EU moves to expand ‘outermost region’ privileges as Spain presses Ceuta and Melilla claim

The European Commission has offered a series of carve outs on tax, agriculture and migration policy to the bloc’s ‘outermost’ territories in the Caribbean Sea, Atlantic and Pacific Ocean – a week after Spain indicated that it wants its two North African enclaves to be given the same legal status. The designation of ‘outermost region’ covers nine islands: French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, La Réunion and Saint-Martin, belonging to France, the Portuguese islands of the Azores and Madeira, and the Spanish Canary Islands to Spain. Speaking on Thursday (10 September), European Commission executive vice-president Raffaele Fitto said that the blueprint was about promoting “geostrategic potential and regional integration.” “We want these regions to play their full role as European gateways, strengthening cooperation with neighbouring countries and regions and contributing to our trade, security, defence and external policies,” he said in a statement. Irregular migration The proposal would change the immigration and asylum rules for the French regions in the Caribbean and Indian Ocean who are not part of the Schengen area but are seeing a spike in irregular migration. To read this story, log in or subscribeEnjoy access to all articles and 25 years of archives, comment and gift articles. Become a subscriber for as low as €1,75 per week.Read without limitsAlready a subscriber? Login