President Daniel Gibbs elected President of RUP Association

MARIGOT–President of the Collectivité Daniel Gibbs has been elected President of the Association of Ultraperipheral Regions ARUP of France by unanimous vote on Monday, April 16, during statutory meetings and renewal of the board held at the Maison de St. Martin, Rue de Varenne, in Paris.

Gibbs is currently in Paris as part of the meetings of the Outermost Regions (ORs) of the European Union (EU) with the State. He succeeds Rodolphe Alexandre, President of Guyana’s local Government. On this occasion, the Regions agreed to strengthen their joint actions.

“I am very happy to represent the French Outermost Regions within the Union. Basically, we have many subjects to work on. I am thinking, for example, of the need for harmonisation of the strategies we will have to deploy to defend a common position vis-à-vis the Government and Europe and to move our territories forward,” Gibbs said.

In the afternoon, Presidents of the ORs and Members of Parliament (MPs) from the Territories were able to exchange views with Minister for Overseas Territories Annick Girardin and the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs on future budgetary and regulatory proposals for the next European programming period.

EU issues such as defence, immigration and budgetary constraints after 2020 following the United Kingdom (UK) withdrawal were addressed. The Minister for Overseas Territories invited the ORs to participate fully in the citizens’ consultations launched by the President of the Republic, involving stakeholders and citizens from the territories in order to gather their proposals for the future of the EU.

The approach of the European elections (May 2019) and the need to encourage a strong mobilisation of the overseas voters in view of the low participation rates observed in previous years, was also stressed by Minister Girardin.

In the run-up to the EU’s proposal for a multiannual financial framework (scheduled for May 2), the Regions submitted a joint document to the two Ministers in which they stressed the importance of a cohesion policy that was “ambitious, flexible and adapted to their realities, with a budget commensurate with the challenges at stake and based on multiple, transparent and measurable eligibility and financial allocation criteria.”

The Presidents also want specific measures to support the development of traditional sectors in their territories. The Regions have requested that the ORs be taken into account in regional integration, which is a major development priority in the respective geographical basins, with the adoption of appropriate instruments.

As they have been doing for some months now, the ORs have advocated the full application of Article 349 TFEU of the EU, and on this basis European policies can be adapted to the realities of the Overseas Territories. The Ministers replied in return that most of the requests expressed in this document were part of the State’s priorities. President Gibbs will ensure that these priorities are upheld.

Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/75883-president-daniel-gibbs-elected-president-of-rup-association

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