Green & Blue Citizenship in the EU Outermost Regions: leading the way to a joint future - 13WS21503

The event aims to foster debate and the exchange of good practice on how to involve citizens further in protecting the environment in the EU Outermost Regions (OR). It will discuss the processes of shaping “green“ and “blue” citizenship, showing good practices and examples of citizen-led initiatives in forest and animal protection (green) and activities related to the sea (blue).

Citizenship in the 21st century has increasingly assumed new shapes, extending to the most varied themes, uniting citizens from different walks of life and places in the defence of common causes. In the EU Outermost Regions, the unique value of these territories and their rich biodiversity has prompted new “environmental citizenships”, "blue" and "green", bringing together different stakeholders, with a growing focus on the younger generations. This session will discuss relevant initiatives in the OR in the field of species protection, maritime conservation and environmental literacy, with a focus on young people and environmental education. This session is to be seen in the overall context of the green transition set out in the European Green Deal, which calls for citizens to play their part, alongside government policies and regulation; and of the EU strategy for the outermost regions, which seeks to support the shift to a greener and more sustainable economy.

Moderator: Gui Menezes, Director of the Research Center OKEANOS, University of the Azores

Keynote video:

Environmental protection: The New Citizenship, Ricardo Serrão, Minister of the Sea, Portugal (tbc) (3”)

Opening address:

Paula Duarte Gaspar, Head of Unit Outermost regions, DG Regio,EC (3”)

Statements from the EU Outermost Regions (40”)

• GOOD PRACTICE No 1 : Video and presentation “SOS CAGARRO”, seabirds protection campaign- Azores

Speaker: Sofia Garcia, Project manager 

Project website: http://www.azores.gov.pt/gra/dram-soscagarro

• GOOD PRACTICE No 2 : Canary islands, Red PROMAR, network of observers of the marine environment in the Canary Islands

Speaker: Sara Rendal Freire. Territorial and Environmental Management and Planning Agency. Government of the Canary Islands.

Promotional video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FvPOtx6Su8

Project website: http://www.redpromar.com/

• GOOD PRACTICE No 3 : French outermost region, network of Education for the Environment and Sustainable Development. For optimised environmental communication in Mayotte and for Mayotte

Speaker: Houlam Chamssidine, President of Mayotte Nature Environnement (MNE)

Project website: https://mayottenatureenvironnement.com/

Q&A session (30-45’)