By encouraging the outermost regions to capitalise on their unique assets, the strategy seeks to support these regions in creating new opportunities, boosting innovation and jobs in sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, climate change and circular economy, and deepening cooperation with neighbour countries.
Two years on, the main developments in the Canary Islands are:
- Creation of a taskforce – together with the European Commission – to address the challenges related to waste management involving European, national, regional and local stakeholders; Strategy for plastics and the implementation of projects for its transformation and for a biogas plant;
- Participation in the Clean Energy for EU Islands Initiatives; organisation of the second Clean Energy Forum for the EU islands in Lanzarote and the installation of two innovative prototypes for the use of marine wind energy within the PLOCAN platform;
- Comprehensive analysis on all blue economy sectors to seek new opportunities and prepare a future blue economy strategy;
- Support for researchers by leading the Horizon 2020 «FORWARD» project aimed at strengthening the presence of outermost regions’ researchers in European and international innovation networks and their ability to participate in research projects;
- Mutual learning on creating innovative enterprises in the blue and green economy with Martinique, Reunion Island, Madeira, and the Azores under the GROW RUP project.