tourism sector and which have specific geographical features, notably islands. The paper was presented as the European Commission plans to update its strategic partnership with the outermost regions. The issue of the lack of involvement of regions in the development of national recovery plans is a major concern among local and regional authorities (see EUROPE 12724/11). To view the declaration: https://bit.ly/3i1NGiy (PH)