REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the implementation of the Communication "Putting people first, securing sustainable and inclusive growth, unlocking the potential of the EU's Outermost Regions"
Date: 2024-10-03
Institutions: Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission
Subjects: Azores, Canary Islands, European territorial cooperation, French overseas department and region, Madeira, peripheral region, regional aid, regional development, sustainable development

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 3.10.2024  COM(2024) 435 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the implementation of the Communication "Putting people first, securing sustainable and inclusive growth, unlocking the potential of the EU's Outermost Regions"  {SWD(2024) 227 final}  
 
 
INTRODUCTION 

Five million EU citizens live in the outermost regions, the most remote parts of the European 
Union: French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion and Saint-Martin (France), 
the Azores and Madeira (Portugal), and the Canary Islands (Spain). These nine regions are an 
integral part of the EU, located in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the Caribbean basin, and 
South America. 

The  outermost  regions  represent  unique  assets, which  benefit  the  EU  as  a  whole:  strategic 
location  near  third  countries;  exceptional  geographical  characteristics  for  space  and 
astrophysics activities; renewable energy sources; rich biodiversity; and vast maritime zones. 
At  the  same  time,  these  regions  face  permanent  constraints,  such  as  extreme  remoteness, 
insularity,  small  size,  vulnerability  to  climate  change,  and  economic  dependence  on  a  few 
sectors.  In  this  context,  the  Treaty  on  the  Functioning  of  the  EU  (Article 349)  provides  for 
specific measures to support the outermost regions, including adapted EU law, policies and 
programmes. In this spirit, since 2004, the Commission has adopted dedicated strategies for 
these regions. 

Since 2019, the Commission has addressed the outermost regions’ specificities in around a 
hundred EU policies, legislative acts and programmes. In 2022, the Commission adopted a 
Communication Putting people first, securing sustainable and inclusive growth, unlocking 
potential in the outermost regions1, with a broader scope and higher ambition than previous 
strategies. This Communication puts forward close to 80 specific tailored actions to support 
the outermost regions. Furthermore, it presents recommendations to the regional and national 
administrations, which play a primary role in their development. 

Cohesion  policy  funds  play  a  key  role  in  supporting  the  outermost  regions.  Under  the 
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)2, the Cohesion Fund3 and the European 
Social Fund Plus (ESF+)4, these regions benefit from the highest co-financing rates, a specific 
additional  allocation  and  exceptions  for  investments,  such  as  those  for  ports,  airports  and 
the  Commission 
treatment  of  residual  waste.  Under 
increase  over  the 
earmarked EUR 16 billion  for 
EUR 13 billion of 2014-2020 – under the cohesion, agriculture and fisheries policy funds. 

the  outermost  regions  –  a  major 

the  2021-2027  EU  budget, 

However,  major  challenges  persist  in  terms  of  living  conditions,  opportunities  and 
development in the outermost regions. As highlighted in the Ninth Cohesion Report5, most 
of  these  regions  still  suffer  from  low  GDP  per  capita6  (below  75%  of  the  EU  average), 
economic  disparities,  higher  unemployment  (particularly  for  young  people),  and  lower 
educational  attainment.  In  particular  Mayotte,  which  became  the  latest  outermost  region  in 
2014, is the EU’s poorest region. Most of these regions also face demographic challenges, such 
as an ageing population and an outflow of young people. This is why the main focus of the 
2022 Communication is to “put people first”. 

Implementation of the 2022 Communication is progressing steadily, delivering on many 
of the Commission’s commitments. The importance of its full implementation was stressed 

1  COM(2022) 198 final. 
2   The ERDF allocation  in 2014-2020 for the outermost regions was  EUR 4.7 billion (without REACT-EU amounts); the 

ERDF allocation in 2021-2027 is EUR 5.3 billion. 

3   In the case of the Azores and Madeira; the total Cohesion Fund allocation in 2014-2020 was EUR 462 million; in 2021-

2027 it is EUR 396 million. 

4   The ESF allocation in 2014-2020 for the outermost regions was close to EUR 2.1 billion (including the Youth Employment 

Initiative and without REACT-EU amounts); the ESF+ allocation in 2021-2027 is EUR 2.4 billion. 

5   COM(2024) 149 final. 
6   GDP measured in purchasing power standards per inhabitant as a percentage of the EU average in 2022 remains particularly 
low  in  outermost  regions.  It  ranged  from  30%  in  Mayotte  and  40%  in  French  Guiana  to  64%  in  Réunion,  66%  in 
Guadeloupe, 68% in the Canary Islands, 70% in Martinique, 71% in the Azores and 79% in Madeira (no available data for 
Saint-Martin) (Source: Eurostat). 

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by  the  European  Parliament  (2023  Resolution  on  the  Communication)7,  the  Council  (2022 
Conclusions on the outermost regions)8 and the Committee of the Regions (2023 Opinion)9. 

This report takes stock of the significant progress made by the Commission in implementing 
the 2022 Communication under many EU policies, funds, programmes and tools, with around 
two-thirds of the actions implemented or ongoing. This report also highlights the initiatives 
undertaken  by  the  outermost  regions  and  their  respective  Member  States  along  the 
recommendations  made  to  them  in  the  Communication.  The  staff  working  document 
accompanying  this  report  focuses  on  the  key  support  of  cohesion  policy  in  the  outermost 
regions, putting the accent on selected sectors where the needs are the greatest and the impact 
most significant. 

RECOVERY 

The COVID-19 crisis had a major impact in the outermost regions, in particular on transport, 
tourism,  education,  training  and  jobs,  and  access  to  services10.  In  addition,  the  outermost 
regions are  exposed to higher energy prices  as  a  result of the Russian invasion  of  Ukraine. 
These regions are struggling to recover, although to a lesser extent in the Azores, Madeira and 
the Canary Islands.  

Cohesion  policy  funds  played  a  key  role  in  the  recovery  of  these  regions  and  continue  to 
support their development. During the COVID-19 crisis, the outermost regions benefited from 
an  additional  EUR 2 billion,  under  cohesion  policy,  from  the  Recovery  Assistance  for 
Cohesion  and  the  Territories  of  Europe  (REACT-EU)11.  The  Recovery  and  Resilience 
Facility (RRF) supported public investments and reforms to build stronger and more resilient 
economies in these regions. Other EU funds are also contributing to their recovery, such as the 
common agricultural policy and the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund 
(EMFAF). 

The  Commission  proposed  a  single  market  emergency  instrument  addressing  the  outermost 
regions’ vulnerability to shortages of crisis-relevant goods and services. Under the Internal 
Market Emergency and Resilience Act12, the Commission can recommend to Member States 
the distribution of crisis-relevant goods and services to areas particularly affected by supply 
chain disruptions, including the outermost regions. 

1.  SUSTAINABLE AND INCLUSIVE RECOVERY AND GROWTH 

1.1. PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST: FAIR AND EQUITABLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL 

Addressing poverty, and fostering equality and inclusion 

Most  outermost  regions  suffer  from  low  GDP  per  capita,  low  labour  productivity  and 
innovation performance, and higher rates of unemployment, poverty and early school-leaving 
when compared with the averages of their Member States and the EU. These challenges were 
consistently highlighted in the country reports published in the spring package of the European 
Semester13. 

To help reduce poverty and social inequalities, the Commission supports the outermost regions 
in implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights, in particular through cohesion policy 

7   C(2024) 480 final. 
8   Council conclusions (21 June 2022) 10513/22. 
9   COTER-VII/23, 153rd plenary session, 8-9 February 2023. 
10  The  GDP  per  capita  of  the  outermost  regions  fell  by  3.8%  between  2019  and  2021  (source:  Ninth  Cohesion  Report, 

calculations based on Eurostat’s data). 

11  The total REACT-EU allocated to the ERDF and the ESF 2021-2022 was EUR 2 billion. 
12  Following the political agreement in February 2024 (the final adoption is due in late 2024). 
13  Also in the staff working document Regional Trends for Growth and Convergence in the EU, SWD(2023) 173 final. 

