Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Councl, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Strategy for the Outermost Regions: Achievements and Future Prospects {SEC(2007) 1112}
Date: 2007-09-12
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU policy, EU programme, economic and social cohesion, peripheral region, regional integration, third country

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 12.9.2007 
COM(2007) 507 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Strategy for the Outermost Regions: Achievements and Future Prospects 

{SEC(2007) 1112} 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

2. 

3. 

3.1. 

3.2. 

3.3. 

3.4. 

4. 

4.1. 

4.2. 

4.3. 

4.4. 

5. 

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3 

Progress to date ............................................................................................................ 4 

The next step: grasping the opportunities of the 2004 strategy ................................... 5 

Reducing the accessibility deficit and the effects of other constraints specific to the 
outermost regions......................................................................................................... 5 

Making the outermost regions more competitive ......................................................... 5 

Strengthening the Wider Neighbourhood Action Plan................................................. 7 

Support instrument for offsetting the effects of handicaps........................................... 9 

Future prospects ......................................................................................................... 10 

The challenge of climate change................................................................................ 10 

The implications of demographic change and migration .......................................... 11 

Agriculture in the outermost regions ......................................................................... 11 

The role of the outermost regions in EU maritime policy.......................................... 12 

Conclusions ................................................................................................................ 13 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Strategy for the Outermost Regions: Achievements and Future Prospects 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

Article 299(2) of the EC Treaty and the two Communications adopted by the Commission in 
20041 stress the need to recognise the special nature of the outermost regions (the "ORs")2 and 
to put in place a genuine European strategy to support them.  

There are three main strands to this strategy: to reduce the accessibility deficit and the effects 
of  the  other  constraints  on  the  OR,  to  make  them  more  competitive,  and  to  strengthen  their 
regional integration. The strategy is founded on an active partnership between the European 
institutions, the Member States and the outermost regions.  

The first assessment after three years of implementation is very encouraging. Many measures 
based  on  a  variety  of  Community  policies  have  been  adopted  and  the  economic  and  social 
situation of the ORs has improved. 

The European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee 
of the Regions approved the strategy and called on the Commission to put it into practice3. To 
this end, the Commission proposes reinforcing the 2004 strategy with new measures able to 
be realised in the short term.  

It also intends to launch a debate on the longer-term future of the strategy, which needs to be 
updated and enhanced in order to address the serious issues the ORs will face in the years to 
come. A consultation will be organised with this in mind, culminating in a Communication in 
which the Commission will launch a new phase in the development of its OR strategy. 

This present Communication: 

–  assesses the implementation of the strategy since 2004, giving a detailed description in the 

attached working document4; 

–  puts forward short-term measures for fully implementing the 2004 strategy; 

1 
2 

3 

4 

COM(2004) 343 ; COM(2004) 543. 
The  ORs  (the  Azores,  Madeira,  the  Canary  Islands  and  the  four  French  overseas  departments)  face 
specific  problems  listed  in  the  Treaty:  remoteness,  insularity,  small  size,  difficult  topography  and 
climate, and economic dependence on a few products. 
European  Parliament  Resolution  of  28  September  2005  on  a  stronger  partnership  for  the  outermost 
regions – A60246/2005 - OJ C 227 E, 21.9.2006, p. 110. 
SEC(2007) 1112. 

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–  launches  a  debate  on  the  long-term  implications,  referring  to  main  themes  which  are 
sensitive  issues  for  the  OR:  climate  change,  demographic  change  and  migration 
management, agriculture, and EU maritime policy. 

2. 

