Brussels, 21 January 2025
Speech by European Council President António Costa at the meeting of the Conference of the Presidents of the Outermost Regions:
Mes premiers mots vont au peuple de Mayotte, pour exprimer toute ma solidarité au Président Ben Issa Ousseni qui est ici avec nous aujourd’hui. Je réitère au nom de l’Union Européenne tout notre soutien et l’espoir que Mayotte, avec nous tous, surmontera cette tragédie et pourra envisager l’avenir avec confiance.
Then, allow me to thank you for inviting me. It is an honour to be here with you and to address this conference at the European Parliament for the first time in my mandate.
As a former member of the European Parliament and a former member of the Committee of the Regions, it has been my view that the European Union is stronger if we act cohesively, if we reaffirm the advantages of multi-level governance, with no region left forgotten, with no citizen left behind.
The outermost regions have a strategic importance for the Union. In the Atlantic. In the Caribbean Sea. In South America. And in the Indian Ocean. The outermost regions extend the European Union around the world, to many places beyond the European continent.
And we have a responsibility to support their development. So, it will also be my role as President of the European Council to ensure that all nine outermost regions are fully recognised in our cohesion policy, in our competitiveness compass, in our financial solutions, in our sustainable development.
We must ensure that the European Union keeps a stable strategic vision based on territorial cohesion and integrated economies, to benefit all our citizens, all our regions.
What sets the European Union apart is the convergence between democratic values, trust among Member States, the welfare model and a collective will for prosperity.
With no exclusions, but full integration. With every region on board, no matter how distant they are. Because in these disruptive and unpredictable times unity is what makes us stronger. Unity is what makes us powerful.
I know I can count on the role of the outermost regions to strengthen it. You can count on me to make our Union closer to you.
Source – European Council