The Regional Secretary for Natural Resources stressed the EU Parliament's approval of another report defending the financial support to milk production after the end of the milk quota system in 2015. This decision reinforces the pressure the Azorean Government has exerted on the European Commission under the negotiations of POSEI.

"Taking into consideration the pressure we have exerted on European institutions, we welcome this approval, said Luís Neto Viveiros to journalists on the sidelines of the plenary session of the Legislative Assembly.

The Regional Secretary recalled that a recent meeting with MEP Herbert Dorfmann, rapporteur of the document, served to "exchange views" and discuss the contributions provided by the Azores; the latter "were included" in the document approved by the EU Parliament today. According to which, the Region defends the allocation of support to processing companies, especially those belonging to cooperatives, in order to offset milk collection and production costs.

In the context of the public consultation on POSEI-Agriculture, the Regional Government had already submitted a contribution to the EU Commission defending that this programme should grant the dairy sector in ORs an additional financial envelope "to reduce the negative effects arising from the liberalisation of milk production."

The Azores also defended, in a joint position defended by other ORs, greater decision-making capacity in the definition and management of the measures included in this Community programme.

This is a programme of particular relevance to the Azores, taking into consideration that agriculture is a driving force in the economic sector and the importance of the primary sector and the agri-processing industry in the Region's socio-economic structure.