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funds and the RRF. In some of these regions, the ESF+ supports services for active ageing, 
disease prevention, support for children and young people at risk of social exclusion (Madeira, 
Mayotte, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion), long-term care (Azores), and the 
fight against energy poverty (Canary Islands)14.  

The Commission is further supporting the outermost regions’ participation in the European 
Social Economy Regions initiative. In 2023, the overseas section of the French chamber for 
social  and  solidarity  economy  (ESS  France  Outre-mer)  and  the  Canary  Islands  joined  this 
network.  In  addition,  Mayotte,  French  Guiana,  Réunion  and  Saint-Martin  are  dedicating 
cohesion policy funds to develop the social economy (e.g. business creation and training linked 
to the social economy). 

The Commission is also monitoring measures to reduce poverty, improve integration and 
equality, and prevent violence against women in these regions. As recommended in the 2022 
Communication, Member States and outermost regions have adopted initiatives. These include 
the French  poverty reduction strategy  for 2021-2030  with  measures  targeting the  outermost 
regions,  the  disability  strategies  and  equality  plans  of  the  Azores  and  Madeira,  and  the 
accessibility  approach  implemented  in  San  Cristóbal  de  la  Laguna  (Canary  Islands),  which 
received the Commission’s Access City Award in 2024. 

Furthermore, the Commission is monitoring the outermost regions’ dimension of the relevant 
national action plans implementing the European Child Guarantee. France and Portugal’s 
action  plans  include  measures  for  children’s  well-being  and  equal  opportunities  in  these 
regions. Spain is collaborating with UNICEF to pilot the Guarantee in the Canary Islands. 

Access to adequate housing, water, internet and affordable transport and energy 

The  Commission  supports  the  outermost  regions  and  their  Member  States  in  achieving 
synergies between national and EU funds to improve living conditions in the outermost regions, 
as most of them still need to bridge the gap in access to basic needs.  

In  2024,  the  Commission  published  an  independent  study  on  people’s  access  to  housing, 
drinking water and sanitation, electricity, and internet and telephone connections in the 
outermost regions15. Despite the progress made, including through ERDF investments (2014-
2020) and planned support (2021-2027), it concludes that there are still major needs, especially 
in some French outermost regions. 

The study recommends investing further in social housing to provide everyone with decent 
lodgings in a context of high prices and demographic pressure. To address this issue, the Azores 
and Madeira dedicate ERDF and ESF+ support to rehabilitation of existing social housing stock 
and  to  address  material  deprivation.  The  RRF  also  supports  efforts  to  address  housing 
shortages,  e.g.  social  housing  for  disadvantaged  families  in  Madeira,  and  in  Le  Tampon  in 
Réunion for sustainable housing. 

The study on living conditions recommends dedicating additional resources to infrastructure to 
improve access to drinking water in the French outermost regions, and to invest in storage 
and technical solutions for reusing water. In Mayotte, which suffered a severe water crisis in 
2023, the ERDF will more than double water infrastructure investments from EUR 20 million 
in  2014-2020  to  EUR 47.5 million  in  2021-2027.  Moreover,  the  French  Plan  Eau  DOM 
supports the French outermost regions in improving wastewater services and access to drinking 
water. 

While the outermost regions are showing a clear upward trend in terms of internet connection, 
thanks in particular to ERDF support, most of them are faced with lower internet connection 

14  Energy Poverty Advisory Hub. 
15  ISBN 978-92-68-11899-3. 

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speeds than their mainland and a lack of connection infrastructure in rural areas. Their specific 
additional  allocation  under  the  ERDF  supports  the costs  of  public  service  obligations  in 
transport, strengthening the links between rural and urban areas and between the islands. 

All the outermost regions face challenges arising from the energy crisis, compounded by their 
intrinsic vulnerabilities. In addition, in some regions, the average household income has risen 
less  quickly  than  energy  prices.  The  Supporting  Affordable  Energy  measures  (SAFE) 
amendment under the REPowerEU Regulation introduced flexibility in cohesion policy rules 
to  support  vulnerable  households  in  addressing  energy  poverty.  The  French  recovery  and 
resilience plan (RRP) finances 70% of the initiative MaPrimeRenov to boost energy efficiency 
of private housing including in the outermost regions. 

Access to healthcare 

The Commission complements Member States’ efforts to render health systems more resilient 
and accessible and to reduce inequalities, including in the outermost regions which were hit 
particularly hard by the COVID-19 crisis16.  

Outermost regions commit cohesion and RRF funds to strengthen their health systems, e.g. to 
extend the network of long-term care infrastructures and services (Madeira) or to develop a 
telemedicine platform for monitoring chronic wounds (Saint-Martin). Guadeloupe hosts one 
member within EuroBloodNet, one of the European Reference Networks for rare and complex 
diseases, working on haematological diseases. Some outermost regions and their neighbouring 
countries are developing Interreg17 projects on prevention and treatment of diseases, such as 
the CUREMA project in the Amazonia basin and the MACbioIDi2 project in Macaronesia.  

In 2023, the Commission fostered discussions between the outermost regions’ health services 
and  the  national  health  authorities  of  France,  Portugal  and  Spain  to  facilitate  the  outermost 
regions’ participation and reflect their needs in the EU4Health programme. It also encouraged 
regional stakeholders to  take part in public  consultations18 via the Health Policy Platform. 
The EU4Health  2023 and 2024  work programmes address  the outermost  regions’  specific 
needs e.g. wastewater surveillance capacity and developing stockpiling strategies. 

Moreover, the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority aims to ensure the 
availability of medical countermeasures in pandemic preparedness across the EU, including in 
the outermost regions, which are exposed to cross-border health threats. 

Youth opportunities: education, training, employment support and entrepreneurship 

Young  people  of  outermost  regions  face  additional  challenges  in  education,  training  and 
finding jobs, compared with continental Europe. In particular, the outermost regions present 
some of the lowest youth employment rates in the EU and high levels of young people not in 
employment, education or training (NEET)19.  

To address these issues, the Commission has taken several actions. In particular, in 2023, it 
created a EUR 1 million grant scheme under the ERDF to support small-scale projects led by 
young people or youth organisations in the outermost regions to become active players in 
their local communities and focusing on promoting equality and inclusion. Of the nearly 200 
applications received by the Commission under this scheme, around 70 actions are expected to 
run from September 2024 to June 2025. 

16  For example, between 2019 and 2020, GDP dropped by 11% in the Canary Islands and by 7% in Madeira, compared to a 

decrease of 7% in Spain and 3% in Portugal. 

17  European territorial cooperation goal (Interreg) supported by the ERDF and external financing instruments. 
18  The Conference of Presidents of Outermost Regions contributed to the 2024 EU4Health work programme consultation. 
19  As highlighted in the Commission’s proposal for the 2024 joint employment report - COM(2023) 904 final. 

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Following a Commission proposal to address challenges in education, such as early school-
leaving, the Council adopted in 2022 a Recommendation on Pathways to School Success20, 
which stressed  the  importance  of  developing  policies  tailored  to  the  needs  of  the  outermost 
regions.  The  ESF+  supports  the  fight  against  early  school-leaving  through  counselling  and 
academic support initiatives. 
In the Erasmus+ work programmes for 2023 and 202421, the Commission included a special 
focus on young people in remote or outermost regions, providing higher financial support to 
participants from these regions22. A similar approach is applied with the European Solidarity 
Corps. The outermost regions are also involved in Erasmus+ flagship initiatives23. In 2023, 
under the DiscoverEU inclusion action, the Commission awarded grants to 11 organisations 
from these regions, allowing more than 180 young people to travel across Europe.  
The Decision on a European Year of Skills24, which was built among others on the Pact for 
Skills25, highlights limitations in access to the labour market and upskilling opportunities 
in  these  regions.  The  outermost  regions  dedicate  ESF+  funds  to  training  (e.g.  courses  in 
internationalisation for graduates in the Canary Islands and traineeships in Madeira’s Artificial 
Intelligence  Centre)  and  to  promote  entrepreneurship  for  youth  employment.  The  French 
overseas agency for mobility supports international training mobility in the outermost regions.  

