Brussels, 12/09/2007 (Agence Europe) - In a communication adopted on Wednesday 12 September, the European Commission sought to reaffirm the importance it places on the seven outermost regions of the Union: the Azores, Madeira, the four French overseas departments (Martinique, Guadeloupe, Guyana and La Réunion) and the Canaries. The communication, “Development and Report on Strategy for Outermost Regions”, was presented by Danuta Hübner, Commissioner for Regional Policy.
Ms Hübner pointed out that specific support measures for the outermost regions remain a priority Community policy: “In all our policies, we have to be attentive to the means that enable us to compensate or mitigate the permanent handicaps confronting the outermost regions. In this sense and as part of the cohesion policy, I have made sure that a specific allocation is reserved for them under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)”. For 2007-13, more than €5.9bn has been allocated to the outermost regions under cohesion policy, added to which is the specific allocation of €979 million decided on by the European Council in December 2005 to compensate the additional costs linked to their geographical location. Danuta Hübner hopes that the efforts for improving coordination of the action of the European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) in favour of these regions, as well as the action of the European Development Funds (EDF), which benefit their neighbours, will bear fruit. In the future the Commission intends to fully involve these regions in the Lisbon strategy and develop the competitiveness of their economies. This communication provides the occasion for opening the debate with the European institutions, member states and all stakeholders interested in these regions (actors on the ground, representatives from the different associations, unions, academics and researchers etc). The Commission is organising a consultation phase, by way of discussion workshops, that will last until March 2008. This reflection will focus on the following themes: climate change, demographic development and migratory flows, agriculture and the role of the outermost regions in European Union maritime policy. (oj)