PROGRESS TO DATE  

The past three years have been crucial to the implementation of the European strategy for the 
outermost  regions.  All  of  the  key  instruments  for  the  economic  and  social  development  of 
these regions have been redefined and revised. Examples include: 

–  the revised cohesion policy comprising a special financial allocation to offset the additional 

costs linked to the handicaps defined in Article 299(2) of the Treaty; 

–  specific provisions in favour of the outermost regions in the context of the reform of the 

sugar and banana market organisations;  

–  preferential  treatment  of  the  outermost  regions  regarding  the  new  guidelines  on  national 

regional aid; 

–  a specific initiative in the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological 
Development  (FPRTD)  to  unlock  the  research  potential  in  the  outermost  regions  and  to 
improve their integration into the European Research Space.  

Most  of  the  other  initiatives  recommended  in  the  2004  Communications  have  also  been 
realised5. 

The  many  Community  measures  taken  to  support  the  outermost  regions  reflect  the 
Commission's intention to address the features specific to the ORs when EU policies are put 
into practice. Moreover, the Community intervention in and for these regions shows a cross-
sectoral,  complementary  approach,  thanks  above  all  to  the  concerted  efforts  of  all 
Commission  departments.  Improved  accessibility,  stronger  competitiveness  and  better 
regional  integration  remain  relevant  issues  and  an  appropriate  response  to  the  development 
priorities  of  these  regions.  Lastly,  although  the  strategy  will  help  to  improve  the  socio-
economic  situation  in  the  ORs6,  the  Community  policies  supporting  them  can  be  improved, 
particularly with a view to making Community action more consistent. 

Some of the initiatives put forward in 2004 are  still at the development stage, however, the 
most  obvious  being  the  efforts  to  incorporate  the  ORs  in  the  European  Research  Area,  and 
adapt  Services  of  General  Economic  Interest  (SGEIs)  to  the  needs  of  local  markets.  In 
addition,  it  is  important  to  ensure  that  the  new  possibilities  aiming  to  improve  the 
coordination between the ERDF and EDF are fully exploited in practice. For these reasons the 
strategy must now enter a phase of fruition in which all the opportunities of the 2004 strategy 
are harvested.  

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6 

An  exhaustive  assessment  of  the  2004  strategy  –  legislative  and non-legislative  acts  –  is  given  in  the 
working document attached to this Communication. 
Cf. p. 20 of the working document mentioned above. 

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3. 

THE NEXT STEP: GRASPING THE OPPORTUNITIES OF THE 2004 STRATEGY 

Over and above the measures adopted since 2004, the Commission intends to redouble each 
aspect of the strategy by taking complementary action. 

3.1. 

Reducing the accessibility deficit and the effects of other constraints specific to 
the outermost regions 

The following measures may move us closer to achieving this goal: 

–  exploiting  the  opportunities  offered  by  the  use  of  the  specific  allocation  to  offset  the 

additional costs of transport and new information and communication technologies; 

–  continuing  the  effort  to  fill  the  broadband  gap,  particularly  via  ERDF  operational 

programmes; 

–  exploiting the opportunities offered by implementing the TEN-T, TEN-E and Marco Polo 

II programmes; 

–  assessing the specific needs of the ORs when the POSEI programme implementation report 

is drawn up. 

3.2.  Making the outermost regions more competitive 

Several instruments may strengthen the competitiveness of the ORs: 

Cohesion policy 

The poor competitiveness of the ORs calls for a special effort in the context of the cohesion 
policy.  The  operational  programmes  for  the  2007–2013  period  for  both  the  ERDF  and  the 
ESF, the "Regions for Economic Change"7 initiative, and technical assistance at the initiative 
of  the  Commission8  should  help  to  make  the  ORs  more  competitive  in  terms  of  the  Lisbon 
strategy for growth and employment and the Community Strategic Guidelines. Steps should 
be taken to:  

–  formulate a genuine regional innovation partnership strategy9 to be implemented above all 
by  centres  of  excellence  and  competitiveness,  and  strengthen  research,  technological 
development and telecommunications infrastructures; 