The  Talent  Booster  Mechanism,  under  the  Communication  on  Harnessing  talent  in 
Europe’s regions26, can help outermost regions to address low tertiary education and outward 
migration  of  their  skilled  young  people.  One  of  the  working  groups  under  this  mechanism 
includes Guadeloupe. In 2024, the Commission selected the Azores as a region at risk of falling 
into  a  ‘talent  development  trap’27,  and  this  region  will  receive  tailored  support  under  the 
mechanism. Under the reinforced Youth Guarantee, the ESF+ supports initiatives to promote 
youth employment, e.g. in the Canary Islands, with a specific training offer, identifying job 
options and opportunities (EUR 62 million). Young people in the French outermost regions 
were supported under the RRF in the framework of the youth plan ‘1 jeune 1 solution’. The 
Portuguese RRP supports the Azores in the skilling and upskilling through training and life-
long learning in the Azores. 

20  Council Recommendation C(2022) 469/01. 
21  C(2022) 6002 final; C(2023) 6157. 
22  In  its  2024  conclusions  on  inclusive  societies  for  young  people,  the  Council  invites  Member  States  to  facilitate  the 
sustainable  mobility  of  young  people,  including  those  living  in  rural,  remote,  peripheral,  less-developed  areas  and  the 
outermost regions (13 May 2024, 9849/24).  

23  Two higher education institutions in the Canary Islands have been selected to be part of European Universities in 2023. 
Three organisations from the Canary Islands participate in the Centre of Vocational Excellence for Tourism Industry. 

24  Decision (EU) 2023/936 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023. 
25  The Pact for Skills is the flagship initiative of the European Skills Agenda 2020. It promotes joint action to maximise the 
impact  of  investing  in  upskilling  and  reskilling.  Some  stakeholders  in  the  Canary  Islands,  the  Azores,  Madeira  and 
Guadeloupe have joined the Pact. 

26  COM(2023) 32 final. 
27  The talent development trap is defined for regions as being severely affected by the decline of the working age population, 
a low share of university and higher education graduates, or a negative mobility of their population aged 15-39. Martinique 
and Guadeloupe are in a talent development trap; Réunion, the Azores and Madeira are at risk of falling into it. 

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1.2. BUILDING ON ASSETS, ADDRESSING CONSTRAINTS, FOCUSING ON KEY SECTORS 

Research, innovation and smart specialisation 

The unique assets of the outermost regions bring high potential for research and innovation. In 
the framework of the Horizon Europe programme28, topics relevant to the outermost regions 
are included in the thematic clusters. In addition, entities from these regions are eligible in the 
‘Widening participation and spreading excellence’ actions29, which contribute to building 
research and innovation capacity in countries lagging behind. As a result, the participation of 
outermost regions has increased under Horizon Europe30. Furthermore, the outermost regions 
are  benefiting  from  support  under  ‘Widening’  for  21  projects  to  enhance  their  innovation 
capacity and to network with leading EU research counterparts, e.g. the QCIRCLE centre of 
excellence  in  quantum  science  (Canary  Islands,  EUR 14.5 million  EU  funding),  and  the 
TwinSolar project to strengthen networking activities in energy (Réunion, EUR 1.5 million EU 
funding). 

Some  outermost  regions  are  taking  part  in  the  ‘Restore  our  Ocean  and  Waters  by  2030’ 
Horizon Europe mission, e.g. Madeira, the Azores, the Canary Islands and Réunion, which 
are  involved  in  the  BlueMissionAA  project  (EUR 3 million  EU  funding).  The  European 
Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) proposes activities for business creation, skills 
development, and innovation-driven research projects31. In 2024, the EIT published a strategy 
for the EU outermost regions32 and, by 2025, aims to set up three ‘community hubs’ in the 
framework of its Regional Innovation Scheme to foster interactions between local innovation 
players in the outermost regions.    

To further support innovation capacity and participation in EU value chains, the Commission 
pays  special  attention  to  the  outermost  regions  under  the  Interregional  Innovation 
Investments (I3) Instrument33 (bonus points for projects with a participant from an outermost 
region),  and  these  regions  now  participate  in  six  projects.  The  Commission  also  financed  a 
project  led  by  the  OECD,  to  support  participation  of  these  regions  in  international  value 
chains (agri-food, bioeconomy, renewable energies, blue economy and creative industries)34. 

The Commission is further supporting Réunion, the Azores and Madeira as part of the Smart 
Specialisation  Community  of  Practice  in  designing  and  implementing  their  innovation 
strategies, known as smart specialisation strategies. 

Mobility, transport 

Several  EU  funds  support  mobility  in  the  outermost  regions,  taking  into  account  their 
dependency on air and sea transport.  

In 2021-2027, the ERDF is due to invest EUR 559 million in mobility and transport, in 
particular EUR 338 million related to public transport in urban areas in the outermost 
regions.  In  these  regions,  the  ERDF  exceptionally  finances  airport  infrastructure,  e.g.  the 
extension of the Réunion Roland Garros airport, the first bioclimatic terminal. Investments in 
ports  are  also  eligible  and  Guadeloupe  amended  its  2021-2027  ERDF-ESF+  programme  to 
include  its  Grand  Port  Maritime.  Beyond  support  to  infrastructure,  the  ERDF  specific 
additional allocation for outermost regions helps compensate for high transport operating costs. 

28  Regulation (EU) 2021/695 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 April 2021. 
29  C(2023) 2178 final. 
30  To  date,  Horizon  Europe  (2021-2027)  projects  involving  the  outermost  regions  already  amount  to  more  than 

EUR 84 million, compared with around EUR 89 million for the entire Horizon 2020 period (2014-2020). 

31  Examples of projects involving the outermost regions include the INCORE project of the EIT HEI initiative, InnoFinRES 

supported by EIT Climate-KIC, and Rethink Medical supported by EIT Health. 

32  EIT Strategy for the EU Outermost Regions. 
33  Article 13 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1058 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021. 
34  Transforming economies in the EU outermost regions, EU Delegation Agreement 2020CE160AT067. 

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The Portuguese RRP supports the purchase of new zero emission buses for public transport in 
Madeira and electric ferries in the Azores. 

The  Connecting  Europe  Facility  (CEF)  work  programme  and  its  calls  for  proposals 
specifically encourage applications from outermost regions – in particular for maritime port 
infrastructure  –  and with  higher  co-financing  rates35. The 2024  call  for proposals  under the 
Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Facility provides a co-financing rate of 70% for these regions. 
The revised Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Regulation36, adopted in 2024, 
increases the number of outermost regions’ ports and airports. It also includes urban nodes in 
the  comprehensive  network,  making  them  eligible  for  CEF  funding,  thus  increasing 
opportunities in future CEF calls. 

The Commission encouraged Members States and outermost regions to use EU tools such as 
the joint assistance to support projects in European regions (JASPERS) to support capacity 
for developing large projects, e.g. for transport. JASPERS is supporting French Guiana for road 
investments and is planning similar support for Saint-Martin. It also supports the development 
of a transport plan in the Canary Islands and the Azores for the reconstruction of the port37 on 
Flores Island following the Lorenzo hurricane in 2019.  

Tourism, culture 

The  Commission  supports  tourism  in  the  outermost  regions,  one  of  their  key  economic 
activities. For example, the ERDF supports sustainable tourism in the Canary Islands (EUR 
40.5 million), tourism and cultural heritage in the Azores (EUR 7 million), and tourism and 
culture in Réunion (EUR 121 million) and French Guiana (EUR 10 million).  

The Commission launched a call to support sustainable maritime and coastal tourism in the 
outermost regions under the EMFAF (EUR 2 million EU support). It resulted in two projects, 
one  on  blue  tourism  (Canary  Islands,  Madeira,  the  Azores  and  Martinique),  and  another  on 
underwater  archaeological  heritage  (Azores,  Madeira,  Guadeloupe  and  Martinique).  The 
Spanish RRP allocates EUR 75 million for sustainable tourism in the Canary Islands.  

The  Commission  is  rolling  out  calls  for  commitments  under  the  Transition  pathway  for 
tourism. Under this initiative, the Azores pledged to boost sustainable tourism and adopted a 
charter to foster a more sustainable business and governance model. 

