The Under Secretary of the Presidency for External Relations defended on the island of Guadeloupe that Outermost Regions (ORs) have a role to play in Europe, stressing that they "are probably the best example of building up a united Europe that shares the values of diversity.

"Our regions are no longer regarded as problematic regions; they are regions of opportunity," said Rodrigo Oliveira. In this regard, the government official noted that the Azores are a region "with great potential in the fields of renewable energy, sciences and research, in addition to being "a large maritime region in Europe. The Azores have "privileged location" and a role to play in bringing the European Union closer to the American continent.

In the speech delivered Friday at the closing session of the 20th Conference of Presidents of Outermost, where he represented the President of the Government, the government official stressed the need to understand "the problems and potentialities of each region, with flexibility, adaptability and special attention to its specificities."

"Europe tends to regard their regions through statistics and figures; however, it is necessary to visit them and become acquainted with their reality. Our regions are not just mere figures, statistics, distances, GDP levels or unemployment; they are areas with great potential for the European Union," said the Regional Under Secretary. The government official specifically addressed to the European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu, who also participated in this session.

Rodrigo Oliveira urged for a joint effort involving all Outermost Regions, recalling that the assessment of the Communication presented by the European Commission in 2012, scheduled for 2017, will be an opportunity to analyse "the measures that are lacking," namely those concerning POSEI Energy and POSEI Transport, among others.

The Under Secretary stressed the importance of the "spirit of partnership between Outermost Regions and the European Commission in the conference works," which has contributed to significant achievements. However, he noted that "the effort to accomplish the main goal embodied in the Treaties, regarding the implementation of measures that take into account our specificities, is still far from reality."

"There will always be straightforwardness and loyalty on the part of the Outermost Regions. We will not always agree, but we are always ready to discuss and make proposals in order to assess the best way to accomplish our common goal: enhance the most important assets of our regions," said Rodrigo Oliveira.