The European Parliament’s Committee on Regional Development (REGI) is urging the EU to pay more systematic attention to the needs of the outermost regions (ORs) and to commit to boosting their competitiveness.
This is the message conveyed by the evaluation report on the European Commission’s communication on its strategy for the ORs (see EUROPE 12944/12), which was adopted unanimously. “Our report […] intends to reinforce sustainable development and economic growth in these regions, with a view to achieving fair and efficient green, digital and energy transitions”, said rapporteur Álvaro Amaro (EPP, Portuguese).
Stimulating the economy
With a high percentage of OR inhabitants at risk of poverty, the report calls on the Commission to address education issues. For example, it suggests developing training and skills development activities to stimulate employment opportunities and developing an action plan against early school leaving.
It also stresses the need to attract young people to agriculture and fisheries and to maintain the POSEI compensatory scheme in agriculture while replicating it in fisheries, transport, energy and other sectors.
Protecting the environment
In addition, the REGI Committee asks the Commission to develop a specific sustainable tourism policy for the ORs. In particular, it proposes that European funds be used for pilot projects on tourism in these regions and the creation of a European Tourism Agency with offices in the ORs.
Finally, MEPs suggest considering the creation of a European Climate Change Adaptation Fund to improve the resilience of the ORs to climate shocks.
Faced with challenges that hamper their development (geographical remoteness, dispersion, climate, small size), the nine ORs of the EU enjoy a special status (Article 349 TFEU) which grants them a series of derogations and obliges the Union to take account of their specific characteristics. An obligation which, according to local and regional elected representatives, is not always respected (see EUROPE 13074/20).
The report was the subject of 523 amendments and 51 compromise amendments (all adopted).
The consolidated version of the report will be available here: https://aeur.eu/f/5ye (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)