The Government of the Azores successfully defended in Brussels the importance of knowing the regional and local reality, which will allow the European Commission to provide a basis for the negotiation of the terms of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the EU and the USA.

However, "I have to express a clear objection to the amendment proposed. In fact, the study, collection and analysis of regional data is critical to ensure a good decision," said the Under Secretary of the Presidency for External Relations. The government official spoke Thursday at a plenary meeting of the Committee of the Regions, where he participated on behalf of the President of the Government.

During the discussion on the report issued by the Committee of the Regions on the Transatlantic Partnership, Rodrigo Oliveira refuted the proposal to remove from this report one of the recommendations defending "the need to collect, analyse, evaluate and manage comprehensive and comparable data that might anticipate or demonstrate the impact of TTIP at a regional municipal and local level."

"I come from a small region that exports to the USA and that will improve its export conditions with this agreement. However, in the face of the end of the milk quota system, the Russian ban and the instability in the European agricultural sectors, it is fundamental to conduct studies at a regional level to assess the eventual impact of these situations and take the appropriate decisions, particularly with regard to agriculture, traditional production and the dairy sector. Hence, the decision-making process of the European Commission will take into account the knowledge of all European regions, including smaller regions, rural areas and Outermost Regions," stressed Rodrigo Oliveira.

The amendment proposal refuted by the Government of the Azores was not approved. The recommendation issued to the European Commission for the collection and assessment of data on the impact of TTIP regionally will be maintained. In addition, the Committee approved a proposal for the inclusion of a reference to the specificities of Outermost Regions for the "conduction of appropriate economic forecasts" and "the publication of a scientific study on the subject."

The Committee of the Regions' report on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the EU and the USA contains a series of recommendations that are in line with the position of the Regional Government, namely the need "to define specific regulations for the agricultural sector in order to prevent the import of certain products: Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) or those produced from GMOs,  products from animals that were treated with growth hormones and all food products treated with substances forbidden by the EU."

In regard to the agro-industrial sector of the Azores, the Committee also requested the inclusion of a chapter "specifically dedicated to geographical indications," noting that the defence of the agreement cannot "hinder the development of a high quality agriculture in Europe based on ecological principles."