–  help strengthen human capital by reforming education and training systems and exploiting 
human  research  and  innovation  potential.  It  should  be  ensured  that  the  type  of  training 
offered  be  consistent  with  the  actions  planned  in  the  main  domains  distinguished  in  the 
Commission's  strategy  for  the  outermost  regions,  namely  in  the  areas  of  agriculture  and 
environment, renewable energy, transport, telecommunication and tourism; 

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8 
9 

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/cooperation/interregional/ecochange/index_en.cfm 
Article 45 of Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006. 
The  experience  gained  with  the  Regional  Innovation  Strategies,  the  Regional  Information-Society 
Initiatives  (1994–1999)  and  the  Regional  Programmes  of  Innovative  Actions  (PRAI,  2000–2006) 
cofinanced by the ERDF should be exploited here. These programmes enabled six ORs to try out new 
ideas and approaches tailored to their respective situations and designed and implemented in partnership 
with key regional players. 

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–  increase the use of renewable energy sources (biomass including urban waste, geothermal 
energy, wave energy, solar power and wind power) and improve the energy balance of the 
ORs so as to lessen their dependence on outside sources; 

–  include  biodiversity  in  development  project  design,  particularly  via  measures  to  sustain 

habitats and species; 

–  encourage  sustainable  economic  development  by  promoting  measures 

to  protect 
biodiversity  which  is  often  very  high  and  a  major  economic  asset  in  ORs.  This  will  also 
contribute to the EUs declared objective of halting biodiversity decline by 2010; 

–  support modernisation and strengthen the local production base by, for example, setting up 
quality and environmental management systems for SMEs ("eco-innovation"), adapting the 
skills of workers and entrepreneurs, developing entrepreneurship and creating businesses; 

–  foster the competitiveness and sustainability of the tourism industry in particular through 

the support of a sustainable management of destinations; 

–  strengthen  financial-engineering  mechanisms  and  ease  access  to  finance  for  SMEs  and 
micro businesses in these regions, particularly under the Jeremie and Jessica initiatives; 

–  strengthen the role played by cities and towns in order to promote a flexible local economy 
combining  industries,  services,  leisure  and  tourism  via  integrated  urban  programmes  and 
urban initiatives in the ORs, such as those of the "Support for Cities" project URBACT; 

–  ease  access  to  jobs  and  sustainable  inclusion  in  the  labour  market  for  unemployed  and 

inactive people and strengthen the social inclusion of the disadvantaged. 

Framework programmes 

The following Community framework programmes can be used to make OR economies more 
competitive: 

–  the  recognition  of  the  special  nature  of  the  ORs  in  the  specific  programmes  of  the  7th 
FPRTD, particularly the Capacities programme, should be fully exploited and enhanced by 
including the potential of these regions in certain themes of the Cooperation programme, 
such as energy, the natural dangers inherent in climate change, subtropical agriculture or 
fishing, and aquaculture;  

–  the  Framework  Programme  on  Innovation  and  Competitiveness  includes  some  financing 
opportunities  which  are  highly  relevant  to  these  regions  and  ought  to  be  exploited  (eco-
innovation,  use  of  information  technologies,  generalisation  of  renewable  energy  and 
energy efficiency improvement); 

–  the Lifelong Learning Programme10 should stimulate exchange, cooperation and mobility 
between the education and training systems in the Community11 while bearing in mind the 
priorities of the ORs. 

10 

Decision  No  1720/2006/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  15  November  2006 
establishing an action programme in the field of lifelong learning - OJ L 327, 24.11.2006, p. 45. 

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Services of general economic interest 

In  relation  to  the  operation  of  services  of  general  economic  interest  in  these  regions,  the 
Commission  will  continue  to  take  account  of  regional  specificities  as  well  as  of  a  detailed 
analysis of the relevant market. When the costs to provide these services are higher than the 
costs in other regions, their financing must be ensured in line with the provisions laid down in 
the  applicable  State  aid  rules,  which  allow  for  full  compensation  of  all  such  costs.  When 
drawing  up  the  specifications  for  access  to  universal  service,  the  Member  States  concerned 
are encouraged to take account of the special characteristics of these regions, particularly in 
terms of the isolation of the systems and the remoteness and fragmentation of the territory. 

