A New Strategic Vision For the EU’s Outermost Regions: Strengthening the Union’s Global Reach

Today, the European Commission adopted a Communication setting out a new strategic vision for the EU’s outermost regions - French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion, Saint-Martin (France), the Azores, Madeira (Portugal), and the Canary Islands (Spain).

From the Atlantic to the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and South America, the outermost regions are a unique part of the EU: rich in biodiversity, innovation, culture and of strategic importance, embodying Europe’s global presence, maritime strength and diversity.

The new strategy underlines the Commission’s strong and lasting commitment to ensure that the outermost regions can fully realise their potential, with stronger support, greater resilience and fairer opportunities for their people.

The Communication is accompanied by a regulatory package proposing targeted adaptations to EU legislation to better reflect the outermost regions’ unique realities and constraints. The proposals are tailored to the needs of the regions concerned and cover areas such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, migration, and taxation. The regulatory package is intended as a first step in a continuous process, and the Commission will keep working across policy areas to ensure that the specific constraints of the outermost regions are taken into account more systematically in EU legislation and policies.

Addressing the outermost regions’ challenges and unlocking their opportunities

The new strategy sets out an ambitious approach across EU policies to support these regions, boost their socio-economic development and help their citizens make the most of their regions’ unique strengths and geostrategic importance. It is built around four key objectives:

- Harness geostrategic potential and strengthen regional integration: Better align EU internal and external policies to deepen cooperation with neighbouring countries while boosting trade, connectivity, security, defence and maritime security.

- Increase competitiveness and access to the single market: Support smart specialisation in areas where the outermost regions have clear competitive advantages such as the blue economy, renewable energy, biotechnology, research and space. The strategy will also help improve connectivity through stronger air and sea networks.

- Improve resilience and preparedness: Improve climate adaptation and tackle environmental challenges including the influx of sargassum while better protecting biodiversity. The strategy will also strengthen disaster response, support energy autonomy, protect critical infrastructure like ports and submarine cables, and reinforce food security and self-sufficiency through agriculture and fisheries.

- Promote social fairness and support people: Foster employment, access to education and social inclusion, reduce poverty, improve access to affordable housing, clean water and healthcare, while supporting people’s right to stay in the place they call home – particularly for young people.

Alongside the targeted measures included in the regulatory package, work will continue to make EU support more responsive to the needs of the outermost regions and more coherent overall.

A continued strategic engagement with outermost regions

The Commission will consistently consider the Outermost Regions’ angle in the design of future Commission initiatives. The strategy aims to foster a robust partnership between the Outermost Regions, their Member States and the Commission, including through a yearly structured dialogue and a dedicated portal. In addition, a new youth project will continue empowering young people in these regions as active local actors for change.

The strategy also intends to reinforce the administrative and technical capacity of these regions, enabling them to maximise the impact of EU policies, funds and programmes. A revamped advisory tool will continue providing tailored services and support for these regions’ stakeholders on EU programmes, funding instruments and tools, ahead of the Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028–2034.