Brussels, 12/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - How can the outermost regions (OR) be reconciled with the single market? Pedro Solbes, former European Commissioner, suggests in a report submitted to Michel Barnier, European Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services on Wednesday 12 October that this could be through SMEs, the digital agenda, clean energies, and tourism. Outermost regions are the regions of France, Spain and Portugal - often islands - that are physically cut off from the European Union by several thousand kilometres (over 9,000 in the case of La Réunion, for example). Although integrated into the single market under a specific set of measures, these regions cannot play a full part in the same. Structural constraints, in addition to their geographical location, continue to be a barrier to the free movement of persons, goods, services and capital within the EU. A study in 2010 deplored the fact that, out of €100 invoiced by companies of the Canary Islands, €8 were destined to cover the extra costs linked to the constraints of being in an outlying location. There is also unemployment of around 30% in these regions. As Solbes, who was also the former Spanish minister for agriculture, economy and finance, sees it, it is time to update obsolete European policies in order to enhance the assets of the very outlying regions. So that they might be better integrated into the single market, the former commissioner has drawn up a list of 22 recommendations aimed at improving access to funding for SMEs, improving citizen mobility, making training correspond to the specific needs of the outermost regions (logistics, telecommunications, the green economy, health, personal services, etc), in order to make these regions more accessible and adjust the networks in consequence, and to promote the use of clean energy resources, and promote tourism other than in peak seasons for certain categories of people. He said one might also reckon on a digital single market, and consider the outermost regions as the “doors for entry into Europe”. Solbes suggests therefore that such regions should be better integrated into their respective regional markets and areas. This is a major point given that these regions are on the edge of the markets of African-Caribbean-Pacific countries with all the trading possibilities that that entails. In substance, the position of outermost regions allows them to play an essential role in the development of the single market's external dimension, while contributing to the EU's radiation worldwide, Solbes summed up.
The Solbes report, as it is already known, also recommends the establishment of an action plan for maximising the assets of these regions with regards to space (French base in Guyana), biodiversity, renewable energies and integrated management of the sea.
Solbes' report comes just at the right time, points out Johannes Hahn, European Regional Policy Commissioner, given that talks on the 2014-2020 planning of cohesion policy are about to begin. He assures this is a useful and very timely contribution to the discussions. Commissioner Barnier is of the same view, saying he hopes to extend Solbes' work to legislative work and European policies. This is now expected by Serge Letchimy, who presides over the Regional Council of the Martinique and who is president of the Conference of Presidents of the Outermost Regions, as, in his view, “a report can remain a report, but it must be followed up if it is to create momentum”. (MD/transl.jl)