3.3. 

Strengthening the Wider Neighbourhood Action Plan  

Strengthening  the  regional  integration  of  the  ORs  in  their  vicinities  is  an  innovation  of  the 
2004 strategy which has brought noticeable improvements, but it needs to be strengthened by 
involving public and private local players as well as the Member States concerned. Dialogue 
between  the  regions  and  their  neighbouring  countries,  particularly  the  ACP  (Africa, 
Caribbean,  Pacific)  countries  and  the  overseas  countries  and  territories  (OCTs)12  associated 
with the EU is the tool for pushing this process forward. 

There are already some potential measures for pursuing this priority: 

Recognising the special nature of the ORs in Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) 

To help exploit commercial opportunities to the full and intensify regional trade between the 
ACP  countries  and  the  ORs,  the  Commission  is  envisaging  specific  arrangements  to  ensure 
that  the  concerns  of  the  ORs,  as  notified  by  the  Member  States,  are  incorporated  in  EPAs. 
These arrangements will be in line with the EPA negotiation procedures and the WTO rules, 
and will be geared to the specific features of each region.  

They may involve any type of measure likely to accelerate the inclusion of the ORs in trade at 
regional  level,  and  any  needed  to  address  the  vulnerability  of  the  OR  markets  and  some  of 
their  products.  The  Commission  also  wishes  to  highlight  the  fact  that  ACP-OR  commercial 
relations  are  not  restricted  to  trade  in  goods;  they  should  help  to  consolidate  ACP-OR 
relations in all domains included in EPAs. 

Coordination of financial instruments 

On the basis of the dialogue with the ACP and the OCTs under the programme for the 10th 
EDF,  each  partner  is  called  on  to  implement  the  specific  possibilities  and  practicalities  of  a 
concerted EDF and ERDF programming with parallel cofinancing arrangements, with a view 
to cooperation schemes at national and regional level.  

11 

12 

Where the participation of the ORs is concerned, the application of the minimum mobility requirements 
for  access  to  sectoral  subprogrammes  such  as  Comenius  or  Grundvig  is  more  flexible  than  for  other 
regions of the European Union. 
See List of OCTs in Annex II of the EC Treaty. 

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The  Commission  will  examine  the  specific  potential for coordination between the  territorial 
cooperation programmes (ERDF) of French Guiana and the geographical programme "Brazil" 
financed by the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI)13. 

Strengthening sea connections between ORs and neighbouring non-member countries 

When  the  air  transport  guidelines  were  introduced,  the  common  transport  policy  recently 
accepted  the  need  to  include  the  requirements  for  mobility  and  transport  between  ORs  and 
non-member countries and OCTs, so as to reduce their isolation. This opening-up should be 
complemented by a similar approach to maritime transport, authorising State aid for launching 
transport services between these regions and neighbouring non-member countries. 

Joint  participation  by  ORs  and  non-member  countries  in  research  networks  and 
Community framework programmes 

The reinforcement of the RedCLARA research network via the @LIS II14 programme and the 
potential and gradual inclusion of Caribbean countries in this network provide an opportunity 
for  ORs  such  as  Guadeloupe,  French  Guiana  and  Martinique.  It  will  strengthen  the  links 
between  these  regions  and  the  scientific  communities  of  the  neighbouring  OCTs  and  link 
them with continental Europe via the Alice project, taking advantage of a cheaper, high-speed 
link. 

When the Economic Partnership Agreements are negotiated the Commission will encourage 
the  ACP  countries  and  the  outermost  regions  to  engage  in  cooperation  schemes  and  play  a 
joint part in the 7th FPRDT, the Framework Programme on Innovation and Competitiveness, 
and the education and the Lifelong Learning Programme. 

