The Socialists and Democrats call on the European Commission to keep an adequate level of funding for the European outermost regions in the revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) – the pluriannual budget of the Union. The Commission is expected to present its proposal for a revision of the MFF within the next couple of weeks. The S&D Group has expressed concern that the emphasis on other political priorities could potentially divert funds away from the outermost regions and hinder their cohesion with the rest of the Union.
Eider Gardiazabal Rubial, MEP and S&D spokesperson in the committee on budget of the European Parliament, said:
“I came on a mission to La Réunion with my S&D colleagues Margarida Marques and Pierre Larrouturou with whom – in the budgetary committee of the European Parliament – we ensure no European citizen is left behind. We are going back to Brussels with two clear messages we got from the representatives of civil society and local authorities here. First: don't cut financial support for overseas territories. Second: make access to money from cohesion policy, national recovery and resilience plans and the European Social Fund faster and easier.
“For the Socialists and Democrats it is clear that people living in outermost regions like La Réunion, the Canary Islands and Madeira are not second-class citizens and we will not let them be treated as such. If the European Commission and the other political groups in the Parliament also believe in this, they will join us in our efforts to advance EU priorities like the digital and green transition in Europe's overseas territories as well. This is only possible if we maintain adequate funding for them in the upcoming revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework.”
