The Regional Director for Planning and Structural Funds revealed in Las Palmas, Canary Islands, the approval of 42 projects involving Azorean partners among 67 approved projects. They will be supported by the six million-Euro budget made available for the Azores from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
 
Rui Amann represented the Azores in the second call of the Spain-Portugal MAC (Madeira-Azores-Canary Islands) Cooperation Programme for the 2014-2020 period. In this regard, he stressed that "partners have submitted more than 120 cooperation proposals amounting to more than 32 million Euros," considering the available six million-Euro budget.
 
Besides assessing the "merit of projects, based on objective and quantifiable criteria," the Regional Director emphasised that "the financial adjustment between the programme's funding availability and the regional proposals required a thorough analysis of applications and the readjustment of proposed expenditure amounts."
 
Several entities have applied for cooperation projects in the areas of research and technological development, support for the growth capacity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), risk management and prevention, and adaptation to climate change. The applications were submitted by various departments of the Regional Government, Chambers of Commerce, Municipalities, Business Public Sector, University of the Azores, Gaspar Frutuoso Foundation, SDEA, IP and Technological Parks, among other entities representing various sectors of economic and social activity.
 
Among the projects submitted, there are also measures for environmental conservation and protection, optimisation of resource efficiency, besides measures aimed at strengthening institutional capacity in public administration.
 
In addition to the Government of the Azores, through the Regional Directorate for Planning and Structural Funds, the project approval meeting was also attended by representatives of the regional governments of Madeira and the Canary Islands, the national governments of Cape Verde, Mauritania and Senegal, as well as by representatives of the governments of Portugal and Spain.