EU Coastal Regions Union adopts rroposal from Eastern Macedonia & Thrace
The Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) of the European Union has unanimously approved a proposal submitted by the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace (EM-TH) to include a special reference in its final declaration calling on the European Commission to extend financial support to regions located along the EU’s eastern borders.
The adopted text states:
“…the CPMR welcomes the upcoming EU Pact for Eastern Border Regions, which aims to strengthen the resilience of areas bordering Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, and calls on the European Commission to broaden its scope to support all Eastern External Regions that share borders with third countries, within the wider framework of EU security.”
The proposal was first presented last October by EM-TH Regional Governor Christodoulos Topsidis during a CPMR Board meeting, and it has now been incorporated as an official position of the influential network of European regions.
This development took place during the CPMR General Assembly, held in Barcelona over two days, where Topsidis participated alongside special advisor Felina Kazakou and Antonis Gravantis, special advisor and coordinator of the Region’s Brussels Office.
The EM-TH delegation also held meetings with the Greek Secretary General for Island Policy Manolis Kousoulakis, the Catalan Minister for European Affairs Jaume Duch, Greek regional representatives within CPMR to coordinate joint initiatives, and Konstantinos Koukás, Vice President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the EU, to explore new avenues of cooperation.
“The unanimous acceptance of our proposal is a strong confirmation of our Region’s importance within Europe’s geopolitical landscape,” Topsidis said in a statement. Calling the development a “crucial step toward strengthening Europe’s frontier regions and highlighting AM-TH’s strategic role as the EU’s gateway to the East,” he added: “We continue to work consistently so that Eastern Macedonia and Thrace can claim the role and support it deserves, to the benefit of our citizens and our region’s development.”