The ERDF supports the unique cultural and creative sectors in all outermost regions. The 
Commission  also  awarded  grants  for  two  projects,  in  the  Azores  and  in  the  Canary  Islands, 
under the Creative Europe programme. In 2021-2023, the EU co-financed the Archipel.eu 
pilot project (EUR 1 million)38 supporting 51 projects for intangible cultural heritage from the 
outermost regions and overseas countries and territories (OCTs). 

Biodiversity 

Several national and regional strategies aim to step up biodiversity protection, e.g. the Blue 
Azores  programme  or  the  French  National  Biodiversity  Strategy  2030,  which  includes 
restoration roadmaps for each region. 

To protect the exceptionally high biodiversity value of the outermost regions, some of these 
regions are receiving support under the LIFE programme, which gives special attention and 
bonus points to outermost regions applications. It is the case of the French outermost regions 

35  For all outermost regions, studies 50%, works 70%; for the Portuguese ones, up to 85% under the cohesion envelope. 
36  COM(2021) 812 final. 
37  Together with EUR 168 million of ERDF support. 
38  The  project  was  implemented  by  the  Institut  Français  in  partnership  with  OCTA  (Overseas  Countries  and  Territories 

Association) and APCA (Agência de Promoção da Cultura Atlântica). 

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with the ARTISAN project39 (EUR 10 million EU funding) focused on nature-based solutions, 
or BIODIV’OM (EUR 5.6 million EU funding), aimed at protecting threatened species.  

In 2023, the Commission launched the BESTLIFE2030 grants scheme, under LIFE and with 
a  95%  co-financing  rate,  to  support  biodiversity  conservation  in  the  outermost  regions  and 
OCTs.  The  Commission  has  proposed  to  step  up  support  by  including,  in  the  LIFE  work 
programme  for  2025-2027,  with  the  maximum  co-financing  rate  (75%),  projects  protecting 
priority habitats  or species and newly described  species considered as threatened, including 
explicitly in the outermost regions due to their exceptionally high biodiversity value. It also 
extended the MOVE-ON pilot project for the mapping and assessment of ecosystems in the 
outermost regions and OCTs.  

Other  EU  funds  support  biodiversity  protection,  for  example  the  Spanish  RRP  supports 
technologies to monitor ecosystems or the study of biological invasions in the Canary Islands 
(EUR 23 million). 
The  Nature  Restoration  Regulation40,  adopted  in  2024,  underlines  the  need  to  take  into 
account the specific situation of outermost regions, in line with the EU Biodiversity Strategy 
for 203041. 

Blue economy 

The outermost regions have a unique blue economy potential thanks to their large exclusive 
economic  zones.  Most  outermost  regions  have  adopted  comprehensive  sustainable  blue 
economy  strategies  to  boost  traditional  and  emerging  blue  value  chains  and  are  exploiting 
synergies in EU support to implement them. 

In  its  revised  legal  framework  for  State  aid  in  the  fishery  and  aquaculture  sector,  the 
Commission  took  into  account  the  specificities  of  these  regions.  In  2023,  the  Commission 
amended the de  minimis Regulation applicable to the fishery and aquaculture sector  to 
address the urgent safety concerns of the small coastal fishing fleet in the outermost regions42, 
allowing their Member States to support the purchase, modernisation or construction of fishing 
vessels less than 12 metres long. De minimis aid of up to EUR 40 000 per undertaking can be 
granted with no prior control by the Commission, provided that Member States set up a central 
register. 

Since  2018,  the  guidelines  for  State  aid  in  the  fishery  and  aquaculture  sectors  have 
provided for the possibility to grant aid for fleet renewal in the outermost regions, under the 
condition that the relevant fleet segment is in balance with the fish stocks, as demonstrated by 
the  latest  national  fleet  report43.  In  2023,  the  revised  State  aid  guidelines44  introduced  the 
possibility to grant aid for investments in equipment that contributes to increasing the safety of 
small-scale vessels in these regions. Under these guidelines, the Commission approved State 
aid  schemes  to  support  the  renewal  of  the  fishing  fleet  in  one  Portuguese  and  five  French 
outermost regions, provided that the Member States demonstrate that there is a balance between 
fish  stocks  and  the  fishing  capacity  of  the  fleet.  In  2024,  the  Commission  did  not  call  into 
question the assessment of the balance in three fleet segments in Martinique, two in Réunion, 
one in Guadeloupe and one in Madeira, thus enabling aid to be granted in these regions under 
these  schemes.  In  addition,  and  due  to  extraordinary  circumstances  related  to  safety  and 

39  Achieving Resiliency by Triggering Implementation of nature-based Solutions for climate Adaptation at a National scale. 
40  Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2024. It requires that the Member 
States concerned include in their restoration plans a section setting out tailored measures in these regions, as applicable.  

41  COM(2020) 380 final. 
42  Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2391 of 4 October 2023. 
43  The national reports are prepared based on the common guidelines for fleet assessment - C(2014) 545 final. 
44  C(2023) 1598 final. 

8 

 
 
 
security, in 2024 the Commission has also exceptionally approved aid in Guiana for vessels of 
up to 24 meters. 

The  Commission  actively  supports  Member  States  in  collecting  fisheries-related  data, 
considering the specific needs of the outermost regions, as reflected in the national work plans 
for data collection,  and  based on a 2022 thematic study.  The  Communication45 adopted in 
2024 to supplement the existing guidelines for assessing the fleet balance, specifically for 
the  outermost  regions,  takes  into  account  their  specificities.  In  2024,  the  Commission  also 
reactivated  the  expert  working  group  on  outermost  regions  issues,  under  the  remit  of  the 
Scientific  Technical  and  Economic  Committee  for  Fisheries,  to  facilitate  the  provision  of 
advice on these regions. 

The  Commission  continues  to  consider  the  interests  of  outermost  regions  when  negotiating 
bilateral  sustainable  fisheries  partnership  agreements  with  non-EU  countries.  This  is  to 
ensure  that  outermost  regions  (e.g.  the  Canary  Islands,  Réunion)  benefit  from  the  activity 
generated  by  such  agreements,  enabling  their  fleets  to  receive  a  fair  share  in  the  fishing 
opportunities obtained in the waters of other countries. The agreement between the EU and the 
Republic  of  Seychelles,  renewed  in  2022,  supports  the  sustainability  of  fishing  in  Mayotte 
waters. 

Under the EMFAF 2021-2027, the Commission supports sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, 
and the blue economy in the outermost regions, with a budget of nearly EUR 330 million. It 
also  addresses  these  regions’  specificities  to  compensate  for  their  additional  costs  with  a 
dedicated budget (EUR 183 million). The Commission approved a formal action plan for each 
outermost region to ensure that EU support is adapted to each region’s needs. Moreover, the 
Commission included dedicated territorial analyses in the EU Blue Economy Observatory 
and Blue Economy Report 2024, and the Sea Basin Strategy for the Atlantic and its action 
plan foster a sustainable blue economy in the outermost regions, in the Macaronesia region and 
in the Caribbean. In line with the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive, the EMFAF has also 
supported the adoption of maritime spatial plans in the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands 
and French Guiana46. 

Member States and outermost regions are deploying efforts in data collection to improve the 
knowledge of fisheries resources (e.g. the French EMFAF-funded project Accobiom). France 
strengthened  cooperation  with  neighbouring  states  to  combat  illegal,  unreported  and 
unregulated fishing in French Guiana waters. To support decisions on spatial planning, project 
deployment  and investment,  the Commission’s Joint Research Centre is  currently  mapping 
the potential of offshore renewable energy in the outermost regions. 

Agriculture and rural development 

The  agricultural  sector  in  the  outermost  regions  is  key  to  ensure  their  food  autonomy.  The 
Commission has worked closely with the Member States to ensure that the strategic plans of 
France,  Portugal  and  Spain  under  the  common  agricultural  policy  address  the  specific 
needs of their outermost regions. Adopted in 2022, these plans include a regional dimension. 
Furthermore, most French outermost regions have adopted food autonomy plans.  
The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) 47 and the RRF support 
the green and digital transitions of agriculture in these regions. These funds support initiatives 
such  as  the  modernisation  of  farms,  support  for  agro-environmental  initiatives  and  organic 
farming  (e.g.  irrigation  infrastructures  in  the  Canary  Islands,  Réunion  and  Madeira).  The 

45  COM(2024) 223 final. 
46  ‘Advancing Maritime Spatial Planning in Outermost Regions’ project (2021-2024, EUR 2 million). 
47  The EAFRD supports the outermost regions with close to EUR 1.3 billion (2023-2027): France (EUR 906 million), Spain 

(EUR 102.5 million) and Portugal (EUR 316 million). 