The  ICT  strategic  support  programme  of  the  Framework  Programme  on  Innovation  and 
Competitiveness aims to encourage innovation and competitiveness by stimulating the wider 
and  more  effective  use  of  ICT  by  citizens,  public  authorities  and  the  private  sector, 
particularly  SMEs.  The  ORs  are  encouraged  to make  use  of  financing  to  develop  or  extend 
national, regional or local initiatives in the ICT field. 

Recognising the special nature of the ORs in migration policy 

Certain measures can be contemplated: 

–  coordinating  the  ERDF  territorial  cooperation  programmes  with  the  10th  EDF,  which 

identifies migration as one of its new ACP-EU cooperation priorities; 

–  ensuring  that  the  specific  needs  of  the  ORs  are  met  in  the  "Migration  and  Asylum" 
thematic  programme  of  the  Development  Cooperation  and  Economic  Cooperation 
financing instrument (DCECI)15, particularly in order to assist the efficient management of 
migration to these regions by both combating illegal migration and facilitating workforce 

13 

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15 

Article 18(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 
December  2006  establishing  a  financing  instrument  for  development  cooperation  -  OJ  L  378, 
27.12.2006, p. 41. 
redCLARA network website: www.redclara.net 
Article 18(3) of the IFCD Regulation. 

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mobility, and to help migrants to the ORs to support the sustainable development of their 
countries of origin; 

–  supporting,  particularly  via  the  Integration  Fund16,  the  measures  taken  by  the  Member 
States to channel regular migratory flows and integrate immigrants; facilitating the issue of 
visas in the ORs, particularly for the transit of entrepreneurs or trainees; 

–  with the help of the future European Return Fund, supporting schemes for the repatriation 

and, to some extent, reintegration of persons illegally resident in the ORs; 

–  with  the  help  of  the  External  Border  Fund  and  by  expanding  the  FRONTEX  agency, 
backing  the  use  of  modern  surveillance  technology,  training  for  border  guards  or 
infrastructure construction at border-crossing points, as an immediate response to the most 
pressing problems of border control and surveillance; 

–  consolidating the basis for the action taken in this field by studying the impact of migratory 
phenomena  on  the  economic,  social  and  territorial  cohesion  of  the  ORs.  The  general 
measures applicable to the regions most affected by migration will need to be assessed and 
possible changes suggested. 

3.4. 

Support instrument for offsetting the effects of handicaps 

The  reform  of  the  main  Community  policies  grants  the  ORs,  for  the  2007-2013  period, 
substantial funding to offset the effects of the factors recognised by the Treaty as permanently 
restraining  the  development  of  these  regions,  in  an  approach  more  closely  tailored  to  their 
specific requirements. 

Although  the  development  of  the  ORs  does  not  boil  down  to  the  "additional  costs"  issue 
alone,  one  possible  means  of  improving  the  effectiveness  of  measures  can  be  found  in  the 
guidelines  for  estimating  the  quantifiable  effects  of  specific  handicaps,  still  to  be  finalised. 
Partnership  work  has  continued  on  drawing  up  these  guidelines,  aimed  at  systematising  the 
factors involved in the specific handicaps of the ORs and their effects, thereby improving the 
assessment  of  those  factors.  The  Commission  intends  to  formalise  these  results  which  will 
take the form of guidelines adopted by the College. The guidelines will not be the only basis 
on  which  to  assess  Community  intervention,  however,  since  the  Member  States  may  also 
submit alternative or complementary instruments to the Commission. 

The  implementation  of  these  guidelines  and  of  the  instruments  drawn  up  by  the  Member 
States  will  be  subject  to  the  availability  of  the  data  necessary  for  estimating  the  additional 
costs.  These  data  are  largely  already  available,  but  the  collaboration  of  Member  States  in 
collecting them is still needed. A transitional period for implementing the guidelines and the 
national instruments will be needed in order to acquire the necessary statistical capacity. 

