Regional realities must be valued in European Union policies, advocates Artur Lima - Communication

Vice-Presidência do Governo Regional

The Vice-President of the Regional Government, Artur Lima, spoke at the Political Bureau of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR), defending that "regional realities must be reinforced in future European Union policies."

"The European energy transition is already underway, but we must remember one thing: implementation is territorial," stressed the Vice-President. 

"For the transition to be successful, it will have to be implemented in all regions and all peripheral areas, including the outermost regions," he stressed, adding: "regional realities must be taken into account, or we run the risk of an uneven transition."

Artur Lima addressed the Political Bureau as Vice-President of the CPMR, overseeing energy. 

"The European Union is in a phase of intense legislative activity that will define our future for decades to come. The choices we make in the coming months will have an impact on competitiveness, cohesion and, above all, social justice in our regions," he stressed.

"The purpose is simple: regional realities must be reinforced in future European Union policies," he defended.

The Vice-President of the Government addressed European legislative initiatives in the field of energy, namely the Clean Industry Pact, the industrial decarbonisation accelerator and the European Networks Package.

In this context, he detailed the initiatives developed by the CRPM to ensure that a regional perspective is included in European Union policies, which are being pursued through four priorities: industrial decarbonisation, regional electricity networks, including those in the outermost regions, the necessary level of funding, and a socially sustainable transition.

"European energy transition must protect local and skilled jobs as well as ensure that electricity networks do not have regional gaps, particularly in island and outermost regions," stated Artur Lima.

"Similarly, it must be ensured that the Industrial Decarbonisation Bank is accessible to regions," he added.

The CPMR Political Bureau met on February 19 and 20 in Nicosia, Cyprus, to discuss European policy for island regions, energy, connectivity and maritime affairs.