A delegation from the Pyrenees–Mediterranean Euroregion, led by Margalida Prohens, President of the Balearic Islands and acting President of the Euroregion; Nadia Pellefigue, Vice-President of the Occitanie Region; Jaume Duch, Minister for the European Union and External Action of the Government of Catalonia; and Xavier Bernard Sans, Secretary-General of the Pyrenees–Mediterranean Euroregion, met yesterday, 9 December, with the European Commissioner for Cohesion Policy and Reforms and Vice-President of the European Commission, Raffaele Fitto, in Brussels.
The meeting made it possible to reaffirm the commitment of the three territories to a cohesive and territorially balanced Europe, capable of addressing the increasingly significant Mediterranean challenges.
The three representatives stressed the need for Mediterranean regions to play a more relevant role in both the definition and implementation of cohesion policy in the Mediterranean context. The Euroregion, the only European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) that includes both island and mainland territories and which has more than two decades of solid cooperation, asked the Commissioner for additional means and European instruments to expand the scope of its cooperation projects. It also defended the need for stable and sufficient European funding to ensure balanced territorial development and cohesion among all members of the Euroregion.
During the meeting, the need for specific treatment for island territories was also highlighted, taking into account their geographic uniqueness and associated costs. The delegation emphasised the cooperation between the Balearic Islands and the mainland members, Catalonia and the Occitanie Region. In this context, the Euroregion proposed the creation of a specific maritime and coastal cross-border programme within the future INTERREG POCTEFA for the post-2028 period, including the Balearic Islands. This would make it possible to address shared challenges such as climate change adaptation, coastal management and the development of a sustainable blue economy.
Finally, the delegation stressed the need to move towards a specific status for EGTC staff, in order to ensure more efficient legal, administrative and human-resource management of these cooperation structures, acting as pioneers in this initiative.
This meeting, stemming from Commissioner Fitto’s positive assessment during the Euroregion’s 20th anniversary declaration, served to reaffirm the Euroregion’s intention to position itself as an essential ally and partner of DG REGIO, to bring Europe closer to its citizens, and to ensure that the new cohesion policy incorporates the voice of Mediterranean regions.
The territories of the Euroregion call for greater European support for rural and maritime areas at the Euroregional meeting “Cooperate to Transform” The event, held from 26 to 28 November, [...]
