page_title: Special member state territories and the European Union
section_title: Former special territories
hierarchical_section_title: Special member state territories and the European Union / Former special territories
caption_attribution_description: 20190626_Harbor_0308
context_page_description: The special territories of the European Union are 22 dependent territories of EU member states which, for historical, geographical, or political reasons, enjoy special status within or outside the European Union.
  The special territories divide themselves in three categories: 9 Outermost Regions that form part of the European Union, though they benefit from derogations from some EU laws due to their geographical remoteness from mainland Europe, 13 Overseas Countries and Territories that do not form part of the European Union, though they cooperate with the EU via the Overseas Countries and Territories Association, and 10 special cases that form part of the European Union, though EU law make ad hoc provisions.
  The Outermost Regions were recognised at the signing of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992, and confirmed by the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007. The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union states that both primary and secondary European Union law applies automatically to the outermost regions, with possible derogations due to the particularities of these territories.
context_section_description: Many currently independent states or parts of such were previously territories of the following EU members since the latter joined the EU or, previously the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC):
  Belgium (with multiple territories, from ECSC formation until 1962)
  France (with multiple territories, from ECSC formation)
  Italy (with Italian Somaliland, from ECSC formation until 1960)
  The Netherlands (with multiple territories, from ECSC formation)
  Portugal (with multiple territories, from 1986 enlargement until 2002)
  United Kingdom (with multiple territories, from 1973 enlargement)
  Most of these territories seceded before the implementation of the Maastricht Treaty in 1993 and the following years, meaning that cooperation like the EU citizenship, the VAT union or the Eurozone did not exist, so it made less difference to be a special territory then.
  These were:
  Cambodia (gained independence from France in 1953), no Community treaty applied there, besides ECSC preferences
  Laos (gained independence from France in 1954), no Community treaty applied there, besides ECSC preferences
  Vietnam (gained independence from France in 1954), no Community treaty applied there, besides ECSC preferences
  Tunisia (gained independence from France in 1956), no Community treaty applied there, besides ECSC preferences
  Morocco (gained independence from France in 1956), no Community treaty applied there, besides ECSC preferences
  Guinea (gained independence from France in 1958), had OCT status
  Cameroon (French-administered part gained independence from France in 1960 along with some of UK-administered parts); had OCT status for the French part
  Togo (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status
  Mali (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status
  Senegal (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status
  Madagascar (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status
  DR Congo (gained independence from Belgium in 1960), had OCT status
  Somalia (Italian-administered part gained independence from Italy in 1960 along with UK-administered part); had OCT status for the Italian part
  Benin (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status
  Niger (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status
  Burkina Faso (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status
  Ivory Coast (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status
  Chad (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status
  Central African Republic (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status
  Congo (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status
  Gabon (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status
  Mauritania (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status
  Burundi (gained independence from Belgium in 1962), had OCT status
  Rwanda (gained independence from Belgium in 1962), had OCT status
  Netherlands New Guinea (transferred from the Netherlands to UN in 1962, later annexed by Indonesia), had OCT status
  Suriname (gained independence from the Netherlands in 1975), had OCT status, EURATOM application unsure.
  Algeria (gained independence from France in 1962), had a status similar to OMR
  Bahamas (gained independence from the UK in 1973), had OCT status
  Grenada (gained independence from the UK in 1973), had OCT status
  Comoros (gained independence from France in 1975), had OCT status
  Seychelles (gained independence from the UK in 1976), had OCT status
  French Somaliland (gained independence from France as Djibouti in 1977), had OCT status
  Solomon Islands (gained independence from the UK in 1976), had OCT status
  Tuvalu (gained independence from the UK in 1978), had OCT status
  Dominica (gained independence from the UK in 1978), had OCT status
  Saint Lucia (gained independence from the UK in 1979), had OCT status
  Kiribati (gained independence from the UK in 1979), had OCT status
  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (gained independence from the UK in 1979), had OCT status
  Zimbabwe (gained de jure independence from the UK in 1980), no Community treaty applied there, besides ECSC preferences
  Vanuatu (gained independe
caption: Sermiligaaq, Greenland
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