Canary Islands leaders demand funding for new EU Outermost Regions strategy

The European Union is shifting its strategic vision regarding Outermost Regions (ORs), recognizing their geopolitical, environmental, and economic value rather than focusing solely on their limitations such as distance and insularity. This new approach acknowledges the strategic importance of these territories in the Atlantic and their proximity to Africa.

In response, regional leaders in the Canary Islands have welcomed the shift but are demanding concrete financial commitments. They emphasize that political recognition must be backed by specific resources within the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework. Key issues identified for tailored intervention include affordable housing, youth unemployment, poverty, and the migration challenges faced by regions receiving arrivals.

Coalición Canaria and the regional government stress that the strategy must move beyond cohesion policy to ensure that the unique characteristics of these territories are addressed transversally across all EU policies, as per Article 349 of the TFEU.