The President of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores (ALRAA), Luís Garcia, is calling on the European Union to move beyond rhetoric and formally recognize the strategic centrality of the Atlantic. In communications sent to both national and European authorities, Garcia argues that future EU budgetary and programmatic decisions must fully respect the specific realities of the Union’s Outermost Regions (RUPs).

The appeal follows the political consensus reached in the Declaration of Santa Cruz, adopted during the 10th Atlantic Parliamentary Days. On Tuesday morning, Garcia formally conveyed these concerns in letters addressed to the President of Portugal’s Assembly of the Republic, the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, the President of the Regional Government of the Azores, members of parliament elected from the Azores, and Azorean representatives in the European Parliament. The goal, he emphasized, is coordinated action at every level of governance to defend shared Atlantic priorities.

In the correspondence, Garcia stresses that recognition of the Atlantic’s geostrategic importance must be matched by coherent European policy decisions. He warns against financial or structural reforms that could result in a recentralization of authority or a weakening of the specific instruments designed to support the Outermost Regions.

“The value of ultraperipheral status cannot be undermined by financial reconfigurations that disregard Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,” Garcia wrote, underscoring that territorial cohesion and economic competitiveness in these regions depend on the preservation of differentiated support mechanisms.

The Azorean parliamentary leader also reaffirmed the strategic importance of consolidating the Special Partnership between the European Union and the Republic of Cabo Verde. In his view, the partnership’s effectiveness will hinge on decisions made under the next Multiannual Financial Framework—both in terms of financial allocations and in the full integration of Cabo Verde into key EU programs.

For Garcia, affirming the Atlantic’s role in Europe’s future cannot remain a matter of symbolic declaration. The European Union, he contends, must fully incorporate the geopolitical relevance of Macaronesia into its strategic orientations and structural decisions.

With the Declaration of Santa Cruz now adopted, Garcia maintains that its commitments require concrete follow-through. The conclusions reached at the Atlantic Parliamentary Days, he argues, should serve as the foundation for coordinated action across local, national, and European institutions—an essential step if Macaronesia is to secure full recognition of its strategic importance within the European project.

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.