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Good morning and welcome to the press conference to present the outermost regions strategy adopted today by the college.

I would like to welcome Rafael Smit,

who is the executive vice president of the Commission for Cohesion and Reforms and who will say a few words about the strategy.

But before that, we would like to invite you to watch a short video with us which is related to this initiative,

and afterwards, I will pass the floor to the executive vice president and we'll open the floor for your questions.

More than 5 million people live in Europe's 9 outermost regions.

Though far from continental Europe, they are fully part of the European Union. But their location also brings particular challenges.

Distance, insularity, climate risks, dependence on a few economic sectors and higher costs can affect opportunities,

connectivity and everyday life.

To respond to these realities, the European Commission unveils a new strategy for outermost regions.

For the first time,

the strategy comes with a regulatory package and opens the door to a stronger partnership with outermost regions because these regions have remarkable strengths.

A uniquely diverse flora and fauna,

vast maritime areas and great potential in the blue economy, renewable energy, research and innovation.

They are the EU's door to the wider world,

a bridge between Europe and other continents, and a stepping stone to the stars.

The new strategy for the outermost regions marks a new chapter.

It marks a more ambitious approach across EU policies to help these regions become better connected, more competitive.

It will support new opportunities for businesses, communities, and especially young people.

By building on their strengths and addressing their specific challenges,

the European Union is investing in stronger communities so that people can thrive where they live.

Ladies and gentlemen,

today the Commission presents a new strategy for the European Union's outermost regions. Let me start with a simple point.

The outermost regions may be far from continental Europe,

but they are at the heart of our European project.

So let me explain what we are doing today, why it matters for Europe, and how we will deliver.

We are talking about 9 regions French Guyana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, La Reunion, and Saint Martin belonging to France,

the Azores and Madeira belonging to Portugal, and the Canary Islands to Spain.

They are located thousands of kilometers from continental Europe, in South America,

the Caribbean, and the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

But they are a part of the European Union, and more than 5 million people live there.

Their special situation is recognized by our treaties.

Article 349 of the Treaty allows the European Union to adapt its rules to their specific realities and constraints.

For many Europeans, the names of these regions may 1st bring to mind beautiful landscapes, extraordinary nature and holiday destinations,

and of course, these are extraordinary territories, but beyond this image, the reality is more complex.

They face structural disadvantages linked to distance, connectivity,

small markets and exposure to external shocks.

And in some of them, people still face difficulties in accessing basic goods and essential services.

But this strategy is not only about overcoming the challenges created by distance,

it is also about the opportunities created by geography.

They are the European gateways to Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and the Indo-Pacific.

The maritime zones represent more than half of the EU's exclusive economic zones.

And they are important for our security, maritime surveillance,

energy, research, biodiversity, and access to space.

Coral in French Guiana, for example, is Europe's main gateway to space.

The strategy is about turning strategic potential into economic opportunities and economic opportunities into better living conditions for people.

So the strategy is built around 4 clear objectives. First, geostrategic potential and regional integration.

We want these regions to play their full role as European gateways,

strengthening cooperation with the neighboring countries and regions and contributing to our trade security,

defense and external policies.

Second, competitive and better access to the single market.

We want to help these regions diversify their economies and develop their strengths,

from the blue economy to renewable energy, tourism,

agriculture, research, biotechnology, logistics and space. Third, resilience and preparedness.

These regions are on the front line of natural disasters.

We therefore need stronger infrastructure, greater energy and food security, and better crisis preparedness. And 4th, social fairness. Behind every strategy, there are people.

Our objective is both economic and social,

to create the conditions for people to build their future in the place they call home.

This brings me to a fundamental aspect how we deliver.

Our starting point is simple equal treatment does not always mean identical treatment.

It is neither reasonable nor fair to apply exactly the same obligations to territories facing fundamentally different geographic,

economic, and social conditions.

This is precisely why Article 349 exists, and today we are putting this principle into practice.

For the first time, the strategy comes with a dedicated regulatory package with targeted adaptations,

exemptions and derogations on taxation.

On deforestation rules, on agriculture, on fisheries, and on migration and asylum.

These are concrete examples of what a place-based European policy means.

The objectives remain European, but the way we achieve them must take account of territorial realities,

and this package is not the end of the process.

It is a part of a more systematic approach.

We have already moved in this direction with our proposal in areas such as ETS.

The Public Procurement Act approved yesterday and we are ready to to do the same with the upcoming European Product Act.

We will continue to examine where further sectoral adaptations are justified,

but there is another important element behind today's strategy, the method that we have followed.

This strategy and the regulatory package have been built together with the outermost regions and the Member States concerned. We listened through the public consultation.

We brought together representatives of the regions, Member States and the stakeholders at an important event here in Brussels,

and most importantly, we went to the territories themselves,

because our approach does not end when a strategy is adopted.

The dialogue continues before, during and after our proposal.

Let me conclude by putting today's strategy in a wider perspective. European territories are very different. Their challenges are different.

Their opportunities are different, but the principle behind our work is the same.

European policies must fit the reality of places and of the people who live there.

Europe's strength comes from its diversity,

and this diversity must be reflected in the way we design our policy.

The outermost regions may be geographically distant from Brussels,

but strategically they bring Europe closer to the world.

The success of the outermost regions is a success for Europe. Thank you.