The Regional Under Secretary of the Presidency for External Relations stressed the "excellent opportunity" that was created for European regions with the approval of the Charter of Multilevel Governance in Europe by the Committee of the Regions at the meeting held this week.

"This is a statement made by European regions and municipalities with special political significance at an important of evolution in the European Union," stated Rodrigo Oliveira. "Whether due to the forthcoming elections to the European Parliament or the selection of a new EU Commission or the appointment of future presidents of the European Commission and Council, 2014 marks the beginning of a new cycle. It will provide an excellent opportunity for European Regions to define and convey their views about European governance."

According to the resolution adopted by the Committee of the Regions, "it is necessary to mobilise all levels of governance in order to increase democratic accountability in Europe and ensure the effectiveness, coherence and complementarity of the respective actions." It urges EU institutions to "systematically apply the principles of the Charter" and promote effective governance "based on a coordinated action between the European Union, Member States and local and regional authorities." Good governance is also built on "the principles of subsidiarity, proportionality and partnership, which is developed through a functional and institutionalised cooperation."

Rodrigo Oliveira stressed that "multilevel governance, being a cross-cutting principle, may be reflected in various administrative models as well as in the exercise of powers at a European, national, regional and local level. It is also based on mechanisms and practices that allow the participation of different levels of power in the development of European policies."

"At a time when limitations and restrictions have been imposed on the exercise of regional power in several European countries under the pretext of crisis, this is an important and timely initiative of the Committee of the Regions. It marks the position defended by this body before the new configurations on European institutions and the new period that will begin in 2014," said the Regional Under Secretary.

The recently approved Charter for Multilevel Governance in Europe is the result of a decision taken by the Committee of the Regions in 2009, following its White Paper on Multilevel Governance and the public consultation process that was then promoted. In this regard, the Government of the Azores defended that "the Autonomous Region and Outermost Regions statutes enable decentralised governance with considerable success in the development of the Region, despite the constraints of remoteness."

According to the position taken in that public consultation process, the Government emphasised that the "Azores have a double nature that differentiates them from other European regions. On the one hand, they are a Portuguese region endowed with legislative powers and, on the other hand, they are a European outermost region."

 Furthermore, the Regional Government also defended that "this double nature as well as a continuous and participatory action in Community consultation and decision-making processes on matters involving the Region are good example to be highlighted in the context of good practices on decentralization and multilevel governance in Europe."