The President of the Azores Government, José Manuel Bolheiro, insisted on Saturday on the creation at European level of a Programme of Specific Options for Addressing Remoteness and Isolation (POSEI) for transport.
“The remoteness of the Azores in relation to the European continent and the geographical dispersion of our nine islands make it essential to have a program that takes into account our particularities,” Boleiro said, as quoted in the press release.
The leader of the regional government (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM) spoke at the headquarters of the executive presidency in Ponta Delgada after receiving newly elected MEP Paulo do Nascimento Cabral (PSD).
According to Boleiro, the creation of POSEI for transport would be “a solution to accessibility problems in the most remote regions” of the European Union (EU).
POSEI is a Community programme to support agriculture in remote areas and is financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund.
The Azorean government president also said he has members of the European Parliament appointed by regional party structures to support “the implementation of European policies agreed between the region, the Republic and the European institutions.”
On this occasion, according to a press release, Paulo do Nascimento Cabral once again defended the “creation of an Azores Front in the European Parliament” and committed himself to “defending the status of the ultra-periphery”.
On 12 October 2022, the SDP/Azores advocated the development of a POSEI for transport to guarantee the territorial integrity of the nine Azores islands with the European continent and to facilitate greater and better movement of people and goods.
According to the European Commission, the annual financial allocations for POSEI are €268.42 million for Spain, €278.41 million for France and €106.21 million for Portugal.
The outlying regions of Portugal (Azores and Madeira), Spain (Canary Islands) and France (Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Reunion, Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin) are home to about five million people.