RUPs Strengthen a Shared Stance in the Canary Islands to Safeguard Their Role in Europe's Future

The President of the Canary Islands says “Europe cannot talk about food sovereignty while weakening the primary sector in its ultra‑peripheral regions.”

The ultra‑peripheral regions signed a joint declaration on Monday that sets a shared roadmap to protect their differentiated treatment and to safeguard essential instruments for economic, social and territorial development—especially in agriculture and fisheries. The declaration comes at a critical moment for defining the next Multi‑annual Financial Framework (MFF) and the policies that will shape the future of these territories in the coming years.

The forum “Horizon RUP: Common Position of the Ultra‑Peripheral Regions on the New 2028‑2034 MFF”, organized by the Government of the Canary Islands and held at the Presidency building in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, concluded with institutional backing for a text that will be forwarded to EU Member States. The text demands:

• An updated, visible and stable allocation for the RUP in the new EU budget cycle.
• Continuity and strengthening of the POSEI (Special Regime for Outermost Regions) as an autonomous instrument, with a refreshed financial figure that reflects rising production costs.
• Specific solutions for the fisheries sector.

During the opening remarks, Fernando Clavijo framed the debate on the upcoming MFF as a political and strategic issue, warning that it is not merely a budgetary discussion but a fundamental decision about the model of Europe to be built and how to guarantee cohesion, equal opportunities and balanced development across all territories. He argued that ultra‑peripheral regions must not be relegated in the new European financial design and called for the EU to maintain recognition of their singularity, anchored in Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and reflected in policies such as POSEI.

“In a moment marked by great global uncertainty and a scenario where Europe increasingly talks about strategic autonomy and food sovereignty, the primary sector of the ultra‑peripheral regions cannot be weakened.”

José Manuel Bolieiro, President of the Azores, expressed a “clear rejection” of the MFF on political and legal grounds, invoking Article 349 of the TFEU that obliges European institutions to recognise the regions’ particularities. He highlighted the unanimous political and strategic stance of the RUP on this issue, adding:

“It is not smart for the EU to weaken and exclude what has progressed and worked well; in this sense, POSEI is the most successful instrument and enhances the EU’s oceanic dimension.”

Gabriel Serville, President of French Guiana, warned of a “historical paradox” in attempts to dilute and renationalise funds, which threatens the primary sector. He stressed that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and fisheries funds are safeguards, but without control over resources or the ability to negotiate with the EU, the regions would have to compete with better‑resourced continental firms, leading to decline for local producers. He reiterated that POSEI is essential for agriculture and called for an updated European financial sheet and a fair assessment of each State’s contribution.

Throughout the day, working tables examined the role of the European Parliament in MFF negotiations, the positions of agricultural organisations and producer associations regarding the European Commission’s proposals, and the perspectives of the three Member States with ultra‑peripheral regions. The aim was to analyse the impact of the 2028‑2034 financial framework on the RUP’s primary sector and to forge a common stance that guarantees the maintenance of specific funds, especially in agriculture and fisheries.

Clavijo highlighted that the RUP share structural challenges, opportunities and a common responsibility: to defend the future of their territories within the European project. He added that the ultra‑peripheral regions have historically shown that, when they cooperate and share a common vision, they can influence the European agenda and decisively contribute to building a more cohesive, sustainable and just Europe.

Narvay Quintero, Councillor for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty of the Canary Islands, praised the strategy the regional government has pursued since the start of the legislature, together with the primary sector and RUP executives. He called for a technically rigorous upward revision of POSEI’s financial figure, based on reports endorsed by the European Commission that show an average 40 % increase in production costs for Canary producers in recent years and a clear competitive disadvantage compared with continental territories due to remoteness, insularity and territorial fragmentation.

“We express an absolute rejection of the European Commission’s proposal and defend a budget for the next period that is fair, specific and adapted to our reality, therefore financially reinforced, together with a POSEI for fisheries and specific programmes, independent of a national programme, that cover the measures of Pillars I and II.”

The meeting was attended, among others, by:

• Fernando Clavijo, President of the Canary Islands
• José Manuel Bolieiro, President of the Azores
• Gabriel Serville, President of French Guiana
• Younous Omarjee, Vice‑President of the European Parliament
• MEPs Paulo do Nascimento Cabral, Gabriel Mato Adrover, Juan Fernando López Aguilar and Oihane Agirregoitia Martínez
• Ángel Víctor Torres, Spanish Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory
• Naima Moutchou, French Minister for Overseas Territories
• Salvador Malheiro, Portuguese Secretary of State for Fisheries and the Sea
• Narvay Quintero, Canary Islands Councillor for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty
• Thibault Lechat‑Vega, Vice‑President of French Guiana
• Nuno Maciel, Secretary‑General of Agriculture and Fisheries of Madeira

Clavijo reiterated that the RUP should not be seen as a problem to manage but as a strategic asset that Europe must protect and strengthen. From this premise, he argued that investing in the RUP equals investing in territorial cohesion, resilience, food security and stability for the Union itself.

“The common, constant and visible will to act that emerges from this meeting and is embodied in the declaration signed on Monday strengthens the RUP’s influence and confirms that today the ultra‑peripheral regions and our Member States speak with one voice to defend our place in Europe’s future.”

With this gathering, the Canary Islands reinforce their role as a hub for defending the specificities of ultra‑peripheral regions and the strategic importance of their primary sector. The “Horizon RUP” forum and the signed declaration represent a new step forward in the strategy launched by the Canary Islands government at the start of the legislature to place the RUP at the centre of the next MFF and to ensure that their needs, potential and contribution to the European project are effectively reflected in future Union policies.

Signed Agreement

The meeting produced a joint declaration that formalises a common position on the future EU budget and accompanying sectoral policies. The text reaffirms the centrality of Article 349 of the TFEU as the legal reference for any European policy affecting ultra‑peripheral regions and calls for coordinated, sustained action throughout all stages of the EU legislative process—from Commission proposals to Council negotiations, parliamentary deliberations and subsequent regulatory development.

Key demands of the declaration include:

• The next MFF must allocate an adequate, significantly updated, visible and stable budget line for the RUP, preventing the disappearance or reduction of specific allocations in general mechanisms that do not reflect their structural over‑costs.
• Maintenance and, where appropriate, reinforcement of specific cohesion policy allocations, together with a swift financial response to climate, energy, health, migration or market crises.
• In agriculture and fisheries, continuity and financial strengthening of POSEI as an autonomous instrument, independent of national plans, essential for food security, employment, sustainability of local production and social cohesion in the RUP.
• Regular updating of POSEI allocations to keep pace with evolving production costs and supply‑chain dynamics, and the promotion of specific solutions for the fisheries and aquaculture sector that align with the ultra‑peripheral reality.