eu posei aid canary islands 2028 2034

EU commits to boosting Posei aid for Canary Islands

Compiled with the help of artificial intelligence, based on Spanish-language information. Source below the article.

Brussels backs Canary Islands funding in new EU budget

The European Commission has committed to strengthening and extending cohesion policies and Posei aid for the primary sector in the Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034 as part of its new strategy for the Outermost Regions (ORs). The Spanish government also explained that the Canary Islands and the eight other ORs will be able to maintain their role as managing authorities for funding specific to these regions and deal directly and in a coordinated way with Brussels. In other words, there will be no centralisation of the funds — or at least mechanisms will be put in place so that the ORs are part of their direct management and distribution.

A first step amid budget negotiations

The announcement comes in the middle of discussions over the next EU budget and amid concern among the ORs about how their specific funding will fit into the new national and regional partnership plans. The Commission’s budget proposal obliges Spain, France and Portugal to incorporate measures specifically aimed at their outermost territories, although their final configuration will still have to be negotiated and approved.

The Minister for Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, described it as “magnificent news” that the Commission has incorporated a large part of the proposals put forward by Spain. Among them, he cited the defence of the uniqueness of Posei — the European programme supporting agriculture in remote regions such as the ORs — the inclusion of housing on the specific outermost regions agenda, and differentiated treatment for air and sea transport.

Torres stressed, however, that the communication presented by the EU executive is “a first step”. Its implementation will depend on the EU’s sectoral policies, while the accompanying legislative package will have to be agreed by the member states in the Council, following consultation with the European Parliament. The process therefore opens up the possibility of maintaining or improving the proposals, but does not yet amount to their definitive approval.

Nine territories redefined as strategic outposts

The strategy replaces the one adopted in 2022 and affects the Canary Islands, the Azores, Madeira, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion and Saint Martin. Its main political novelty lies in presenting these territories not only as regions conditioned by remoteness, insularity and external dependence, but as geostrategic outposts that extend Europe’s presence across the Atlantic, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and South America. “The outermost regions, such as the Canary Islands, must gain greater weight within the European Union as zones of opportunity in relations with their surroundings,” Torres said. The minister highlighted tourism, environmental research and the development of space activity as the archipelago’s strengths.

Four pillars and key opportunities

The roadmap is built around four axes: harnessing the geostrategic potential of the ORs and improving their integration with neighbouring countries; boosting their competitiveness and access to the single market; strengthening their capacity to respond to climate change, disasters and other threats; and promoting social fairness. Brussels identifies opportunities in the blue economy, renewable energy, biotechnology, research and space, and proposes improving air and sea connections. It also suggests protecting critical infrastructure such as ports and submarine cables, advancing energy autonomy and food security, and paying attention to environmental phenomena such as the arrival of sargassum.

Housing and emissions trading on the agenda

On the social front, the Commission includes employment, education, the fight against poverty and access to basic services such as drinking water, healthcare and affordable housing among its priorities. The latter issue had been raised expressly by Spain. The strategy envisages supporting national and regional administrations to expand the supply of homes and rentals, mobilise investment, promote reforms and protect the most vulnerable population. Another point relevant to the Canary Islands is the proposal to review the European emissions trading scheme. According to the Spanish government, the approach would allow the exemptions applicable to air and sea connections from the ORs to be extended until 31 December 2035. The Commission will also study tailored treatments in areas such as waste incineration and the carbon border adjustment mechanism.

Article 349 and the road ahead

The EU document upholds Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which allows rules, policies and access routes to European funding to be adapted to the structural and permanent constraints of the outermost regions. Brussels promises to take these into account more systematically from the earliest stages of drafting its initiatives, to strengthen the annual dialogue with these territories and to improve their administrative capacity to make the most of EU programmes. For the Canary Islands, the immediate significance of the strategy now rests on how it is translated into budgets and legislation. The political commitment expressed by the Commission will have to be made concrete during the negotiation of the 2028-2034 financial framework and in the subsequent sectoral laws, which will determine both the funding for specific programmes and the real room for manoeuvre that the regions retain.

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