SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 27 September (EUROPA PRESS) –
The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) has endorsed the draft opinion ‘Regions and cities as agents of the EU strategy for Africa’, in which Celia Alberto, the Director General of European Affairs, participated as a shadow rapporteur.
This opinion has been compiled within the Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and Foreign Affairs Commission (CIVEX) of the Committee of the Regions, where previous initiatives undertaken by the Government of the Canary Islands were presented alongside the lead speaker, the Italian Guido Milana.
In the final approved text, the representative from the Government of the Canary Islands successfully introduced several key points pertinent to the archipelago regarding the added value of the relationship between the outermost regions and the African continent for the EU.
Celia Alberto remarked, “It is imperative that the European partnership strategy with Africa be reassessed in light of the evolving global context to ensure it accurately represents the vital links our regions have with our nearest neighbours.”
Thanks to the efforts of the Government of the Canary Islands, the concluded text points out that the close proximity of some outermost regions of the European Union, such as the Canary Islands, to Africa presents a clear advantage in forging partnerships with this continent. It emphasizes that integration strategies for these regions must be considered through a comprehensive neighbourhood approach within the framework of the EU’s cooperative strategy with Africa.
Celia Alberto stated, “Our closeness to Africa, less than 100 kilometres away, along with our experience in collaborating with the continent, positions us not merely as informed European officials regarding African realities but also as the external perimeter of the European Union.”
Furthermore, the Director General of European Affairs seized the opportunity to remind European regional and local representatives of the severe migratory crisis currently facing the Canary Islands, a situation that has surpassed all previous records. “Just last weekend, nearly 3,000 individuals arrived, including over 400 minors. Public services in the archipelago are utterly overwhelmed, with no assistance from the Spanish government, which remains responsible for this matter,” she added.
Additionally, the significance of European territorial cooperation (Interreg) was underscored, particularly concerning cooperative programmes with African partner nations. These initiatives serve as an invaluable tool due to their direct positive influence on the collaboration between European regions and Africa. “This is precisely why we have called for a reinforcement of their recognition and potential within the future strategy of the Union,” concluded Celia Alberto.
Alongside Guido Milana and Celia Alberto, Nicola Bellomo from the Pan-African Affairs unit of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and Geneviève Dehoux from the Strategic Partnerships unit with Africa and ACP countries also contributed to the discussion.