(23 November 2018) – Today, the Commission is presenting a series of initiatives to help the outermost regions to unlock their full potential, one year after the launch of the new EU strategy for those regions.
.From cohesion policy to European investment in transport, via research and innovation and agricultural and fisheries policy, no fewer than 21 sector-specific proposals in the forthcoming EU budget will be taking into account the needs of the outermost regions. Among them:
– The Commission has amended the guidelines for State aid in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors so that new vessels can be bought in these regions, with higher aid rates for small and medium-sized vessels.
– More than EUR 2.2 billion in additional investment will be mobilised by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) in the outermost regions.
– The Commission has this week launched the FORWARD project, with EUR 4.3 million from Horizon 2020, intended to support innovation in these regions.
– Following a successful pilot in Réunion in the areas of energy autonomy and transition, this week the Commission will be launching a second task force to improve waste management and promote the circular economy in the Canary Islands.