9 

 
 
 
EAFRD further supports research and development projects (e.g. variety of sugar cane resilient 
to drought) and projects to develop tourism, businesses and basic services. 
The programme of options specifically relating to remoteness and insularity (POSEI)48 is 
designed to support the agriculture in the outermost regions. In 2022, the Commission launched 
an evaluation of the POSEI to assess the effectiveness, efficiency and EU added value of its 
implementation  in the 2014-2020  programming  period.  The evaluation – to  be published in 
2025 – will contribute to reflections on how to ensure a long-term future for the agricultural 
sector in the outermost regions49. 

Through the EAFRD and the POSEI, the Commission also contributed to repairing the damage 
caused  by  the  eruption  of  the  La  Palma  volcano.  The  2014-2022  Rural  Development 
Programme50 of the Canary Islands was amended in 2022 and 2023 to add a total national 
contribution  of  EUR 20 million  from  Spain  to  restore  the  affected  farms  and  relaunch 
production. The POSEI programme of the Canary Islands was amended, allowing producers 
(mainly in the banana sector) to continue receiving income support. Spain received a further 
financial contribution of EUR 9.5 million from the EU Solidarity Fund to support essential 
emergency and recovery operations.   
In 2022, the Commission adopted a revision of the State aid guidelines for agriculture51 and 
the Agriculture Block Exemption Regulation52. The revised guidelines raise the aid intensity 
in outermost regions from 75% to 80% for several types of investments and maintains specific 
provisions, such as operating aid to compensate for additional transport costs of agricultural 
products  produced  in  these  regions.  On  a  case-by-case  basis,  these  specific  rules  allow  the 
granting of aid also for other additional costs. 

1.3. DOING IT RIGHT: FOSTERING THE GREEN AND DIGITAL TRANSITION 

1.3.1.  Green transition: towards a sustainable economy 

Climate action 

The  outermost  regions  are  particularly  vulnerable  to  climate  change  and  depend  highly  on 
transport  connectivity.  This  is  why  the  Commission  gave  special  consideration  to  their 
connectivity needs in the revised Emissions Trading System (ETS)53. 

To ensure territorial continuity, domestic flights and maritime journeys between an outermost 
region  and  any  other  airport  or  port  in  the  same  Member  State  –  including  flights  and  sea 
voyages within the same outermost region – are exempted from the ETS until 2030. Around 
EUR 1.6 billion has been set aside from ETS revenues to cover the price difference between 
the use of eligible sustainable aviation fuels and fossil kerosene until 2030. Special attention is 
paid to airports in outermost regions, where these funds can cover the full price difference with 
fossil  kerosene.  The  Commission  will  report,  in  2024  and  then  every  two  years,  on 
implementation  of  the  ETS  extension  to  maritime  transport,  giving  due  consideration  to 
outermost regions. In 2026, it will evaluate the air connectivity of islands and remote territories, 
such as the outermost regions. 

48  The POSEI budget amounts to close to EUR 3.3 billion (2023-2027). 
49  In May 2024, the Commission published the study on the EU support schemes for agriculture in the outermost regions 

(POSEI) and smaller Aegean islands, which will feed into the Commission evaluation report. 

50  Rural development programmes are co-financed by the EAFRD and national budgets. 
51  C(2022) 9120 final.    
52  Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/2472 of 14 December 2022.  
53  Directive 2003/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 October 2003. 

10 

 
 
 
The Commission also paid special attention to the outermost regions under the Social Climate 
Fund54, which provides that Member States should consider geographic specificities, including 
the outermost regions, in their social climate plans. 
As part of the EU Adaptation Strategy55, the Commission organised 10 workshops in the 
various  basins  of  the  outermost  regions.  The  aim  was  to  encourage  exchanges  on  climate 
adaptation solutions between these regions and their neighbouring countries, for example on 
coastal  resilience,  agriculture,  biodiversity,  water  resource  management  and  tourism.  It 
published a compendium presenting the most innovative good practices56 in this context. 

The  Commission  highlighted 
its 
Communication  Managing  climate  risks  -  protecting  people  and  prosperity57  adopted  in 
March 2024. The European Climate Risk Assessment58 complementing the Communication 
includes a specific chapter on outermost regions, detailing the climate risks these regions face. 

the  outermost  regions’  specific  climate  risks 

in 

The ERDF supports investments on climate change adaptation and risk prevention in all the 
outermost  regions  (EUR  334  million  in  2021-2027),  e.g.  Guadeloupe  and  Martinique  for 
investment in seismic rehabilitation of schools, and Réunion for measures against erosion and 
flooding of riversides. 

Some  outermost  regions  are  implementing  projects  to  address  climate  change,  such  as  the 
LIFE-funded Adapt’Island project on innovative and replicable techniques for restoring coastal 
and marine ecosystems throughout the Caribbean. Several regions have also adopted legislative 
initiatives, such as the climate change and energy transition act of the Canary Islands. 

Renewable energy and energy efficiency 

The Commission supports the outermost regions’ transition to a greener energy mix to unlock 
their renewable energy potential, such as their vast offshore wind and solar energy resources. 
It  drew  attention  to  their  solar  energy  potential  in  the  EU  solar  energy  strategy59.  The 
Commission supports renewable energy generation through various EU funds, e.g. the Canary 
Islands are dedicating EUR 42 million of ERDF funding to support renewable energy, and the 
Portuguese RRP supports many investments in renewable energy in the outermost regions, such 
as  incentives  for  households  and  SMEs  to  purchase  photovoltaic  systems  in  the  Azores 
(SOLENERGE project). 

The  ERDF  supports  the  energy  efficiency  of  private  and  public  buildings.  Martinique 
allocates EUR 5 million of ERDF funds to the renovation of residential and public buildings, 
while  the  Azores  allocate  ERDF  funding  to  energy  efficiency  (EUR 16.3 million)  and  to 
developing  smart  energy  systems,  grids  and  storage  (EUR 7.5 million).  The  Interreg 
programmes foster exchanges between the outermost regions and their neighbouring countries 
on energy management. 

Through the clean energy for EU islands initiative, the Commission provided targeted support 
and fostered capacity building in the outermost regions, e.g. the Waste-To-Energy project (PI 
project) in Saint-Martin, a study on battery energy storage system in La Palma (Canary Islands) 
and the H2PortoSanto project to transform residual biomass into clean hydrogen in Madeira.   

The Commission supports several regions in preparing decarbonisation plans for their energy 
systems60 and is developing guidance on access of renewable energy sources to grids and grid 

54  Regulation (EU) 2023/955 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023. 
55  COM(2021) 82 final. 
56  Compendium of good practices and solutions for climate change adaptation in the outermost regions of the EU. 
57  COM(2024) 91 final. 
58  European Environment Agency, European Climate Assessment, EEA Report No 1/2024. 
59  COM(2022) 221 final. 
60  Madeira - Pico, Faial and São Jorge (Azores) - La Graciosa and La Palma (Canary Islands). 

11 

 
 
 
management  in  non-interconnected  EU  islands,  covering  four  outermost  regions61.  In  the 
context  of  the  New  Energy  Solutions  Optimised  for  Islands  initiative,  the  Commission 
facilitated the transition to clean energy, through the Local Energy Community in La Palma 
(Canary Islands) and the H2 project in the Azores. 

The  outermost  regions  have  started  to  explore  the  potential  of  hydrogen.  For  example,  the 
European Investment Bank funded Guadeloupe’s Hydrogen Roadmap (EUR 660 million), and 
the Hyguane project in French Guiana aims to generate 110 tonnes of green  hydrogen as of 
2027 to supply the Guiana Space Centre and the transport sector. 

