The European Commission has published a new communication setting out its Outermost Regions (RUP) Strategy, replacing the previous 2022 framework and establishing a roadmap for these territories at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions. Crucially, the new strategy goes beyond treating the regions as zones requiring exceptional support conditions, explicitly recognising them as strategically significant within European geopolitics — a framing that aligns closely with positions long advocated by the Spanish government.
Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs transmitted proposals to the Commission early in the year, at the initiative of the Ministry of Territorial Policy, calling for the inclusion of issues such as housing and support for the primary sector, as well as the preservation of the POSEI instrument's singular character for the islands.
The new strategy is built around three main pillars. On competitiveness and single market access, the Commission commits to capitalising on RUP assets and supporting strategic sectors including fisheries and biodiversity, renewable energy, tourism, logistics, air and maritime transport, and research. On resilience and preparedness, the strategy addresses environmental challenges and climate change, while also specifically naming security threats, external shocks, hybrid threats, immigration, and border management as areas requiring tailored measures. On social justice, it promotes reducing regional disparities, meeting basic needs, and advancing quality education, training, and youth employment in line with the European Pillar of Social Rights action plan.
A notable concrete measure is the Commission's proposal to extend exemptions under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) for aviation and maritime transport in outermost regions until 31 December 2035. The Commission also committed to working on improved exemption conditions under the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and on waste incineration rules.
More broadly, the Commission pledged to embed RUP specificities in regulatory processes, to advance the full implementation of Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, and to involve these regions early — rather than retrospectively — in initiatives that affect them. Cohesion policies and POSEI funding are to be maintained through the forthcoming 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework negotiations, with regions retaining their role as managing authorities in direct dialogue with the Commission.
Ángel Víctor Torres, Spain's Minister for Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, stated that outermost regions such as the Canary Islands "must acquire greater weight within the European Union as zones of opportunity in relations with their environment and in strengths such as tourism, environmental study, or the development of space research."
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