Defence of POSEI brings Azorean interests into the EU budget debate

Protecting support for the Azores forms part of the debate over the European Union's next long-term budget. According to RTP Açores, the proposal presented by the Irish presidency makes no reference to outermost regions. Carla Tavares, a Portuguese Socialist Party MEP and European Parliament co-rapporteur for the future EU funding framework, challenges that omission and advocates retaining POSEI and budget autonomy for these regions.

The Portuguese government has identified outermost regions as a priority in these negotiations, the report states. The Azores and Madeira belong to this group of territories, whose particular constraints are recognised in Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Remoteness, insularity and small size provide grounds for measures adapted to their circumstances.

POSEI is one of the instruments that put this tailored approach into practice in agriculture. The programme combines support for local production with measures to reduce the costs of supplying essential agricultural products and farming inputs. Its objectives include developing livestock farming, diversifying crops and strengthening the competitiveness of traditional agricultural activities, including processing and marketing their products.

For the Azores, the debate therefore matters to farmers and to businesses involved in supplies and the processing and sale of regional produce. Tavares's position focuses on preserving these instruments and regional autonomy within the EU budget. The reported omission concerns a proposal under discussion; the news report does not describe a final decision on support or quantify changes to funding for the Azores.