The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, the additional pressure triggered by Russia's war against Ukraine and an increasing number of natural disasters make it urgent to deploy a renewed and ambitious support strategy for Europe's outermost regions. This is the key message delivered by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) during its 8 February plenary session.
The five million EU citizens who live in outermost regions (Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin, the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands) cope with specific vulnerabilities, as a result of the geographic characteristics, remoteness and isolation of these territories. These have been further accentuated by a succession of natural disasters, increasingly frequent due to climate crisis, by the pandemic of COVID-19 as well as by the war against Ukraine, which risks now undermining their recovery.
In this context, in the opinion led by Pedro de Faria e Castro (PT - EPP), Undersecretary of the Presidency of the Azores Regional Government, urges the EU to update the support policies and investment tools for these European regions located in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean basin, South America and the Indian Ocean. According to the rapporteur: “The outermost regions are territories which, in the current geopolitical framework and systemic changes in the European and international economy, offer a wealth of opportunities to the EU. It is impossible to capitalise on this potential without addressing the structural weaknesses and constraints of these territories, which require European policies to be adapted. This is the essence of Article 349. Only a policy adjusted to the specific characteristics of the outmost regions will enable structural and sustainable development, that brings hope to their populations. This opinion is a further decisive step towards providing the responses, which are essential in order to face up to the challenging times in which we live.”
Portuguese MEP, Álvaro Amaro (PT/EPP) stated that only a duly coordinated action between the different levels of government - from our European Institutions to the local authorities, will achieve a rapid implementation of the proposed measures, with a view to obtaining effective, consequential results and take full advantage of the potential of these regions, which are countless."
The CoR draws attention to the urgent need to address the significant social and economic inequalities of the Outermost Regions compared to mainland Europe and calls on the European Commission to support these regions in the process of convergence with the rest of the European Union.
Given the greater vulnerability due to their remoteness and isolation from European mainland, meeting the new targets on emissions and fuel taxation arising from the Fit for 55 package risks to have a disrupting impact on remote regions' economies and societies. The Committee urge therefore to promote the energy autonomy of these regions through targeted support and promotion policies that allow for an appropriate and affordable transition from the current dependence on fossil fuels to sustainable sources.
EU regional and local leaders also stress the role of outermost regions in strengthening the maritime dimension of the European Union, making it the world’s largest maritime area, forming an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of more than 25 million km2 and offering major economic opportunities, especially in relation to the blue economy strategies of the coming years. In this light, the CoR welcomes the Commission's commitment to review the reporting procedure requirements and the provisions allowing state aid for the renewal of the fishing fleet in these regions, ensuring sustainable fisheries.
With regards to the tourism sector, that plays a key role in the development of the outermost regions and has a major impact on their economic growth, employment and regional development, the Committee requests the European Commission to step up the development of a European tourism policy that provides for the creation of a European Tourism Agency, supports the dual transition of European tourist destinations and accelerates the recovery of this strategic sector for these regions.
Finally, the CoR calls for pragmatic and tailored solutions to be adopted as a matter of urgency, systematically applying Article 349 of the TFEU, in order to avoid the objective of economic, social and sustainable recovery being undermined.
Background:
The Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), recognises the vulnerabilities of the Outmost regions and the permanent structural constraints these regions face.
EU outermost region: Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin, the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands.
CoR members will discuss further the implementation of the EU Strategy on the Outermost Regions at a seminar in the Canary Islands on the 7th of March.