Press Release: The outermost regions at the centre of discussions in Brussels

The seven outermost regions of Europe (the Canary Islands, the Azores, Madeira, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion) are at the centre of discussions at the conference on the future of the European strategy for these regions, beginning today in Brussels on the initiative of Danuta Hübner, Member of the European Commission responsible for regional policy. The aim of the meeting, involving the seven regional presidents and representatives of the French, Portuguese, Spanish governments and representatives of other European institutions, academic institutions and socio-professional circles, is to update and enrich the European strategy for the outermost regions in the light of the four major challenges facing these regions: climate change, demographic trends and migratory flows, the future of agriculture and the role of the outermost regions in the EU's maritime dimension. These discussions accompany the communication adopted by the Commission in September 2007 (IP/07/1305 -COM/2007/507) and the public consultation launched simultaneously on the internet.