Date : 15/10/2020
Workshop “Outermost regions: scaling up cooperation”, European Week of the Regions 15 October, 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (CET Brussels)
This workshop, on the theme “Cohesion and cooperation”, desired by the outermost regions as part of the “European Week of Regions” aims to highlight the particularities of their cooperation as well as the importance of the implementation of European territorial cooperation in these regions, in order to support harmonious and sustainable socio-economic development.
The outermost regions are the most remote European regions from the continent. They are part of a distinct regional environment from that of European regions and at all levels (economic, social, territorial, etc.).
The geostrategic positioning of ORs is therefore conducive to the development of business opportunities with their neighbouring countries: from Brazil to Cape Verde, from Madagascar to Trinidad, from Mauritius to Suriname…. The ORs are thus real platforms for the EU that carry various projects with neighbouring countries, particularly in the field of health or access to water. The support of the cohesion policy, of the European territorial cooperation in synergy with the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument is crucial to their regional integration but also to their economic growth, which will ultimately participate, through a leverage effect , to create economic convergence in their respective basins.
Their unique assets give Europe a real added value and position them as real strategic bases for the EU. Close to emerging countries, ORs thus offer services and infrastructures in line with European standards, which facilitate both the implementation of decentralized cooperation projects and creating synergies between regional economies.
In this sense, cohesion policy and European territorial cooperation (ETC) play a crucial role in supporting the development of cooperation for ORs. The ETC participates, among other things, in a better knowledge of the regional economic market and in the convergence towards European production standards.
Some ORs have joined regional organizations from their basin in order to reinforce and consolidate regional partnerships.
The synergy between European Territorial Cooperation and the European Union’s external action program, particularly the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument, is essential for the deployment of ORs cooperation strategies and the promotion of European values in their immediate regional environment.