Several  regions adopted  strategies  to  step up renewable  energy generation, promote energy 
efficiency and reduce dependency on fossil fuels. This includes the sugar energy strategy 2030 
of the Azores, interconnection of electricity networks between islands of the Canary Islands, 
and the multiannual energy programmes of the French outermost regions. 

Circular economy 

The outermost regions have a high potential to develop circular economy solutions. Cohesion 
policy supports circular economy development in the outermost regions. Both the ERDF and 
Interreg support waste management and waste recycling, e.g. in Réunion with EUR 18 million 
of ERDF funding dedicated to the circular economy, and in the Caribbean through the Interreg 
project  SARGOOD  (EUR 450 000)  on  collection  and  valorisation  of  sargassum.  Outermost 
regions also benefit from support under the LIFE programme (e.g. the AgriLoop project aims 
to upgrade under-exploited residues into high added-value bioproducts to be reused). 

To facilitate exchanges and promote circular economy good practices, collaboration is ongoing 
to organise a webinar on circularity in outermost regions under the European Circular Economy 
Stakeholder Platform, a one-stop shop for events, opportunities of funding, and best practices 
on circular economy. 

Several  outermost  regions  have  designed  strategies  to  promote  waste  prevention,  improve 
waste valorisation and management, and manage hazardous waste. These include the regional 
waste prevention and management plan of French Guiana and the regional strategy for waste 
management  in  Madeira.  Several  outermost  regions  designed  strategies  catering  to  their 
regions’ specificities such as the Circular Economy Conference of the Azores. 

1.3.2.  Fostering the digital transition: enabling new opportunities 

The Commission actively supports the outermost regions in addressing their digital connectivity 
needs due to their remoteness from continental Europe.  

Under the digital stream of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the Commission provides 
higher co-financing rates to projects involving the outermost regions and it approved funding 
for submarine cable infrastructure in these regions worth over EUR 125 million. One project 
jointly  funded  by  the  CEF  (EUR 30 million)  and  the  ERDF  (EUR 10 million)  will  connect 
French Guiana to the EllaLink cable system connecting Latin America with Europe. Another 
project (EUR 40 million under CEF) supports new submarine cables connecting Lisbon to the 
Azores, and the Azores to Madeira. The CEF will also support submarine cable infrastructures 
in  the  Canary  Islands  (EUR  36  million)  and  the French  outermost  regions  in  the  Caribbean 
(EUR 20.6 million)62.  

61  Canary Islands, Azores, Madeira and Réunion. 
62  New  submarine  cables  between  the  islands  of  El  Hierro  and  Tenerife  (EUR 13 million)  and  between  Gran  Canaria, 
Lanzarote and Fuerteventura (EUR 23 million) in the Canary Islands, and two cable projects involving the French outermost 
regions in the Caribbean - CELIA (EUR 17 million) and Caribbean Connect (EUR 3.6 million). 

12 

 
 
 
In its Connectivity Package63, the Commission highlighted the outermost regions’ dependency 
on data carried through submarine cables. It recommended that Member States identify targeted 
actions connecting a Member State with its outermost regions as a ‘cable project of European 
interest’. 
The Union Secure Connectivity Regulation64 highlights that in the absence of ground-based 
communication  systems,  spaced-based  satellite  communication  services  are  the  most  viable 
option.  The  Union  Secure  Connectivity  Programme  should  enable  connectivity  across  the 
Union, including in the outermost regions, and around the globe.  

Ground infrastructure in the outermost regions is crucial for space, security and defense given 
their strategic locations and unique capabilities, as stated in the Joint Communication on EU 
Space Strategy for Security and Defence65. In particular, the Guiana Space Centre in French 
Guiana  and  other  spaceport  projects  emerging  in  the  outermost  regions  contribute  to 
strengthening the EU’s autonomous access and resilience to space. 

The  Commission  promotes  digital  tools  in  the  outermost  regions  through  the  network  of 
European Digital Innovation Hubs and the specific hubs in the outermost regions funded by 
the  Digital  Europe  Programme  (DIGITAL),  which  provide  training  and  networking 
opportunities66. The RRF can provide complementary funding for hubs (Smart Island Hub in 
Madeira)67 or invest in developing new sectors (eGames Lab to develop a video game industry 
in Madeira). 
In  its  first  report  on  the  State  of  the  Digital  Decade68,  the  Commission  recommended  that 
Member States complement private investment to bridge their outermost regions’ connectivity 
gaps  and  to  foster  digital  skills.  Several  EU  funding  instruments  are  available  for  the 
digitalisation of education. The ERDF supports the Canary Islands in implementing their Plan 
for Digital Education. The Portuguese RRP supports digital equipment and teacher training in 
Madeira (EUR 22 million). Through its initiative Guyane connectée, combler les écarts, French 
Guiana aims to upgrade satellite connectivity and secure power supply in classrooms. 

The  Commission  encouraged  the  participation  of  outermost  regions  in  the  Broadband 
Competence Offices Network’s webinars on smart submarine cables, on satellite connectivity, 
and  on  CEF  Digital  calls  for  proposals.  This  network  produced  videos  on  broadband 
development  in  Réunion  and  the  Canary  Islands.  Two  dedicated  webinars  on  opportunities 
under the Connectivity Package took place in 2024. 

2.  COOPERATION  WITH  OTHER  EUROPEAN  REGIONS,  NEIGHBOURING 

COUNTRIES AND BEYOND 

Interreg  and  cooperation  with  NDICI-Global  Europe  and  overseas  countries  and 
territories’ financing instruments 

The geographical location of the outermost regions is a key asset for the EU’s global interests. 
Therefore, the Commission granted the outermost regions a particular attention in the revision 
of  strategies  and  partnership  agreements  between  the  EU  and  parts  of  the  world  where 
outermost regions are located, encouraging cooperation with the OCTs. 

63  COM(2024) 81 final; C(2024) 1181 final. 
64  Regulation (EU) 2023/588 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2023. 
65  JOIN(2023) 9 European Union Space Strategy for Security and Defence of 10 March 2023. 
66  For example, the hub CIDIHUB in the Canary Islands on digitalisation of businesses, the EDIH of Réunion in cybersecurity 

with funding from the Digital Europe Programme, and the hub AzDIH in the Azores. 

67  Budget of EUR 598 886, co-financed by the RRF with 74%. 
68  European Commission, Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology, 2030 Digital Decade 

– Report on the state of the Digital Decade 2023, Publications Office of the European Union, 2023. 

13 

 
 
 
The  new  Agenda  for  relations  between  the  EU  and  Latin  America  and  the  Caribbean 
(LAC) highlights the presence of the EU in this region, through the outermost regions, as an 
asset for this partnership69, and envisages to strengthen cooperation between LAC, outermost 
regions  and  the  OCTs70.  Under  the  Partnership  Agreement  between  the  EU  and  the 
Organisation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States71, signed in 2023, the protocols 
for  Africa  and  the  Caribbean  encourage  regional  cooperation  with  outermost  regions  and 
OCTs. 

The Commission upgraded the external dimension of the Interreg programmes 2021-2027 
for the outermost regions72 by providing that projects should involve at least one neighbouring 
partner country73 and/or OCT. In 2014-2020, the outermost regions developed several Interreg 
projects  to  address  common  challenges,  e.g.  the  fight  against  sargassum  or  an  emergency 
integrated  response  to  regional  disasters.  This  continues  under  the  2021-2027  programmes, 
which dedicate more than EUR 19 million to climate adaptation. 

To allow the financing of joint actions by Interreg and the external funding instruments, the 
Interreg  Regulation,  the  NDICI-Global  Europe  Regulation  and  the  Decision  on  Overseas 
Association  including  Greenland  (DOAG)  provide  the  possibility  to  combine  funding.  In 
particular, Commission services are setting the conditions to include an estimated additional 
budget (EUR 15 million) from NDICI to the Interreg Madeira-Azores-Canary Islands (MAC) 
and  Indian  Ocean  programmes.  The  project  ATLANTE,  adopted  by  the  MAC  programme 
partners74, will be crucial to achieve this objective. The Commission also approved a budget 
of  EUR  15  million  from  the  DOAG  allocation  to  foster  intra-regional  cooperation  between 
OCTs and their neighbours, including  the outermost regions.  The  Commission has initiated 
discussions  (e.g.  at  the  2024  OCTs-EU  Forum)  about  common  priority  actions  in 
(infrastructure) digital connectivity and the blue and green economy. 

