The European Commission unveiled a new strategy to boost the European Union’s outermost regions and better connect them with the broader union.
The outermost regions are territories not located on the European continent but administratively part of certain member states: France, Portugal, and Spain. Most of these territories are islands far from the mainland, such as the Azores and the Canary Islands. One region is land-based: French Guiana, which extends the EU’s border deep into South America. Collectively, they have around 5 million inhabitants.
The Commission released a regulatory package with targeted adaptations to EU legislation. Because of their geographical position, some European legislation is harder to adopt or requires tailoring, especially in sectors like agriculture, forestry, fisheries, migration, and taxation. In general, the outermost regions have a special status under EU treaties that recognises their uniqueness and their geographical position.
As part of the new vision for these regions, the EU wants to foster more regional integration with neighbouring countries, deepen cooperation in crucial areas like security and connectivity, and boost regional trade.
To create more employment in those regions, the EU wants to push smart specialisation in sectors where those regions have a competitive advantage, like renewable energy or space programmes – French Guiana already hosts launchpads for most EU-backed satellites. Another focus is preparedness and resilience to natural disasters and climate adaptation, with plans to support energy autonomy.
“Today’s package is about overcoming the challenges created by distance, but above all about seizing the opportunities created by geography,” said Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reform, presenting the measures.
The strategy will be adopted through various EU sectoral policies, while the Council and Parliament review the full package.