The European Commission considers that the implementation of the 2017 Communication on the partnership between the outermost regions and the European Union is on “the right track”, in a report published on Monday 23 March. It notes, however, that there is still a long way to go before the gap between the ORs and the continent is bridged.
According to the institution, “positive” and “concrete” results have been visible since 2017. It cites a multitude of examples in this respect, including the consultation of the outermost regions in the context of the negotiation box on the EU-Mercosur agreement with a view to developing specific measures to combat illegal fishing, and funding to develop waste recycling and traceability to improve the circular economy.
However, the authors believe it is necessary to further deepen the blue economy, improve the connectivity of these regions, invest in skills and “bridge inequalities between these regions and the European continent”. Furthermore, in the framework of the Green Deal, they consider it necessary to “accelerate” and to “concentrate” efforts to combat climate change, protect biodiversity and to accelerate the transition to the circular economy and the phase-out of fossil fuels.
The Communication was presented in October 2017 by the Juncker Commission. One of its aims was to strengthen the integration of the ORs into the internal market under Article 349 of the TFEU, which enshrines the specific nature of the ORs (see EUROPE 11890/12). But these regions still suffer from many handicaps overall, as recent Eurostat figures have shown (see EUROPE 12441/25).
To read the report: https://bit.ly/33GoxAC (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)