The Regional Under Secretary for European Affairs and External Cooperation stated in Ponta Delgada on Monday that European Regions “play a key role in the European project at a present time, through their autonomous policies, inter-regional cooperation and the common positions they defend among EU institutions.”

 “In a complex economic and financial context, the acknowledgment of the regional dimension reinforces the path of a Europe focused on the values of solidarity and economic, social and territorial cohesion, which emphasises the role of Community action in the effectiveness of governance through decentralisation and proximity to people,” defended Rodrigo Oliveira.

The Regional Secretary for European Affairs and External Cooperation spoke at the opening session of the Intensive Program “Regionalism and Europe of Regions,” organised under the Jean Monnet Chair in the European Studies degree at the University of the Azores, a course which will be held between at the Ponta Delgada campus between April 4 and 15.

After the opening session, Rodrigo Oliveira also had the opportunity to teach a class to more than twenty students, from Portuguese, Belgian, Greek, French, Italian, Romanian, Polish, Slovenian and Spanish universities, attending the intensive course. In this lecture, the Regional Under Secretary addressed the external action of the Azores and the importance of the status of Portuguese Autonomous Region and EU Outermost Region.

“The Autonomy of the Azores, the action of the self-government bodies of the Region, and the adherence of Portugal the European Union, through specific schemes and measures in favour of the outermost regions, are the major milestones in the recent political history of the Azores. Therefore, the Europe of Regions and Regionalism are the source of progress and the economic and social development of the Azores in a continuous process of accelerated growth and convergence with national and European level,” concluded Rodrigo Oliveira.