16 

Only ORs in the Schengen area (the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands) may be beneficiaries of 
the  FRONTEX  agency's  funds  for  external  border  management,  return  operations,  integration  and 
technical assistance. 

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4. 

FUTURE PROSPECTS  

The outermost regions are no longer amongst the poorest regions in the enlarged EU, but still 
suffer  from  the  permanent  nature  and  the  cumulative  effects  of  the  factors  restraining  their 
development.  The  effort  to  adapt  the  specific  Community  and  support  policies  whenever 
necessary must therefore continue, but this must be accompanied by suitable instruments such 
as an improved assessment of Community policies. 

The Commission intends to launch an immediate debate with its partners in order to consider 
the future of the European strategy for the outermost regions17. To this end it has identified at 
least four issues with serious implications for the ORs both now and in years to come. These 
issues,  which  cut  across  the  three  aspects  of  the  2004  strategy  and  are  priority  items  on 
Europe's agenda18, have assumed crucial importance for these regions.  

4.1. 

The challenge of climate change 

Combating  climate  change  and  adapting  to  its  effects  are  major  priorities  for  the  ORs, 
considering their geographical locations and their vulnerability. The effects of climate change, 
such as rising sea levels, will threaten agriculture, tourism, water resources, ecosystems and 
biodiversity  in  these  regions.  Extreme  weather  conditions  (hurricanes,  cyclones,  drought, 
floods) are likely to multiply and affect the three aspects of the 2004 strategy:  

–  Accessibility:  the  ORs  depend  exclusively  on  air  transport  for  passengers.  This  directly 
affects the mobility of OR residents compared with the rest of the EU, and the mobility to 
and from the ORs of tourists and agents of socio-economic development.  

–  Competitiveness: the ORs have specific sources of renewable energy. The Azores19 and the 
ongoing  project  on  the  island  of  El  Hierro  in  the  Canaries20  are  examples  of  the 
exploitation of endogenous resources limiting CO2 emissions. 

–  Regional  integration:  some  ORs  have  developed  cooperation  mechanisms  in  their 

geographical areas with a view to monitoring natural risks and limiting their effects.  

The Commission invites its partners to discuss the following questions: 

What measures are needed to prevent the aim of reducing emissions from adversely affecting 
the accessibility, economy and citizens of the ORs? What criteria should be included to ensure 
that this concern is reflected in an ex-ante impact assessment?  

How  can  we  best  exploit  the  new  opportunities  that  the  fight  against  climate  change  offers 
ORs by virtue of their natural assets (geothermal energy, biomass, biodiversity etc.) in order 
to  improve  their  energy  balance  and  strengthen  their  competitiveness,  e.g.  by  renewable-
energy development and research? 

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19 
20 

Without prejudging the result of the EU budget revision. 
European  Council  conclusions  of  8  and  9  March  2007;  Commission  Communication  on  the  Annual 
Policy Strategy for 2008 - COM(2007) 65. 
On the Azores, 35% of local energy consumption is covered by renewable energy sources. 
The  "El  Hierro  Renewable"  project  aims  at  achieving  energy  self-sufficiency  for  the  island  through 
renewable energy. 

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How  do  we  achieve  progress  towards  energy  self-sufficiency  by  exploiting  energy-saving 
potential  to  the  maximum?  What  sectors  other  than  building  and  transport  are  primarily 
concerned?  

What  new  tools  can  be  developed  to  improve  natural-risk  prevention  systems  through 
cooperation with neighbouring non-Member countries and OCTs? 

4.2. 

The implications of demographic change and migration 

The  populations  of  most  of  the  outermost  regions  have  seen  significant  changes  in  both 
natural demographic trends and migratory flows which stimulate and threaten their economic 
and social growth in equal measure. This process has implications for land-use planning, the 
labour market, education and training needs, and public services. 

The demographic growth rate of the French overseas departments is the highest in the EU. 

