On the occasion of the Official Visit of the President of the Government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores to the Autonomous Region of Madeira, at the invitation of the President of the Government of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, from January 23 to 26, 2018,
 
The President of the Government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores and the President of the Government of the Autonomous Region of Madeira:
 
- Welcoming the strengthening of friendship relations, political relations and cooperation relations between the two Autonomous Regions and the stimulus provided to such cooperation in light of the Azores Declaration signed in 2016;
 
- Reaffirming the importance of continuing to strengthen cooperation relations and developing collaborative actions that will mutually benefit the Peoples of the Azores and Madeira;
 
- Emphasising and recognising the value of the autonomic system of the archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira as well as the fundamental task of the State to promote the harmonious development of the entire national territory and the duty to guarantee territorial cohesion by correcting inequalities derived from the insularity and remoteness of autonomous regions, and encouraging their gradual integration into wider economic areas nationally and internationally;
 
- Following, with interest, the evolution of the decentralisation process of Central Administration powers that was initiated by the National Government, and emphasising its importance for the implementation of the principle of subsidiarity within our country;
 
- Recalling that the existence of an autonomous regional administration in the Azores and Madeira requires special care and consideration by the National Government as to the terms in which this decentralisation process may occur in the municipalities located in the Autonomous Regions;
 
- Expressing their belief that the only way this process may take place while respecting the Regional Autonomy of the Azores and Madeira is through the decentralisation of powers in favour of Autonomous Regions, with the respective Legislative Assemblies being responsible for deciding the moment, terms and resources for an eventual decentralisation in favour of municipalities in the Azores and Madeira;
 
- Emphasising the need for the statute and legal framework on Outermost Territories, achieved within the European Union and laid down in the relevant Treaties with the legal support at the highest level of the Court of Justice of the European Union, to provide the peoples and territories of their regions with a level of development identical to that of the more developed regions in the EU, based on the principle of equal opportunities, respect for subsidiarity and the affirmation of political, economic and territorial cohesion;
 
- Reiterating the irrefutable added value created by their regions for the economic and social development and the territorial cohesion of Portugal and the European Union as well as for the contribution to their affirmation in the fields of research, knowledge and development in the North Atlantic and in the confluence with others geopolitical spaces;
 
- Highlighting the benefits for both Autonomous Regions brought by the development and implementation of several joint projects resulting from the protocols signed in 2016, with special emphasis on the Joint Representation Office of the Azores and Madeira in Brussels;
 
- Reaffirming their commitment to agree and implement positions on matters of common interest to boost the territorial, economic, social and cultural development of their regions;
 
- Welcoming the joint agreement reached on the organisation of the 2nd Summit of the Archipelagos of Macaronesia, which will be held in the Azores in 2018, in order to strengthen cooperation ties in this important geographical area in the North Atlantic.
 
Deciding for all due purposes to:
 
1. Establish the conditions for the practice of bilateral cooperation in some of the areas considered relevant for the development of both Autonomous Regions, according to the Amendments and Protocols annexed to this Joint Declaration that will be added up to the common protocols in force since 2016:
 
- Forest resources;
- Agriculture;
- Fisheries and Aquaculture;
- Science and Technology;
- Musical practice;
- Youth volunteering;
- Submarine cable telecommunications;
- Energy.
 
2. Continue identifying the areas within the Integrated Maritime Policy, Renewable Energy, Circular Economy, Adaptation to Climate Change and Science and Innovation where there is a specific relevant interest in bilateral cooperation between the two Regions in the context of maritime and air transport. The respective Departments of both Government will be in charge of presenting, in the short-term, proposals for cooperation actions to be formalised and implemented.
 
3. Jointly define action goals under the Regional Innovation Strategy for Smart Specialisation as well as digital accessibility using broadband connection in order to create an effective and efficient digital single market;
 
4. Launch in 2018, the European Year of Cultural Heritage, a series of cultural exchange actions that will allow the citizens of the Azores and Madeira to become better acquainted with the cultural identity of both territories. There will be cooperation actions for joint cinematographic productions about relevant personalities and events in these archipelagos to be disseminated internally and externally, especially in the Diaspora.
 
5. Analyse the creation of joint tourist itineraries, namely in the fields of Geology, Volcanology and Ecotourism as well as the creation of integrated cruise routes.
 
6. Join efforts on European Affairs to ensure the support of the Portuguese Government in their well-founded aspirations in the forthcoming negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework for the period after 2020, so that:
 
- The EU Economic, Social and Territorial Cohesion Policy for the post-2020 period may ensure adequate resources for the development of the Outermost Regions, automatically including them in the group of regions eligible for maximum level of cohesion support regardless of their Gross Domestic Product "per capita" in order to protect and empower them, while promoting growth and employment;
 
- The new financial tools for Outermost Regions to be operated by the European Investment Bank may serve as a complementary strategy for economic development and business competitiveness, but never to replace the non-refundable subsidies granted under the Cohesion Policy;
 
- The financial allocations for the programme to support agriculture and the rural world in Outermost Regions (POSEI) may be increased;
 
- The secure funding fisheries and the sea-related activities in the Outermost Regions may be increased, namely with regard to the definition of autonomous funds to support the aforementioned activities in these regions;
 
- The Trans-European Transport Network of the European Union and its financing may contribute effectively and equitably to improving the accessibility deficit of Outermost Regions in order to effectively cover and serve these Regions;
 
- The creation of innovative and appropriate solutions may be promoted to facilitate the access of Outermost Regions and their production to third-country markets;
 
- The European Commission's 2017 Communication "A stronger and renewed strategic partnership with the EU's outermost regions" may be fully implemented to foster development and growth of Outermost Regions.
 
7. Create the conditions for the establishment of a joint structure for reflection, consultation and support under the European Fund for Strategic Investments in order to identify, through the European Investment Bank and its European Investment Advisory Hub, common areas or projects that are likely to be eligible and allow the access of both Regions to such funds.
 
8. Create the conditions for the establishment of a Common Contact Point for Submission of Applications with the European Union. This entity will be responsible for analysing, disseminating and supporting the submission procedures of applications for calls launched under various EU financing programmes that are directly managed by the EU Commission.
 
9. Enhance the role of the Joint Monitoring Committee, namely that of the Members of Regional Government, which should meet annually with a mission to ensure and monitor the implementation of the actions provided for in the Joint Declarations of the Governments of both Autonomous Regions.
 
10. Agree on the organisation of a new meeting at the highest level between the Government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores and the Government of the Autonomous Region of Madeira in 2020.