Outermost regions

The glossary is being updated given the recent signing of the Treaty of Lisbon.

There are seven "outermost regions": Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique and Réunion (the four French overseas departments), the Canaries (Spain), and the Azores and Madeira (Portugal). Those regions are distinguished by their low population density and considerable distance from mainland Europe. Their specific location makes them European bridgeheads for fostering trade relations with their non-EU neighbours, most of whom are less-developed countries. Above all, on account of those regions, the maritime territory of the European Union is the world's largest with an economic zone covering 25 million km².

The outermost regions are the subject of a Declaration annexed to the EC Treaty and may benefit from specific measures on the basis of Article 299 of that Treaty. This Declaration acknowledges their considerable structural backwardness. The Declaration provides for the possibility of adopting specific measures to assist them as long as there is an objective need to promote their economic and social development. In addition, Article 299 of the Treaty authorises the Council to adopt specific measures laying down conditions for applying the Treaty and common policies to the outermost regions.

See:

• Economic, social and territorial cohesion