page_title: Special member state territories and the European Union
section_title: Heligoland
hierarchical_section_title: Special member state territories and the European Union / Special cases / Heligoland
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Luftaufnahme der Hochseeinsel Helgoland. English: Aerial view of the offshore island Helgoland.
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: Heligoland is an archipelago of Germany situated in the North Sea 70 km (43 mi) off the German north-western coast. It is part of the EU, but is excluded from the customs union and the VAT area.
caption: Heligoland
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