Luís Garcia, President of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, argued on Thursday in the city of Praia, Cabo Verde, that “without Macaronesia, Europe forfeits a fundamental part of its global influence.” He stressed that strengthening the European Union’s outermost regions and Atlantic cooperation is essential to cohesion, global projection, and the security of the EU’s external border.

Garcia was speaking at the opening of the 10th Atlantic Parliamentary Conference, held Thursday morning at Cabo Verde’s National Parliament. He voiced concern over the proposed Multiannual Financial Framework currently under discussion, warning that a trend toward budgetary recentralization and the potential weakening of cohesion policies would have a direct impact on both the EU’s outermost regions and the Special Partnership between Europe and Cabo Verde.

In that context, Garcia said any proposal that diminishes the importance of the outermost regions would represent “an unacceptable setback for our territories,” emphasizing that Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union “is not a mere legal suggestion; it is an imperative of justice and equity.”

Acknowledging that the European Union is undergoing a period of profound strategic redefinition, the Azorean parliamentary leader said the current moment “demands political clarity,” urging that the 10th Atlantic Parliamentary Conference serve as an opportunity to defend the integrity of cohesion policies and respect for the status of the outermost regions.

Turning specifically to the EU–Cabo Verde Special Partnership, Garcia underscored the need for genuine institutional solidarity, noting that the effectiveness of the partnership is closely tied to budgetary decisions made in Brussels. For that reason, he said, “strengthening the financial instruments that support the outermost regions is crucial” to ensuring their stability and continuity.

In his address, Garcia also highlighted the ocean as Macaronesia’s principal strategic asset, pointing to the Azores’ track record in creating and implementing marine protected areas and positioning the region as a global reference in maritime spatial management. He noted that “this knowledge constitutes a collective heritage that should be shared with Cabo Verde, Madeira, and the Canary Islands,” enhancing the capacity of island regions to respond to common challenges.

The 10th Atlantic Parliamentary Conference runs from February 5 to 7 in the city of Praia, marking a return after an eight-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Azorean Legislative Assembly is participating with a delegation that includes lawmakers from the PSD, PS, CHEGA, CDS–PP, and the PPM parliamentary representation, reaffirming the region’s commitment to active parliamentary diplomacy and to advancing Macaronesia as a space of strategic cooperation in the Atlantic.

From Press Release

Translated into English as a community outreach program by the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL), in collaboration with Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno. PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.