The Outermost Regions: European Regions of Assets and Opportunities
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THE OUTERMOST REGIONS: EUROPEAN REGIONS OF ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES Azores Madeira Saint Martin Canary Islands Guadeloupe Martinique French Guiana Réunion Regional Policy Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union. Freephone number (*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) Certain mobile telephone operators do not allow access to 00 800 numbers or these calls may be billed. European Commission, Directorate-General for Regional Policy Communication, Information and Relations with Third Countries Raphaël Goulet Avenue de Tervueren 41, B – 1040 Brussels Email: [email protected] Internet: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/index_en.htm This publication is printed in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese and is available at: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/activity/outermost/index_en.cfm The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. © Copyrights: Cover: iStockphoto – Shutterstock, page 7: iStockphoto – EC, page 8: EC, page 9: EC, page 10: EC, page 11: iStockphoto, EC, page 12: EC, page 13: EC, page 14: iStockphoto , page 15: iStockphoto, page 16: EC, page 17: EC, page 19: iStockphoto – Shutterstock, page 20: EC, page 21: CNES, page 25: iStockphoto, page 26: EC, page 27: EC, page 29: iStockphoto, page 30: EC, page 31: EC, page 33: iStockphoto, page 34: M. David Chane, page 35: EC, page 37: iStockphoto, page 38: EC, page 39: EC. Source of statistics: Eurostat 2011 (Saint Martin: INSEE) More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2012 ISBN 978-92-79-24952-5 doi:10.2776/62479 © European Union, 2012 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Printed in Belgium PRINTED ON ELEMENTAL CHLORINE-FREE BLEACHED PAPER (ECF) THE OUTERMOST REGIONS*: ‘EUROPEAN REGIONS OF ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES’ * ORs TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 3 Introduction �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 4 Azores ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 6 Canary Islands ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 10 Guadeloupe ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 14 French Guiana ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 18 Madeira ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 24 Martinique �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 28 Réunion ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 32 Saint Martin ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 36 The Outermost Regions in figures ������������������������������������������������������������������������� 40 THE OUTERMOST REGIONS: ‘EUROPEAN REGIONS OF ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES’ 3 PREFACE Comprising two archipelagos (the The European Union recognises both the assets and con- Azores and the Canary Islands), straints of the Outermost Regions and helps them over- two groups of islands (Madeira come obstacles to the development of their endogenous and Guadeloupe), three separate potential� The European funds aim to support their efforts islands (Réunion, Martinique and to modernise traditional sectors and diversify into new Saint Martin) and a mainland ones, to improve their competitiveness, to reduce unem- region (French Guiana), the Outer- ployment and to promote more inclusive growth� most Regions are European terri- This publication gives an overview of the geo-political, tories far away from the continent, social and economic situation of these regions and how featuring very specific geo-economic particularities and they can contribute to European development as a whole� remarkable natural conditions� It also provides an insight into some projects co-funded by Situated in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, in the Caribbean the European Union that stimulate investment in a number Sea and in the Amazonian jungle, the Outermost Regions of areas in order to contribute to their development� are territories of unique natural characteristics and ideal The Outermost Regions have great potential and, working locations for research and experimentation in a number of together, we must ensure they seize the opportunities fields, such as the development of renewable energies, open to them� The objectives of smart, sustainable and astrophysics or mitigating climate change effects� Their inclusive growth, set out in the Europe 2020 Strategy must exceptional biodiversity and marine ecosystems present be the goals of all Europe’s regions, near or far, and my great potential for innovation, while their geographic loca- policy will help the Outermost Regions achieve them� tion make them strategic European outposts in the world� Johannes HAHN Commissioner for Regional Policy 4 European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which THE OUTERMOST REGIONS: includes an additional grant for the ORs and sparsely popu- ‘EUROPEAN REGIONS OF lated areas of Finland and Sweden to offset the extra costs they incur, the Cohesion Fund (for the Portuguese ORs) and ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES’ the European Social Fund (ESF) are major tools that contrib- ute to structuring public and private investment in these INTRODUCTION The European Union currently has eight Outermost Regions regions� (ORs), which form an integral part of EU territory� These are: The ORs are also beneficiaries of various financial instru- Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Saint Martin, ments and special schemes that have been introduced in the Réunion (France); the Canary Islands (Spain) and the Azores areas of fisheries (European Fisheries Fund – EFF) and agri- and Madeira (Portugal)� Unlike the Overseas Countries and culture (European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development Territories (OCTs), which have associate status with their – EAFRD; Programme of Options Specifically Relating to respective Member States (Denmark, France, the Netherlands Remoteness and Insularity – POSEI)� and the United Kingdom), the Outermost Regions must adhere in full to the rights and obligations arising from the • The POSEI Programme, set up in 2001, provides grants for European Treaties� production, processing and marketing of agricultural pro- duce in the ORs and for these regions is equivalent to the However, Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the first pillar of the common agricultural policy; European Union (TFEU) recognises that the ORs have spe- cific features that set them apart from the rest of the EU, and • ‘POSEI Fisheries’ is a scheme aimed at mitigating the extra that these can have a negative impact on their economic and costs associated with marketing certain fisheries products social development� These are factors such as their remote- from the Outermost Regions� ness, their island status, adverse topographical and cli- The Outermost Regions are closely involved in the ERDF co- matic conditions or their dependence on a limited number of financed Territorial Cooperation Programmes, which act as local industries� Under this article, and thus in line with the a vital tool for strengthening their regional integration� There European Treaties, specific measures may be adopted which are four transnational and cross-border cooperation pro- are appropriate for the situation in the Outermost Regions grammes devoted to them for the period 2007-13: and take account of their special characteristics and handicaps� • the ‘MAC’ programme, involving Madeira, the Azores and the Canary Islands and also covering neighbouring west Aside from their handicaps and problems, the ORs also have African countries; unique assets and potential that can benefit the EU� They constitute a European territorial presence in strategic areas • the ‘INTERREG – Caribbean’ programme linking Martinique, of the world, and have outstanding geographical and Guadeloupe, Saint Martin and French Guiana and also geological features that make them useful research and involving the other Caribbean states; innovation laboratories in industries of the future such as: the ‘Indian Ocean’ programme, involving Réunion and its biodiversity; terrestrial and marine ecosystems; pharmacol- • neighbouring states in the Indian Ocean; ogy; renewable energy and space science� • the ‘Amazonia’ programme involving French Guiana, THE ORS AND EU POLICY Surinam and north-eastern Brazil’s Amazonian states (Amapà, Parà and Amazonas)� All EU policies apply to the Outermost Regions� In addition, the seventh Framework Programme for Research Cohesion policy is a key tool for the ORs’ regional develop- and Technological Development (FP7) contains specific pro- ment strategies� It provides important support for conver- visions designed to foster the potential of the Outermost gence towards the Europe 2020 objectives and for Regions and improve their access to the European Research modernising and diversifying the regions’ economies� The Area� Due to their exceptional geographical locations, these THE OUTERMOST REGIONS: ‘EUROPEAN REGIONS OF ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES’ 5 regions could host research