The Regional Assistant Secretary of the Presidency for External Relations stated in Ponta Delgada that it is up to the Azoreans to contribute to the "revival of the European Union."
 
Rui Bettencourt spoke at a joint press conference with the Regional Secretary for Education and Culture, Avelino Meneses, and the Regional Assistant Secretary of the Presidency for Parliamentary Affairs, Berto Messias, to present the "European Citizenship - Europe for Azoreans" programme. In this context, he stressed that the Azores "are not just a region on the European stage, they are rather an important and exemplary region."
 
"Although we are only 0.05% of the European population, we own 18% of the European sea and we are running one of the largest organisations; the President of the Government is the President of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions, CPMR, comprising 200 regions and more than 150 million people. We are present and active in various regional and community bodies and, above all, we have a future project that includes Europe," said Rui Bettencourt.
 
The Regional Secretary added that "we also want to say to all entities with decision-making powers that the construction of the European project requires the participation of the Azores."
 
"Not only do we wish to benefit from our status as outermost region, but we also want to demonstrate that Europe must rely on the Azores in the context of the increasing importance of regions in redesigning the European project and in the undeniable reality that we must involve citizens," said the Regional Assistant Secretary for External Relations.
 
The "European Citizenship - Europe for Azoreans" programme concerns "two main goals under the Regional Government's policies for external relations." On the one hand, it aims to "promote the mobilisation of citizens and the approach of Azoreans to Europe" and, on the other hand, it intends to convey to European partners that "the Azores are available and prepared to contribute, participate or lead the construction of Europe in the future."
 
This programme will be developed in the 2017/2020 period and will be implemented with different target groups in schools and, namely, with the society in general. It is divided into six lines of action, including a cycle of conferences, the opening of a European information centre, the Europe Day celebrations in the Region for nine days and the celebration of European and international events.