The European Union counts nine Outermost Regions, which are geographically very distant from the European continent:
- Guadeloupe and La Réunion, (2 French Regions)
- Mayotte (1 French overseas department)
- French Guiana and Martinique (2 French territorial collectivities)
- Saint-Martin (1 French overseas collectivity)
- Madeira and Azores (2 Portuguese autonomous regions)
- Canary Islands (1 Spanish autonomous community)
They are islands and archipelagos located in the Caribbean basin, in the western Atlantic and in the Indian Ocean or landlocked territory in the Amazonian forest. Despite the thousands of kilometers separating them from the European continent, these regions are an integral part of the EU. They welcome 4.8 million of citizens, a population equivalent to that of Ireland.
EU law and all the rights and duties associated with EU membership apply to the Outermost Regions, except for cases where there are specific measures or derogations. In accordance with Article 349 of the TFEU, these specific measures are designed to address the challenges faced by the Outermost Regions because of their remoteness, insularity, small size, difficult topography and climate, and economic dependence on a few products.
The Outermost Regions benefit from Cohesion Policy funding through the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund.
Date: 26 oct 2017
Theme: Outermost regions, Transport, Urban development, Education and training, Employment and social inclusion, Energy, Information society, Research and innnovation
Subtitles: en | es | fr | pt
Duration: 01:35