With the support of programmes such as Horizon Europe and Interreg Atlantic, the Azores, 
Madeira and the Canary Islands are cooperating with other EU Atlantic regions on marine litter 
management (Free LitterAT project) and decarbonisation of ports (ENEPORTS project). 

Trade 

In line with Article 349 of the Treaty, given the economic dependence of the outermost regions 
on a small number of products, dedicated attention needs to be given to their trading relations 
with neighbouring countries or countries producing similar goods, in some cases with lower 
costs and health, safety, and environmental standards.  

The  Commission  has  continued  to  take  into  account  the  interests  of  outermost  regions  in 
negotiations on trade agreements and to consider any potential impact on them, in particular 
in  the  ex-ante  sustainability  impact  assessments  and  ex  post  evaluations.  The  2023 
sustainability impact assessment supporting the deepening of the interim Economic Partnership 
Agreement  (EPA)  between  the  EU  and  Eastern  and  Southern  Africa  highlights  the  specific 
situation  of  outermost  regions  in  relation  to  agricultural  products  and  fisheries.  The  2024 
sustainability  impact  assessments  supporting  the  EU-India  negotiations  recalled  outermost 
regions’ concerns on sugar and included a case study on this sector, taking into consideration 
Réunion’s  contribution  to  the  public  consultation.  In  2023,  the  documents  on  the  impact 
evaluation of the EU-Central America and the EU-Colombia, Ecuador and Peru Association 

69  JOIN(2023) 17 final, 7.6.2023. 
70  Declaration of the EU-CELAC Summit 2023, Brussels, 18 July 2023. 
71  The Samoa agreement (OJ L, 2023/2862, 28.12.2023). 
72  Macaronesia, Mozambique Channel, Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Amazonia. 
73  A country or territory covered by any geographic area under NDICI and which receives support from the EU’s external 
financing instruments (Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1059 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 
2021). 

74  Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Senegal, Mauritania, Ghana, Gambia, Ivory Coast, São Tomé and Príncipe. 

14 

 
 
 
Agreements  could  not  exclude  a  potential  negative  impact  for  bananas  and  sugar  in  the 
outermost regions and that further assessment would be needed to ascertain such impact.  The 
ongoing  evaluation  of  the  EPA  between  the  EU  and  the  Southern  African  Development 
Community (SADC) envisages an impact analysis of the agreement on these regions. 

Most  trade  agreements  provide  for  a  bilateral  safeguard  clause,  which  usually  covers  all 
products. In addition, some agreements include specific provisions for agricultural products, 
and  most  agreements  also  include  specific  safeguard  provisions  for  the  outermost  regions. 
Furthermore, preferential access to the EU market for sensitive agricultural goods (e.g. sugar) 
is granted only in the form of tariff rate quotas, except in the case of EPAs concluded with 
African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. These products are sometimes even excluded 
from  the  liberalisation  in  bilateral  agreements  (e.g.  sugar  and  bananas  in  the  EU-Chile 
Advanced Framework Agreement and the interim trade agreement). 

The  EU’s  banana  trade  and  market  are  regularly  monitored  by  the  Commission  through 
publicly available market reports to increase market transparency, and relevant measures are 
taken to protect EU production (and that of outermost regions) and ensure fair competition, 
also regarding non-EU countries. In 2022, the Commission conducted a study on the banana 
market, the final report of which concluded that there is an overall balance between the interest 
of EU banana producers (including in the outermost regions), those of ACP countries (with 
historic duty-free access for their development), and the duty-reduction to exporters from Latin 
America.  According  to  this  assessment,  these  international  obligations  for  the  EU  have  not 
destabilised  EU  banana  production  in  the  outermost  regions  or  the  EU banana  market.  The 
POSEI and the rural development programmes were key to support banana producers in the 
outermost regions and to preserve EU production. 

Finally, the Commission fostered the participation of outermost regions’ stakeholders in civil 
society dialogues75 and in Access2Markets workshops (in 2023 and 2024), to help trade with 
non-EU countries and to raise awareness on trade agreements. 

Migration 

Some  outermost  regions  face  an  intense  migratory  pressure,  such  as  the  Canary  Islands, 
Mayotte and French Guiana. The Commission supports these regions with several EU funds 
that can increase and complement national funding. The Commission provided the possibility 
for  cohesion  policy  funds  –  Cohesion’s  Action  for  Refugees  in  Europe  (CARE)  and 
Flexible Assistance to Territories (FAST-CARE) – to support actions aimed at integrating 
migrants, such as access to the labour market and other measures ensuring long-term social 
integration, e.g. in housing, healthcare, translation or training. 

The three main EU funds designed to address migration, border management and security are 
the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF), the Border Management and Visa 
Instrument (BMVI, for the Schengen area) and the Internal Security Fund (ISF). Member 
States should ensure that their national programmes under AMIF, BMVI and ISF address the 
specific  challenges of the outermost regions.  In  addition,  the  thematic  facilities under these 
funds allocate funding to emerging or unforeseen needs, including those faced by outermost 
regions. The Commission also encouraged Member States to involve regional authorities to 
address  their  concerns.  The  Interreg  MAC  Programme  2021-2027  (cohesion  policy)  will 
support mobility and migration management (contribution of EUR 8.5 million) to complement 
AMIF and ESF+ funds for unaccompanied minors, reception at the border and for awareness 
campaigns. 

75  EU-India in 2023 and 2024, for the EU-SADC EPA ex post evaluation in 2023 and 2024, and for trade relations with Latin 

America in 2024. 

15 

 
 
 
France’s programme under the AMIF emphasises the role of regional and local authorities, 
particularly in the field of integration of refugees and migrants, with a higher co-financing rate 
and  a  reduced  financial  threshold  for  eligible  projects  in  the  outermost  regions  (from 
EUR 500 000 to EUR 200 000). In Portugal’s programme, the AMIF is financing the creation 
of temporary facility centres in the airports of Madeira and the Azores and plans to support 
migrant integration projects in both regions. Under BMVI, funds were allocated to refurbish 
border  surveillance  stations  and  to  interconnect  these  with  the  national  (continental)  border 
surveillance system. In 2023 and 2024, Spain requested financial support under the emergency 
assistance  of  the  thematic  facilities  to  relieve  the  pressure  on  the  Canary  Islands’  reception 
system  (EUR 20 million,  AMIF)  and  to  strengthen  the  capacity  of  this  region  to  assist  and 
identify immigrants arriving on its coasts (EUR 17.5 million, BMVI). This was granted by the 
Commission. 

The Commission is monitoring the migration situation, supporting awareness  raising and 
encouraging the use of EU funds for migration. The Monitoring Committees for the migration 
funds of the three Members States with outermost regions include representatives from these 
regions. In 2022 and 2023, the Commission organised meetings with  Spain  and the Canary 
Islands to discuss the increase of arrivals in the archipelago, particularly the high number of 
unaccompanied minors. 

With staff deployed in the Canary Islands, both Frontex and the European Union Agency 
for  Asylum  (EUAA)  are  supporting  the  Spanish  authorities  as  regards  external  border 
management and  reception of migrants.  Since 2023, the EUAA  assists  Spain,  including  the 
Canary  Islands, to  strengthen the reception system for unaccompanied minors. In 2023, the 
Commission presented an action plan for the Western Mediterranean and Atlantic migratory 
routes with measures focusing on cooperation with countries of origin and transit of irregular 
migrants. 

These  efforts  are  increased  at  national  and  regional  level.  Spain  signed  an  agreement  of 
cooperation  (EUR 50 million)  with  the  Canary  Islands  under  the  2022  national  budget  to 
address the increasing number of unaccompanied minors. The Canary Islands allocated funds 
of  their  own  to  complement  EU  funding  for  unaccompanied  minors  and  have  developed 
specific programmes for their transition to adulthood. 

