Artur Lima addresses Corsican Committee on Legislative and Regulatory Powers and Statutory Evolution
Vice-Presidency of the Government promotes Europe Day celebrations on Santa Maria Island
Artur Lima defends strong Cohesion Policy to reduce constraints in the Azores
The Regional Directorate for European Affairs and External Cooperation operates under the Vice-Presidency of the Regional Government of the Azores.
Welcome to the Regional Directorate for European Affairs and External Cooperation.
We are the department of the Regional Government of the Azores responsible for conducting the European and external policies pursued by the Azores.
At a European level, we carry out two essential tasks. Firstly, we are responsible for monitoring, coordinating, consulting and overseeing the European affairs that fall under the direct responsibility of specific governmental departments, such as Agriculture, Fisheries, Transport, Taxes, etc.
Secondly, we play an active role in the European interregional cooperation, with special emphasis on the Conference of Presidents of the Outermost Regions and the cooperation in the context of the Macaronesia area.
As regards External Cooperation, we seek to promote and enhance the Atlantic centrality of the Autonomous Region of the Azores and its integration into the International Relations system. Accordingly, we privilege the Region's position in the context of the Transatlantic Relationship and particularly its relations with the United States. Furthermore, we focus on the Region's cooperation with other infra-state and even state entities outside the European space, namely with Cape Verde as well as with Member States and Provinces of the United States, Canada and Brazil, in particular.
July 16, 2024
Artur Lima addresses Corsican Committee on Legislative and Regulatory Powers and Statutory Evolution
The Vice-President of the Regional Government, Artur Lima, will visit Corsica between July 17 and 19 at the invitation of the President of the Corsican Assembly, Marie-Antoinette Maupertuis. The Vice-President of the Government will meet with the President of the Corsican Assembly and the President of the Executive Council, Gilles Simeoni, to discuss matters related to insularity and common actions to be taken on the European stage. Artur Lima will also speak at the Corsican Committee on Legislative and Regulatory Powers and Statutory Evolution, as part of the cycle of works dedicated to statutory developments on the island. The speech will address regional autonomy, the Political-Administrative Statute of the Azores, and the challenges facing this island as an outermost region. In April this year, the President of the Regional Government, José Manuel Bolieiro, and the Vice-President of the Government, Artur Lima, met with Marie-Antoinette Maupertuis, President of the Assembly of Corsica, on the occasion of the General Assembly of the Islands Commission of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR), held in Ponta Delgada. This meeting provided an opportunity to reflect on and confirm the possibility of an exchange on matters concerning statutes and insularity based on the Azorean example. In addition to its protocol component, this event is part of the series of hearings held by the aforementioned Commission with the aim of benefiting from the experiences of the autonomous regions or territories in France and throughout Europe. In a broader sense, the goal is also to continue promoting greater synergy and joint work among European islands in a context marked by the results of the European Parliament elections. This is particularly pertinent given that the priorities of the new political agendas emphasise the need for coordinated and renewed action to defend insularity and address its specificities. On this visit to Corsica, Artur Lima will be accompanied by the Regional Director for European Affairs and External Cooperation, Carlos Amaral.
May 2, 2024
Vice-Presidency of the Government promotes Europe Day celebrations on Santa Maria Island
The Vice-Presidency of the Government of the Azores, through the Regional Directorate for European Affairs and External Cooperation, promotes the regional celebrations of Europe Day in Vila do Porto on the island of Santa Maria on 9 May, with various educational, cultural and recreational initiatives. The celebration programme, which is the result of a partnership with the Azores Mission Structure for Space (EMA-Espaço)/Regional Secretariat for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, the Vila do Porto Town Council and the EUROPE DIRECT Azores centre, is being held under the Space theme. The celebration aims to raise awareness and stimulate the interest and participation of the entire community in activities related to the European Union, contributing to greater and better dissemination and knowledge of matters concerning the European Union in general and the Outermost Regions (ORs), such as the Azores. This year's celebrations will focus on space, bringing this theme into line with the regional and national ambition to make the Azores a European Atlantic hub for space, leveraging the privileged conditions of the Region for the consolidation and growth of its space ecosystem. This will make a decisive contribution to implementing national and European space programmes. The programme kicks off on the morning of May 8 with the "Back to School" initiative at the Santa Maria Basic Education and Secondary School, which will be attended by Vera Pinto Gomes, a member of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS). The opening conference "Europe and Space: the role of the Azores and Portugal in the European space programme" is scheduled for 8:30 pm at the Vila do Porto Municipal Library and will feature Vera Pinto Gomes from the European Commission's DG DEFIS and Hugo Costa, director of the Portuguese Space Agency (AEP). The "Us, Europe and Space" exhibition, created by students from the European Club of the Santa Maria Basic Education and Secondary School, will also be open to the public in the Library until May 10 from 9 am to 6 pm. From May 13, the exhibition will be displayed at the Basic Education and Secondary School. The solemn session will take place on May 9 at the Vila do Porto Municipal Garden at 9:30 am, with the hoisting of the flags and the performance of the European Anthem by the Recreio Espirituense Philharmonic Band, followed by speeches from representatives of the Regional Government, the Vila do Porto Municipality and the Europe Direct Azores Information Centre.