In the Canary Islands, the rise in numbers of illegal migrants arriving by sea21 is increased by 
the problem of illegal immigration of unaccompanied minors. 

The  ORs  are  not  a  homogeneous  category  in  terms  of  migration  policy:  they  have  different 
legal  statuses  vis-à-vis  the  Schengen  area  and  are  affected  to  different  extents  by  the 
migration  phenomenon.  Moreover,  migration  policy  is  still  partly  within  the  competence  of 
the Member States, particularly where admission is concerned, with the EU coordinating and 
monitoring the action taken at national level. 

Nevertheless, given the serious implications of migration for the ORs, the Commission wishes 
to discuss this matter with its partners in greater detail, focusing on the following questions: 

How  can  we  best  meet  the  major  challenges  brought  by  heavy  demographic  pressure  and 
ever-increasing emigration to the mainland? 

How  can  we  strengthen  measures  to  enhance  the  integration  of  legal  migrants  in  these 
territories both at the Community as well as at the national level? 

What  measures  can  be  taken  to  tackle  the  root  causes  of  migration  to  the  ORs  due  to  their 
geographical locations in an underdeveloped regional environment?  

Is  the  promotion  of  legal/circular  migration  the  best  way  of  reconciling  migration  control 
measures with the economic and social development of the countries of origin? 

4.3. 

Agriculture in the outermost regions  

Agriculture  is  a  key  factor  in  the  economy  of  the  ORs,  which  are  handicapped  by 
geographical and climatic disadvantages. Agricultural production and the supply of food will 
remain  essential  for  the  economic  sustainability  of  these  regions,  which  can  be  further 
enhanced by the European rural development policy. 

21 

The Spanish government recorded 4 751 arrivals by sea of illegal migrants in the Canaries in 2005, and 
31 245 in 2006. 

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Community  support  to  the  various  agricultural  sectors,  in  particular  after  the  inclusion  of 
support to the banana sector in 2006, has now been fully integrated into the POSEI scheme. 
This  integration  permits  a  more  coherent  approach  to  the  future  development  of  the 
agricultural sector in these regions. An evaluation of the impact of these reforms on POSEI 
will take place in 2009 at the latest. 

4.4. 

The role of the outermost regions in EU maritime policy 

The special geographical positions of the outermost regions in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans 
and  the  Caribbean  Sea  give  Europe  a  global  maritime  dimension  and  the  ORs  an  important 
role to play in future EU maritime policy. The ORs played an active role in the consultation 
on  the  future  maritime  policy  of  the  European  Union  launched  by  the  Commission  in  June 
200622  and,  under  the  RUPMER  cooperation  project,  supported  by  the  INTERREG  IIIC 
programme,  submitted  a  joint  contribution  to  the  Green  Paper  "Towards  a  future  Maritime 
Policy for the Union". This consultation process will culminate in a new EU maritime policy 
and an action plan addressing inter alia the special features of the ORs. 

The  ORs  play  an  important  role  in  the  EU  maritime  area  and  give  the  EU  its  global 
dimension. Their existence depends upon their relationship with the sea: the variety of their 
maritime economic activities, the incomparable wealth of their natural marine resources, but 
also their vulnerability to climate change and extreme phenomena in marine areas. The size of 
their  exclusive  economic  areas  is  equivalent  to  that  of  the  Mediterranean  and  Baltic  Seas 
combined,  it  allows  them  to  provide  important  ecosystem  services  and  turns  their  Member 
States into world leaders in terms of sea area. This also heightens the EU's responsibility for 
protecting maritime resources.  

