European Strategy for the Outermost Regions

This article was published under the 2015-2020 European Committee of the Regions mandate.

Summary

COTER-VI/030

Last updated
3 December 2019

31 January 2018
Adoption at CoR Plenary

w

July 2017
appointment of the rapporteur

Out of sight, not out of heart: the EU’s Outermost
The Outermost Regions (ORs), which consist of eight islands and archipelagos and one continenteal territori in South America*, offer many opportunities despite facing their very specific challenges beyond the periphery of the European Union which severely hamper their economic and social development.
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Objective

The renewed strategy forms part of the EU’s ongoing reflection on the future of Europe and the design of the next programming period post-2020.

The Outermost Regions (ORs) comprise a group of eight islands and archipelagos (spread across the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and Macaronesia) and an isolated mainland territory in the Amazon rainforest, which include six French overseas communities (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion, and Saint Martin), the two Portuguese autonomous regions (the Azores and Madeira) and one Spanish Autonomous Community (the Canary Islands).

These regions share specific constraints, the combination and persistence of which severely hamper their economic and social development. Rapporteur Clavijo Batlle will thoroughly update the way that ORs are taken into account in European policies and provide a response to the expectations of European citizens in these regions.

Impact

2018

27 -28 June President Clavijo signed the Cohesion Alliance in name of the Outermost Regions, which was covered by Spanish media such as in Europa Press, Expansion, La Provincia, El Diario, Canarias 24 HorasAfter the signing coverage was available in Euractiv, El Diario, Noticias Canarias, La Vanguardia and Yahoo Noticias

27 April Spanish TV TVE covers Fernando Clavijo’s report after the COTER seminar with an interview (item starts at 21′.30″).

16 April All newspapers from Tenerife and other Spanish media report about the COTER seminar with President of the Canary Islands Fernando Clavijo, for instance in Europa Press, 20 Minutos, La Opinion de Tenerife, La Provincia Diario de Las PalmasEl Dia, Noticias Canarias,…

President Clavijo also discussed opportunities for Outermost Regions with the President of Guyana, Rodolphe Alexandre.

14 April The Canary Islands and other Outermost Regions can be a launching platform for the EU in terms of renewable energy and other fields argues Fernando Clavijo, as reported in Spanish media such as La Vanguardia and La Provincia.

13 April The Challenges and opportunities for economic, social and territorial development in the outermost regions” – COTER commission’s external seminar to contribute and follow-up on Fernando Clavijo’s report by enabling an exchange between representatives of cities, regions, European institutions, experts from the EU and civil society.

Canary Island President Clavijo also participated in a EU dialogue on the future of Europe about “Europe and the Canary Islands: configuring the future”.

RCTV covers Clavijo’s work.

11 April The future of the Outermost Regions will be debated in the Canary Islands for the COTER-seminar of the European Committee of the Regions, Spanish press reports in, among others, La Provincia and El Periodico de Canarias.

9 April Ahead of the COTER-seminar of the European Committee of the Regions “The challenges and opportunities for economic, social and territorial development in the outermost regions” in Tenerife Spanish press covers this exchange of representatives of cities, regions, European institutions, experts and civil society in Europa Press, La Provincia, 20 Minutos and ABC.

27 March President Clavijo gathered 70 EU experts to debate on the future of the Outermost Regions; covered in La Provincia.

12 March Spanish press report on President Clavijo’s meeting with the EU’s Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier – Clavijo, holding the presidency  of the ‘Conference of the Presidents of the Outermost Regions’, defended the position of the outermost regions on Brexit and the future EU budget, summarized in the opinion adopted last Plenary Session. Euractiv, El Confidencial, Hoy, El Diario, El Dia, and Tribuna de Canarias all report.

15 February Working visit of Daniel Gibbs, the President of the Overseas Collectivity of St. Martin. Both presidents discussed the role of Outermost regions in the EU and the relations between the Outermost Regions. The visit allowed to design a common agenda.

31 January Report unanimously adopted at the European Committee of the Regions plenary session, with coverage in El Confidencial, Noticanarias, Noticanarias, Europa Press, among others.

29 January Spanish media report on the upcoming report of Fernando Clavijo for the European Committee of the Regions plenary session in for instance: Noticanarias 20 MinutosEuropa PressLa Vanguardia.

11 January Spanish media report on remarks by Fernando Clavijo to strengthen the place of the Outermost Regions within the EU. Noticanarias Periódico Online, Canarias 24 Horas,
La Opinión de Tenerife, Tribuna de Canarias, ABC Agencias.

2017

14 December 2017 Spanish media widely covered Fernando Clavijo’s report which was adopted unanimously at the COTER Commission, for instance on TV with Radio Televisión Canaria RTVC (starting at 2:43), RTVE Telecanarias (starting at 9:29), Europa Press, La Vanguardia, El Dia, Noticanarias, El Diario, again El Diario and ABC, among others.

December 2017 Fernando Clavijo signed the Cohesion Alliance declaration to support a strong Cohesion Policy beyond 2020.

December 2017 Ahead of the adoption of the report in the COTER comission Spanish media cover the visit of Fernando Clavijo, President of the Canary Islands, in La Vanguardia and El Dia, among others.

26 October 2017 After the European Commission’s launch of its strategy for the Outermost Regions, the President of the Canary Islands Fernando Clavijo held bilateral talks with European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu about the work programme of the Presidency of the Canary Islands on the matter. Media reports via Europa Press, Noticias Canarias, Diario de Avisos.

September 2017 First discussion within the Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy

Fernando CLAVIJO BATLLE

Rapporteur

Additional documents

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