The Regional Government has submitted its position to the European Commission in the context of the public consultation on "EU Funds in the area of cohesion." It considers that this process "should lead to a more effective policy for 2021-2027" and ensure, above all, "a balanced and harmonious development of Europe and its regions in order to respond to new challenges, such as the ones that now arise."
 
"These goals cannot be achieved with the reduction of resources or with the reduction of the ambition and role of Cohesion Policy and its funding schemes under the next Multiannual Financial Framework," says the document. It also stresses that by "doing so, it would deny the essence of the European project itself and would be a decision of risky consequences for the European Union and Europe as whole."
 
According to the document, "this is the time and the opportunity to take actions within a new framework aimed at the promotion of safer development and greater convergence between the EU and, in particular, of its Outermost Regions."
 
This Region's position "is not just an ambition of the Regional Government insofar as it presents the concerns, demands, aspirations and ambitions of all Azoreans, who are aware of the importance of this moment in the EU's life and are actively contributing to the growth and strengthening of Europe," stressed the document.
 
The goal of the Azorean contribution is primarily intended to "respond to the most important societal issues through an approach based on social, economic and territorial convergence to the European Union." This is the case of the areas of employment, qualification, school success, poverty eradication, quality of life and health.
 
The document presenting the Regional Government's position also highlights the Azores as an "active part of the Union, playing an active part in its construction and being an important asset for Europe." Moreover, it highlights that "the Azores with its maritime area of about 953,633 Km2 accounts for more than 55% of maritime space of their Member State and 18% of the European sea. The geostrategic situation of the Azores also acquires an important dimension and oceanic projection within the European Union at a time when Europe faces new challenges in its global affirmation, security and defence, 'blue economy' and in space."
 
The Regional Government also states that political action for development and convergence of the Azores in the context of this multifaceted reality "is fully in line with the Cohesion Policy and its core principles, namely with regard to the reduction of disparities - transient or permanent - among EU territories.
 
The document also highlights the "unprecedented commitment to the European project" that the Regional Government has promoted in the archipelago, through a "wide process of involvement and hearing of the Azorean society." It culminated in the debate and unanimous approval of a Resolution proposed by the Regional Government on the post-2020 European Union at the Legislative Assembly on February 22. The document summarised the main guidelines of a Cohesion Policy for the next Multiannual Financial Framework.
 
The Government believes that the participation in this public consultation promoted by the European Union "is not the individual participation of the Azorean Government." It is rather "a socially and politically legitimised vision of a Community Cohesion Policy to be implemented in the Azorean territory and for the benefit of an entire population, based on a process of democratic citizenship and a strategy of close proximity with citizens, the Region's self-government bodies and European issues.
 
The Government of the Azores has already submitted this contribution and its annexes: the Resolution of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores no.11/2018 of February 22, 2018 and the document "Factors to be taken into account for a post-2020 Cohesion Policy; both are the result of the involvement of the Azorean society. Furthermore, the Government emphasises "the political legitimacy of a unanimous voting at the Regional Parliament and the social legitimacy arising from the involvement of the Azorean civil society." This legitimacy is technically supported by a methodology based on a strategic prospective methodology for the detection and analysis of key factors in the construction of the future that has proven effective.
 
According to the Azorean position, "the development strategies of the Azores aiming at its social, territorial and economic cohesion, both internal and external are as follows: strong business innovation associated with research and entrepreneurship; education and qualification of human resources and teaching strategies tailored to the needs of the regional economy and business; financing of economy for competitiveness; investment in the green and blue economy (fisheries, maritime economy, deep-sea economy, aquaculture); sustainable tourism; internationalisation; agriculture as a main pillar of Azorean economy and single vector for environmental and landscape preservation; improvement of accessibility, mobility and transport; territorial-based approach to public actions and a comprehensive approach to environmental issues, agriculture and tourism; development of logistics in order to enhance the geostrategic position of the Azores; industrialisation; smart specialisation and circular economy."