28 February 2014
Europolitics
 

MEPs adopted a legislative resolution, on 26 February in Strasbourg, calling for more attention to be paid to the EU's outermost regions (Guadeloupe, French Guyana, Reunion, Martinique, Mayotte, Saint Martin, the Azores, Madeira and the Canaries). The text, written by Younous Omarjee (GUE-NGL, France) calls for specific programmes for these regions, for example in research and innovation. It also calls on the European Commission to establish a general strategy for overseas territories.

(AE) REGIONS: French MEP calls for EU action to make the most of remote regions

Strasbourg, 27/02/2014 (Agence Europe) – In an own-initiative report by Younous Omarjee (GUE, France) adopted by the European Parliament on Wednesday 26 February by 446 votes to 73, with 47 abstentions, MEPs tell the European Commission that the EU's outermost regions should not only benefit from the EU's structural funds, but should also be able to benefit from synergies between other EU funds, like Horizon 2020, Life + and Erasmus. The rapporteur explains that the report “aims to go beyond current EU and member states' views on the outermost regions”, adding: “It is time for Europe to make the overseas territories a component of all its policies and its intrinsic development prospects. We must break the isolation of the outermost regions and help them overcome their structural problems through better integration into European strategies”. Various areas where these synergies could work are outlined in the report, like the trans-European transport network, energy, telecommunications, maritime policy and farm policies. The MEPs say that it is time to make the most of what make the outermost regions special, rather than focussing on their geographical handicaps.