A4-0128/97

Resolution on development problems in the outermost regions of the European Union

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Treaty on European Union, in particular Article B thereof, and to the EC Treaty, in particular Articles 130a and 130b thereof,

- having regard to Declaration No 26 annexed to the Final Act of the Treaty on European Union on the outermost regions of the Community,

- having regard to its resolution of 29 June 1995 ((OJ C 183, 17.7.1995, p. 39.)) on the Commission document 'Europe 2000+, Cooperation for European territorial development', which called for the outermost regions to be given special legal status within the Union,

- having regard to its resolution of 13 March 1996 embodying (i) its opinion on the convening of the Intergovernmental Conference, and (ii) an evaluation of the work of the Reflection Group and a definition of the political priorities of the European Parliament with a view to the Intergovernmental Conference ((OJ C 96, 1.4.1996, p. 77.)) supporting the inclusion in the Treaty of provision for different, specific treatment for extremely remote regions,

- having regard to the final declaration of the European Parliament/Regional and Local Authorities of the European Union Conference, which includes a request to include in the Treaty a provision recognizing and regulating a specific, permanent status for the outermost regions of the Union,

- having regard to the conclusions of the Reflection Group which had been instructed to prepare the technical work of the Intergovernmental Conference to reform the Treaty, submitted to the Madrid European Council of 15 and 16 December 1995, paragraph 142 of which mentions the position taken by some Member States in favour of the inclusion in the Treaty of a provision on specific treatment for the outermost regions,

- having regard to the agenda for the Intergovernmental Conference presented at its inaugural meeting in Turin in March 1996, which included the question of granting the outermost regions specific treatment within the Treaty,

- having regard to the document submitted by the Council Presidency to the Dublin European Council on a general outline for a draft revision of the Treaties, which includes the proposal by three Member States that an article of the Treaty be devoted to the outermost regions,

- having regard to the conclusions of the Dublin European Council of 13 and 14 December 1996, which noted the above proposal and forwarded it to the Intergovernmental Conference for further study,

- having regard to the text of the joint proposal submitted to the Intergovernmental Conference by the Spanish, French and Portuguese Governments on a new article of the Treaty and a protocol annexed thereto on the subject of the outermost regions,

- having regard to the declaration of the outermost regions meeting in Strasbourg on 16 March 1995, in which their Presidents expressed their resolve to establish closer cooperation links between them, a resolve which was confirmed by the protocol signed in Point-à-Pitre on 29 March 1995,

- having regard to the declaration of the Presidents of the outermost regions meeting in Funchal on 14 March 1996 who, with a view to the convening of the Intergovernmental Conference in Turin, reaffirmed their call for account to be taken of the specific features of their regions through the inclusion in the Treaty of the concept of extreme remoteness defined in Declaration No 26,

- having regard to Article 8 of the Framework Regulation on the Structural Funds (Council Regulation (EEC) No 2081/93 ((OJ L 193, 31.7.1993, p. 5.))), which specifically lists the French overseas departments, the Azores, the Canary Islands and Madeira under Objective 1,

- having regard to the motion by the following Members: Sánchez García, Mendonça, Vieira, Costa Neves, Sierra González and Fernández Martín (B4-0721/96),

- having regard to the 1992-1993 report on the progress achieved in implementing Poseima (COM(94)0476 - C4-0293/95),

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Regional Policy and the opinions of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, the Committee on Fisheries and the Committee on Institutional Affairs (A4-0128/97),

A. whereas the outermost regions - Azores, Canary Islands, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Madeira, Martinique and Réunion - are fully part of the European Union and contribute to its economic, social and cultural influence in the geographical regions to which they belong,

B. whereas, likewise, the specific features of these regions, which are characterized by major structural backwardness compounded by several phenomena, the permanence and combination of which severely restrain their economic and social development, justify specific treatment within the Union and appropriate adjustments as regards the application of the various Community policies,

C. whereas a consolidated autonomous authority with wide political powers will help make measures designed to develop their economy more effective in the outermost regions,

D. whereas the concept of extreme remoteness refers both to the recognition of the specific structural features of certain regions of the Union and the response which should be given to such specific features in Community policies so that these regions can be suitably integrated into the European area on equal terms, while fully respecting their own characteristics,

E. whereas the concept of extreme remoteness has acquired legitimacy within the Union over time through its recognition in secondary legislation, although there is still a need for it to be recognized in the Treaty through a provision which would provide a legal basis for the differentiated treatment of these regions,

F. whereas the specific character of the French overseas departments has already been recognized in Article 227 of the EC Treaty, and that of the of the Canary Islands, the Azores and Madeira in the Acts of Accession of Spain and Portugal,

G. whereas the Poseima programmes represented an initial response to the need to adapt Community policies to the particular situations of the outermost regions with a view to the completion of the single market, thanks to the combined effects of adapting Community policies and the Structural Funds,

H. whereas Declaration No 26 enshrined the concept of extreme remoteness and strengthened its legal significance but has no value as a legal basis for legislation in this field,

I. whereas from a geographical point of view the outermost regions are characterized by remoteness from continental Europe, by hilly countryside and by exposure to natural hazards such as volcanoes and cyclones, and whereas they all face highly specific environmental problems, mainly stemming from the island nature of most of these regions and the unusual nature of their ecosystems, and aggravated by the difficulties in applying environmental protection measures designed for continental areas,

