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

This new version of the Commission programme relating to Article 299(2) aims to enable the Laeken European Council - like the European Councils at Santa Maria da Feira, Nice and Gothenburg - to assess the progress of work. During the six months since the previous programme was presented at Gothenburg, significant progress has been made with regard to the three strands of the sustainable development strategy for the outermost regions as defined in the report of March 2000: - supporting traditional lines of production: adoption by the Council of the revision of agricultural measures; proposal by the Commission to extend the compensation scheme for fisheries surcharges for one year until a new scheme is introduced; proposals by the Commission relating to the tax arrangements applicable to traditional rum from the French overseas departments and rums, liqueurs and spirits from Madeira and the Azores; - stimulating economic activity by diversification and modernisation: the Council's decision on the removal of the intervention ceiling for assistance from the Structural Funds; the proposals by the Commission on the tax and customs arrangements in the Canaries; the Commission's initiatives concerning the information society and research; - international environment and regional cooperation: the work planned is under way, although complete results will not be available until next year. The programme set out below shows that the strategy defined in March 2000 is being systematically pursued through efforts to consolidate the body of EU law and introduce new measures. It also shows that the institutions will be required to pursue this strategy vigorously and imaginatively in 2002.