C 117/22
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
11.3.2022
Tuesday 14 September 2021
14.
Highlights that the dialogues with the citizens are a fundamental element in inducing proximity and building bridges between the ORs and the European institutions; calls, in this context, on the Commission to intensify these dialogues, in particular in the ORs; 15.
Calls on the Commission to help build a new strategy for and with the ORs that responds to local realities and needs and reflects the European Parliament’s recommendations, and that is based on respect for their specific characteristics, consolidation of what has been achieved and optimisation of existing arrangements, innovation and an appreciation of the ORs as ‘territories offering solutions’; 16.
Recommends the definition of a genuine action plan for this new strategic partnership, involving the main stakeholders, especially national, regional and local authorities, economic and social agents, civil society, the academic community and non-governmental organisations; 17.
Calls for the new strategy and action plan to be implemented as quickly as possible to aid the economic and social recovery of the ORs;
TITLE 2: Investing in the battle for jobs, consolidating solidarity and focusing on youth 18.
Recognises that the ORs offer the Union opportunities to establish pilot schemes in the face of socio-economic and climate challenges, but that taking advantage of those opportunities will require accelerating the process of making up for underdevelopment linked to structural handicaps, as well as consolidating and ring-fencing the resources used to compensate for these structural handicaps resulting from remoteness and insularity, which are vital tools for helping the ORs to become fully and fairly integrated within the European area;
A. Consolidating solidarity 19.
Calls on the Commission, the Member States and the ORs to make the fight against poverty, unemployment and social exclusion — including the exclusion of people with disabilities — the priorities of European solidarity, while investing in education and training and in future projects focusing on innovation, especially social innovation, reskilling and diversification; 20.
Believes that cohesion policy should offer more benefits to women living in outermost regions, and should promote gender equality and effective implementation of the EU Gender Equality Strategy in the ORs; 21.
Emphasises the key role played by the social and solidarity-based economy in the ORs, which partners the regional and local authorities in tackling the constraints caused by their remoteness, poverty and social exclusion, and generating jobs and developing initiatives in these regions, in line with the various European strategies; calls for this situation to be recognised at European level and for this non-profit sector to have direct access to EU subsidies;
B. Health protection 22.
Emphasises that the particular circumstances of the ORs make them more vulnerable to global events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic; calls, therefore, for every possible lesson to be learnt from this crisis and for the particular circumstances of the ORs to be borne in mind when events of this nature occur in the future; 23.
Proposes the creation of a centre for research into tropical infectious diseases and pathologies that particularly affect the ORs, such as diabetes, obesity and certain cancers, and calls for the funds needed to address the underdevelopment of healthcare in the ORs; 24.
Calls for a pilot project based on the model of the BEST preparatory action, so that work on medicinal plants in the ORs can be supported;