Brussels, 14/10/2009 (Agence Europe) - The 15th conference of the presidents of the outermost regions is being held on Thursday 15 and Friday 16 October in Gran Canaria, under the chairmanship of Paulino Rivero, President of the Government of the Canary Islands. It will be attended by Regional Policy Commissioner Pawe³ Samecki as well as by representatives of Spain, France and Portugal and the Swedish EU Presidency. On this occasion, the seven presidents of the outermost regions will adopt, on Thursday 15 October, in Las Palmas, a joint memorandum summarising their positions on the EU's future strategy. The text will then be completed by the governments of member states concerned, namely France, Spain and Portugal. The Commission will take account of these stances in order to develop the new strategy to be presented in early 2011. In its press release, the Commission adds that, with a view to strengthening the link between the EU and its regions, a first “forum for outermost Europe” will be jointly organised with the Spanish EU Presidency on 27 and 28 May 2010 and will then take place every two years.
The Commission recalls that over €5.9 billion are allocated to the outermost areas for the period 2007-2013 under Structural Funds, to which must be added a specific allocation of €979 million to make up for the surcharges linked to the disadvantages of these regions, as recognised in the EU Treaty.
After the conference, Pawe³ Samecki will visit the sites of several projects financed by the EU which bear witness to the potential of the outermost regions in the field of research and innovation: (1) the Canary Institute of Marine Sciences; (2) the Technological Institute of the Canaries (EU contribution: €15.5 million); (3) the Gran Telescopio Canarias (EU contribution: €38 million, i.e. 70% of the total cost); and (4) the banana plantation at Los Llanos de Aridane (key economic sector for all of the outermost regions, with production accounting for 10% of the bananas consumed in the European Union as a whole). (G.B./transl.jl).