Artur Lima chairs General Assembly of Islands Commission in Gozo, Malta - Communication

Vice-Presidência do Governo Regional

The Vice-President of the Regional Government, Artur Lima, chaired the General Assembly of the Islands Commission of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR), which took place at the Conference and Exhibition Centre on the island of Gozo in Malta.

At a session dedicated to the development of a sustainable economy, Artur Lima said: "Our islands can and should be laboratories of sustainability, where we test innovative solutions and reap the corresponding benefits."

"Due to our geographical nature, we face structural disadvantages that should no longer be the case in the 21st century. Our dependence on air and sea transport should not inhibit our development but rather be a source of opportunities promoting a sustainable economy in our Region," he said.

The Vice-President of the Regional Government also emphasised that the path to fair economic development involves greater energy self-sufficiency, reflected in the use of alternative energy sources and the possibility of storing them in electric batteries.

Sustainable tourism was another of the themes highlighted, given the relevance of this industry in the economy of various European archipelagos. The convergence of economic development from tourism with the promotion of the well-being of island communities and sustainability is a goal to be pursued by the Islands Commission.

The Autonomous Region of the Azores is a member of and chairs the CPMR Islands Commission, a body established in 1979 and based on the principle that islands should not be synonymous with isolation. The Islands Commission aims to raise awareness, in particular, of the constraints arising from remoteness and the creation of EU policies to mitigate them.

The CPMR was created in 1973 and aims to promote the interests of European maritime regions within European institutions. Its areas of action focus on the economic, social and territorial cohesion of the regions while also defending the energy transition, the fight against climate change, and the equitable and harmonised development of its members.