C 194/46
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
12.5.2022
1.12.
The EESC calls on the Commission to establish a pact for skills in the ORs, as it has done for several industrial ecosystems.
1.12.1.
The green transition of ORs can only succeed if these regions have the skilled workforce they need to stay competitive.
Education and training are central to raising awareness and boosting skills for the green economy in this area in the instruments such as the green strand in Erasmus+ and the Education for Climate Coalition.
With the European Skills Agenda for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience, the Commission is rolling out flagship actions to equip people with the right skills needed for the green and digital transition.
Under the Agenda, the Commission also facilitates the development of commitments for re- and upskilling in all industrial ecosystems.
The ORs must be fully integrated into these Commission flagship actions through the establishment of a specific work programme.
1.12.2.
The EESC calls on the Commission to step up efforts to reduce inequalities in the ORs, as the COVID-19 pandemic has affected endeavours to reduce these inequalities.
The ORs are considered to be regions riven by ongoing inequalities.
The interpretations of the concepts of ‘centre’ and ‘periphery’ provide some explanation of the distribution of wealth in an economy where relations are often unbalanced.
Strengthening economic, social and territorial cohesion is one of the EU’s main aims. 1.13.
The EESC calls on the Commission to ensure that the recovery process respects social needs, while remaining uniform and balanced at regional level.
It stresses the need to assess a region as a whole in order to find tailor-made solutions.
1.13.1.
The EESC calls on the Commission to take measures to ensure digital access in the ORs.
More than elsewhere, the inability to ensure reliable access to digital technology across the board and use the associated resources effectively accentuates inequalities.
However, the pre-existing digital divides have widened and the pandemic has exacerbated certain disparities, leaving some people behind while digitalisation is gathering pace.
Employment, education, health and public services will certainly become increasingly dependent on digital technologies.
1.13.2.
The EESC calls on the Commission to make sustained efforts in the field of research and innovation, which are essential to capitalise on all the opportunities offered by the ORs’ specific characteristics in the area of oceans, seas and marine resources and which must be prioritised, as they have great potential to boost economies, create high-quality jobs and ensure people’s well-being.
This concerns a wide variety of businesses of all sizes.
It is crucial both in order to develop traditional activities and to create new market opportunities, which would also help attract young people. 1.14.
The EESC calls on the Commission to launch a major water and sanitation access project in the upcoming ORs’ operational programmes.
These major projects should be directly managed by the European Commission.
Major projects mobilise large-scale investments with a unit value of more than EUR 50 million and are supported by EU cohesion policy funds.
They directly benefit Member States and their citizens by creating better infrastructures and new jobs, establishing a healthier environment and opening up new business opportunities.
1.14.1.
In the French ORs, people do not have access to drinking water and the sanitation system is often inadequate.
Access to drinking water and sanitation is inextricably linked to the right to life and human dignity and to the need for an adequate standard of living. 1.15.
The EESC calls on the Commission to update its communication on the analyses carried out on the situation of the ORs owing to immigration.
It calls for interregional cooperation on migration and for the new EU Pact on Migration to be applied to these regions, permitting a ‘mechanism of mandatory solidarity’ to be implemented due to ‘migratory pressure’. 2.
General comments 2.1.
The ORs, which are located in a number of geographical areas, give Europe a geostrategic, economic and cultural position alongside several continents and provide it with unique benefits.
These benefits have intrinsic added value and underpin EU cooperation with third countries, even outside their geographical areas.
They contribute to Europe’s international influence and offer unique potential for implementing solutions to the challenges facing the EU.
The European Commission has announced that a new communication will be adopted, under the French Presidency of the Council, updating the Commission’s strategic partnership with these regions. 2.2.
Making the most of the benefits identified depends, to a large extent, on the EU’s ability to engage with all of its people.
Civil society must help raise awareness among the various stakeholders (states, regions, local authorities, local communities, schools, businesses and individuals) about the value of recognising that the ORs can promote spin-offs from tangible operational actions in order to speed up implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Impact would be measured in a number of fields (fisheries, agriculture and changing models; culture and promotion of the sector; employment and training; education and youth mobility; business development; environment, energy and climate challenges; immigration).