J. whereas from the economic point of view these remote and isolated regions share a GDP far below the Community average, a very high rate of unemployment which reaches 30% of the active population for the seven regions as a whole and serious shortcomings as regards the levels of training and qualifications to be found in the workforce,

K. whereas remoteness from the European continent and the lack of local or close sources of supply mean that the cost of products, particularly the most basic products, is exorbitant due to transport needs, and whereas this seriously hinders the integration of these areas into the internal market on equal terms with the remaining European regions,

L. whereas their small size rarely makes it possible for large-scale economic projects to be undertaken and makes it difficult to take advantage of economies of scale, and whereas, in some cases, this situation is aggravated by the characteristically scattered nature of the archipelagoes and, in other cases, by the fact that their geographical, economic and cultural circumstances differ from their national and European context,

M. whereas the permanence of the specific features of these regions makes it advisable that the outermost regions should continue to benefit from priority interventions under the Structural Funds beyond 1999,

N. whereas, from the agricultural point of view, the outermost regions frequently depend on one or a few products which face disadvantages in competing with the rest of the European Union and non-Union countries,

O. whereas Community banana producers in the outermost regions face a situation of legal uncertainty and lack of protection as a result of the recent decision of the panel of the World Trade Organization on the common organization of the market,

P. whereas the permanent difficulties facing these regions have traditionally given rise to special tax treatment on the part of the respective States,

Q. whereas the outermost regions also have considerable assets in demographic terms, in terms of their proximity to emerging markets, biodiversity and general quality of life of which the best use should be made,

1. Takes the view that the recognition in the Treaty of the concept of extreme remoteness as the basis for differentiated treatment for such regions in the application of secondary legislation and the various Union policies is an expression of the principle of economic and social cohesion, a principle which has been elevated to the status of a key objective of the Union under Article B of the EU Treaty and which, under Article 130b of the EC Treaty, must be taken into account in 'the formulation and implementation of the Community's policies and actions and the implementation of the internal market';

2. Calls on the Intergovernmental Conference reviewing the Treaty to include in the Treaty a specific Article on the outermost regions, containing the following provisions:

(a) the provisions of the Treaty establishing the European Community and those of secondary legislation shall apply to the outermost regions (French overseas departments, Azores, Madeira and Canaries),

(b) nevertheless, bearing in mind the structural economic and social backwardness of those regions, compounded by phenomena (such as remoteness, island status, small size, difficult climate and topography and economic dependence on a few products), the permanence and combination of which severely restrain their development, the Council and the European Parliament, on a proposal from the Commission, shall determine the conditions under which the provisions of the Treaty are to apply and the specific conditions for implementing common policies and other specific measures in favour of these regions,

(c) the institutions of the Community shall, within the framework of the procedures provided for in the Treaty, take care that the economic and social development of these regions is made possible, so as to ensure that dependence on one crop can be overcome;

3. Considers it necessary, further, to annex to the Treaty a protocol which should:

(a) confirm that the new Treaty Article is to establish the legal basis for determining the special conditions for its application in the outermost regions (French overseas departments, Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands) and for the adoption of specific measures in secondary legislation,

(b) acknowledge that these regions suffer from major socio-economic difficulties of a structural nature, compounded by various specific disadvantages (remoteness, island status, intra-archipelago transport problems, small size, difficult topography and climate, economic dependence on certain products, higher cost of energy), the permanence and combination of which severely restrain their development, and that these specific difficulties justify increased European Union support in the form of specific measures,

(c) establish that, in addition to the interventions under the Structural Funds and other financial instruments, such support should take the form of adapting common policies to the regional reality,

(d) include an undertaking by the Member States to intensify and strengthen the actions already put in place within the framework of the Poseima programmes,

(e) specify that the provisions of the new Treaty Article shall refer in particular to the following areas, which are decisive for the economic development of said regions:

- customs and commercial policy, in particular within the framework of free zones,

- fiscal policy, with the aim of ensuring that the means are available for harmonious and homogeneous development based on local productions and the promotion of investment in these regions,

- environmental protection policy, in particular by means of preserving, enhancing and repairing the coastline, treating waste water, implementing a policy on waste and providing incentives for renewable energies,

- agricultural and fisheries policies, with the aim of supporting production and promoting efforts towards modernization and diversification in the context of sustainable development and preventing the destabilization of small-scale production as a result of pressures from multinationals,

- the supply of essential raw materials and consumer goods, taking account of their extreme remoteness,

(f) recognize the need to take account of the particular features of each of the regions with regard to arrangements governing state aid, in particular to make it possible to offset the excess costs incurred in the transport of persons and goods and promoting business activities,

(g) reflect the commitment to make provision for adequate access conditions, bearing in mind the characteristics of these regions, for all horizontal Community programmes, in particular in the areas of the information society, energy, the environment, vocational training, tourism, business policy actions, particularly as regards access to funding, and research policy actions and development;

4. Considers it necessary that the Commission's services should continue to have a single coordinating structure for the outermost regions, whose role should be strengthened;

5. Considers it necessary that the Commission, in partnership with the regional and local authorities and with social organizations, should draw up a communication identifying those sectors and business areas with potential in producing for outside markets and measures to adapt and convert production and training in line with the opportunities and demands of those markets;

6. Asks that, when the Structural Funds and the corresponding regulations are revised, the outermost regions, on the grounds of their status as such, should continue to benefit from priority interventions under the Structural Funds;

7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Intergovernmental Conference, the Council, the Commission, the parliaments of the Member States and the outermost regions.