In  some  ORs  the  sustainable  use  of  their  marine  resources  will  depend  upon  a  closer 
cooperation  with  their  neighbour  countries.  Both  the  strategy  for  the  ORs  and  the  new  EU 
maritime  policy  should  promote  the  development  of  cooperation  mechanisms  with  those 
countries. The NET-BIOME project for networking the regional research policies of the ORs 
and  the  OCTs  in  tropical  biodiversity,  particularly  marine  biodiversity,  demonstrates  the 
ability of the ORs to create a research network in a domain specific to them and with potential 
for exploiting their assets. In fact, cooperation in the field of science and marine research is of 
considerable importance for the ORs and will be contribute for these regions to be able to face 
the challenges of climate change and their oceans' sustainability. 

The Commission invites its partners to discuss the following questions: 

How can we promote governance tools in the various sea basins (the Caribbean, the south-east 
Indian Ocean, Macaronesia)?  Would a conference per basin bringing together the interested 
parties  to  formulate  a  coordinated  approach  to  the  issues  in  question  be  a  step  in  the  right 
direction? 

How  can  we  support  the  specialisation  of  the  ORs  in  certain  RTD  segments  such  as  blue 
technologies, e.g. by improving information and communications in this domain? 

How  can  we  exploit  the  economic  activities  linked  to  their  maritime  environment,  such  as 
fishing, aquaculture, transport, sustainable tourism and renewable energy? 

22 

Green Paper "Towards a future maritime policy for the Union: A European vision for the oceans and the 
seas" - COM(2006) 275. 

EN 

12 

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How  can  we  keep  up  the  fight  against  illegal  fishing,  continue  ocean  surveillance  and  risk 
management, enhance maritime safety and preserve the marine environment? 

How  can  the  ORs,  based  on  their  maritime  potential,  contribute  to  Europe's  sustainable 
development as a whole, through the new maritime policy? 

How can we ensure sustainable coastal zone management in Outermost Regions?23 

5. 

CONCLUSIONS 

By  taking  action  to  maintain  and  develop  the  strategy  for  the  outermost  regions,  the 
Commission has  fulfilled  its obligations in  all fields of Community intervention, combining 
financial support with the adoption of specific measures. The strategy has exploited not only 
the partnership with the three Member States and the seven ORs, but also the guidelines set 
out by the other European institutions. 

While giving a positive assessment of the first implementation phase of the OR strategy, the 
Communication  stresses  the  need  to  intensify  the  aspects  of  the  2004  strategy  by  adopting 
additional  measures  for  the  2007-2013  period.  It  also  constitutes  the  ideal  basis  for 
considering  the  future  of  the  OR  strategy,  focusing  on  climate  change,  migration 
management,  agriculture  and  EU  maritime  policy,  which  have  far-reaching  implications  for 
the socio-economic development of these regions. 

This  Communication  launches  a  debate  with  the  European  Institutions,  the  Member  States 
and, within the outermost regions, the regional and local authorities, socio-economic players, 
the research sector and academic circles. It is suggested that the consultation phase will last 
until March 2008. During  this  period the  Commission will organise, in partnership  with  the 
regions  and  Member  States  concerned,  seminars  and  workshops  to  discuss  the  following 
questions: 

•  To what extent can the 2004 strategy be adapted to the new challenges facing the ORs? 

•  What would be the most appropriate ways to tackle the major demographic differences and 

migratory flows between the ORs and neighbouring regions or countries? 

•  Is climate change a special challenge to the ORs? 

•  What actions can the ORs pursue, under European maritime policy, in order to both benefit 

from it and to be able to contribute to Europe's sustainable development? 

After the closure of the public consultation the Commission will prepare its proposal on the 
future  of  the  partnership  with  the  outermost  regions.  It  will  launch  a  new  phase  in  the 
development of the European strategy for the outermost regions. 

23 

European  Parliament  and  Council  Recommendation  concerning  the  implementation  of  Integrated 
Coastal  Zone  Management  of  30  May  2002  -  OJ  L  148,  6.6.2002,  p.  24;  ii)  Commission 
Communication  -  Report  to  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council:  an  evaluation  of  Integrated 
Coastal Zone Management in Europe - COM(2007) 308, 7.6.2007. 

EN 

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