The President of the Government highlighted today the good results achieved by the Region in recent years regarding the use of Community funds, announcing that the Government intends to involve social partners in the process of defining strategies for the period after 2020.
 
Vasco Cordeiro spoke after receiving a delegation of MEPs from the Committee on Regional Development in Ponta Delgada that began a three-day visit to the Azores today to analyse the effects of the European Union's Cohesion Policy in Outermost Regions.
 
"This visit will allow them to become acquainted with the good use of Community funds that has been made by our Region over time, but above all the good results of these funds in several indicators, namely in wealth generation," said the President of the Government.
 
The Azores have always evidenced a path of convergence towards the country and the European Union, whether during periods of growth or during periods of recession, stressed Vasco Cordeiro. According to him, even in the challenging years of the international crisis it was possible to create measures that have successfully overcome - and better than elsewhere - these challenges, thanks to the good use of these funds.
 
This meeting, attended by MEPs Ricardo Serrão Santos, Sofia Ribeiro and Liliana Rodrigues, also highlighted the importance of the preparation for the post-2020 period in terms of Community funds. On the occasion, the President of the Government restated the essential character of the Cohesion Policy under the European Union project.
 
"The Cohesion Policy cannot be replaced by financial tools such as the Junker Plan. The Cohesion Policy is of key relevance in Outermost Regions, being in perfect symbiosis with the very idea of the European project," said the government official.
 
With regard to the Azores, Vasco Cordeiro said the work on the preparation of the next financial programming framework has already begun internally and will gain greater visibility this year. In this regard, he called on social partners and the civil society to participate in the definition of the Region's goals and strategies for the period after 2020.
 
Speaking to journalists, the President of the Government also considered this visit of MEPs is important and relevant, taking into account a recent decision of the Court of Justice of the European Communities that open new possibilities for defence of the status of Outermost Regions within the European Union.
 
On this visit to the Azores, the Delegation of the Committee on the European Parliament's Regional Development will visit several projects funded by EU funds, such as Pico Vermelho Geothermal Centre, Furnas Monitoring and Research Centre, NONAGON - São Miguel Science and Technology Park, Angra do Heroísmo Public Library and Regional Archive or Praia da Vitória Port, among others.