3.  STRENGTHENED PARTNERSHIP, DIALOGUE AND SUPPORT 

The  Commission  has  significantly  strengthened  dialogue  with  the  outermost  regions  with 
formal  annual  dialogues  per  region  at  Commissioner  level.  These  serve  to  discuss  each 
region’s development strategy, how the EU can support this, and to seek solutions to overcome 
regulatory  or  funding  bottlenecks.  The  Commission  also  organises  numerous  meetings 
bringing together several Commission services and the relevant region and Member State to 
discuss concrete tailored action for each region. 

The Commission has followed up on its commitment to help the outermost regions benefit from 
various  EU  support  opportunities.  It  developed  a  series  of  dedicated  workshops  on  EU 
competitive  programmes  (Connecting  Europe  Facility,  Digital  Europe,  LIFE;  Erasmus+, 
Horizon Europe, Creative Europe, and the Single Market Programme), provided information 
on all relevant calls for projects, and created an advisory tool76 exclusively for these regions. 
The new on-demand advisory tool supported a broad range of public and private stakeholders 
on  how  to  develop  or  implement  regional  development  strategies,  and  to  enable  synergy 
between opportunities under EU funds and programmes. The Commission approved support 
for 23 requests for advisory services in a broad number of areas. 

76  Advisory tool for the EU Outermost Regions on Inforegio webpage. 

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The outermost regions must continue to strengthen their administrative capacity77, including 
with regard to cohesion policy programmes, with the support of their Member States and by 
making  full  use  of  the  technical  assistance  budget  made  available  to  them  under  these 
programmes. Administrative capacity is also key to be able to undertake the necessary reforms 
to make the most out of the investments. 

The  Commission  encouraged  the  outermost  regions  to  request  support  from  the  Technical 
Support Instrument and reached out to these regions in the 2023 and 2024 roll-outs of the 
instrument in France, Portugal and Spain. In 2023, the Commission provided technical support 
for  the  French  outermost  regions  through  a  project  supporting  reforms  strengthening  the 
capacity  of  the  outermost  regions  to  access  funding  under  EU  horizontal  programmes.  It 
launched  a  flagship  initiative  on  ‘Overcoming  barriers  to  regional  growth’,  specifically 
encouraging applications from the outermost regions. In 2024, the Commission will support 
the French outermost regions in enhancing citizens’ knowledge of digital finance, including 
through the provision of educational content. 

State aid 

The Commission continues to take into account the outermost regions’ specificities to support 
the small size of their economies and has reflected them in the revision of State aid regulations 
and  guidelines  across  sectors.  For  example,  in  the  2023  revised  Temporary  Crisis  and 
Transition  Framework,  the  Commission  made  it  possible  to  provide  higher  support  to 
investments in the outermost regions. In the 2023 revision of the General Block Exemption 
Regulation, the Commission included a bonus of 15% of aid intensity for industrial research 
and  experimental  projects  in  the  outermost  regions  in  certain  assisted  areas,  facilitating 
therefore  increased  support  for  R&D  projects  in  these  regions,  and  maintained  favourable 
regional  aid  provisions  allowing  both  the  compensation  of  companies  in  these  regions  for 
additional  operating  costs  and  a  higher  aid  intensity  for  investment  aid.  The  Commission 
further  adopted  in  2023  a  new  general  de  minimis  Regulation78 and  a  new  de  minimis 
Regulation  for  services  of  general  economic  interest79,  increasing  the  ceilings  per 
undertaking  respectively  from  EUR 200 000  to  EUR 300 000  and  from  EUR 500 000  to 
EUR 750 000 over 3 years – which will benefit the companies in outermost regions. Moreover, 
the Guidelines on Regional State Aid have been amended to allow increased aid intensity up 
to 10% for projects within the scope of the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) 
Regulation80. 

CONCLUSIONS 

Implementation of the Communication Putting people first, securing sustainable and inclusive 
growth,  unlocking  the potential of  the EU’s  outermost  regions is  on track.  In just over  two 
years,  the  Commission  has  delivered  on  many  of  its  commitments  by  reflecting  the 
specificities of outermost regions  across numerous  policies, legislative proposals,  initiatives 
and  projects.  The  outermost  regions  and  their  Member  States  are  also  contributing  to 
implementing  the  2022  Communication  and  its  recommendations,  by  developing  various 
national or regional initiatives, such as reforms, laws and plans, financial support schemes and 
projects. 

Cohesion  policy-funded  investments  have  played  and  continue  to  play  a  key  role  in  the 
outermost regions. Other EU funds and programmes such as the Recovery and Resilience 
Facility,  Connecting  Europe  Facility,  European  Maritime  Fisheries  and  Aquaculture  Fund, 

77  Governance indicators in the Ninth Cohesion Report. 
78  Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2831 of 13 December 2023. 
79  Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2832 of 13 December 2023. 
80 Regulation (EU) 2024/795 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 February 2024. 

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POSEI and LIFE, have brought about significant positive impacts in these regions in the fields 
of transport, digitalisation, agriculture and environment. 

Furthermore, the Commission has enshrined the outermost regions’ specificities in many EU 
policies, such as climate action (Emissions Trading Scheme), fisheries (de minimis aid  for 
small  fishing  fleet),  State  aid  (General  Block  Exemption  Regulation),  digitalisation 
(Connectivity  Package),  transport  connectivity  (Trans-European  Transport  Network),  and 
trade (sustainable impact assessments). The Commission has also created specific tools and 
opportunities  (e.g.  dedicated  advisory  tool  and  workshops,  youth  project)  to  help  the 
outermost  regions  seize  the  various  possibilities  for  EU  support,  from  which  they  are 
increasingly benefiting. 
These  efforts  need  to  be  continued.  As  highlighted  in  the  9th  Cohesion  Report,  most  of  the 
outermost regions have a GDP per capita  below 75% of the EU average and some of these 
regions  are  (or  at  risk  to  be)  in  a  regional  development  trap81.  To  bridge  the  gap  in  living 
conditions with continental Europe, it is essential to continue investing in the coverage of basic 
needs, e.g. water and housing, and addressing (energy) poverty.  

In  line  with  Article  349  of  the  Treaty,  the  Commission  will  continue  providing  special 
attention and measures adapted to the outermost regions’ permanent constraints82. EU tailored 
support is essential for the outermost regions and their citizens to develop and benefit from 
being part of the single market. This includes addressing the challenges of the green, digital 
and demographic transitions and making the most  of the opportunities they offer. This  is 
particularly important for these regions, and for the EU as a whole which can benefit from their 
potential  in  strategic  sectors  such  as  space,  renewable  energies,  biodiversity  or  the  blue 
economy, as well as from the opportunities these regions offer to reach out to other continents 
and regions of the globe. To unlock this potential, the Commission will continue to support the 
outermost regions in areas such as transport, agriculture, fisheries, trade, migration, and social 
issues, among others.  

The effort of the EU in supporting the outermost regions’ development and in improving their 
economic and social situation must be matched by the regions themselves and their Member 
States.  Appropriate  development  strategies,  reforms  and  investments  are  still  very  much 
needed  to  reduce  disparities  with  the  rest  of  the  EU.  In  particular,  it  is  essential  to  support 
public  services  and  the  creation  of  jobs  in  these  regions,  including  by  strengthening 
administrative capacity using the opportunities available at EU and national level. In addition, 
EU and national support for cooperation with neighbouring countries is essential to ensure that 
the outermost regions are well integrated in regional and global value chains. 

81  The  regional  development  trap  is  defined  as  ‘the  state  of  a  region  unable  to  retain  its  economic dynamism  in  terms  of 
income,  productivity,  and  employment,  while  also  underperforming  its  national  and  European  peers  on  these  same 
dimensions’ (Diemer et al., 2022: 489). The Canary Islands are in a regional development trap and French Guiana is at risk 
of falling into it. 

82  In its 2024 conclusions on the 9th Cohesion Report, the Council recalled the structural social and economic situation of 
outermost regions, as recognised by Article 349 of the TFEU, and the role that cohesion policy has to play in supporting 
their development and regional integration (Council conclusions (18 June 2024) 11347/24). 

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