Outermost regions: implementation of Article 299(2) of the EC Treaty. Report

The committee adopted the report by Margie SUDRE (EPP-ED, F) on the Commission's report on measures to implement Article 299(2) on the outermost regions of the EU. The rapporteur regretted the fact that the Commission report had not yet dealt satisfactorily with all the issues raised by the outermost regions and their national authorities with a view to transforming the new legal basis of Article 299(2) into a strategy for action. While welcoming the fact that the Commission had published its work programme for the next two years, the committee nevertheless wished to see more emphasis on the multiannual dimension, as well as a more detailed timetable and guarantees concerning the resources necessary for proper implementation. A comprehensive and lasting policy to assist the outermost regions should be based on both support for the production sector and the development of firms and services (in particular SMUs, the craft sector, tourism, etc.) and on measures to bring those regions up to speed in strategic areas (the information society, the environment, transport, energy, etc.). Concern was also expressed at the delay in the submission of the Commission's proposals for the revision of the agricultural provisions of the POSEI programmes and the restrictive concept which might be incorporated into them. The report urged that the budget estimates for those provisions be increased so that traditional forms of production in the outermost regions could continue to receive support. The committee also regretted that the Community instruments (horizontal programmes, Community initiative programmes, etc.) were tailored solely to the needs of regions belonging to the EU continent, disregarding the specific situation of the outermost regions, which formed an interface with economic and political areas whose influence was set to grow during the 21st century. Lastly, the EU was urged to take account of the problem of illegal immigration in the outermost regions, all of which constituted external borders of the Community and hence points of entry into its territory.