This document is an excerpt from the EUR-Lex website
Document 32013D0755
Association of the overseas countries and territories with the EU
This summary has been archived and will not be updated. See
'Association of the overseas countries and territories with the European Union'
for an updated information about the subject.
Association of the overseas countries and territories with the EU
The overseas association decision was adopted in November 2013 and entered into force on 1 January 2014. It relates to the European Union’s relations with overseas countries and territories that are linked to EU countries.
ACT
Council Decision 2013/755/EU of 25 November 2013 on the association of the overseas countries and territories with the European Union (‘Overseas Association Decision’)
SUMMARY
Since its origin, the overseas countries and territories (OCTs) have had an association with the EU. The OCTs comprise 25 islands which are spread around the Atlantic, Antarctic, Arctic, Indian and Pacific Oceans and the Caribbean. They are not sovereign states but have constitutional links with four EU countries: Denmark, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (1).
The association of the OCTs with the EU is based on the constitutional relations with these four EU countries.
The 2013 overseas association decision (OAD) aims to modernise the relations of the EU with the OCTs and take into account changing global trade patterns, as well as concerns such as climate change and environmental protection. It seeks to go beyond development cooperation and work towards building a relationship based on mutual interests and shared values, and in pursuit of sustainable development.
The main objectives of the association are to:
While EU laws as such are not in force in the OCTs, the OAD lays down the detailed rules and procedures of the association.
Modernised trade regime
The new OAD marks the beginning of a new system of trade which aims to benefit the trading environment for the OCTs. The new regime ranks OCTs as most favoured trading partners, with better terms of trade in services and establishment, as well as duty- and quota-free access to the EU’s market for goods. EU market access conditions have also been revised under the decision paving the way for greater export opportunities for OCTs.
Financial support
REFERENCES
Act |
Entry into force |
Deadline for transposition in the Member States |
Official Journal |
Decision 2013/755/EU |
1.1.2014 |
- |
RELATED ACTS
Council Decision 2014/137/EU of 14 March 2014 on relations between the European Union on the one hand, and Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark on the other (Official Journal L 76, 15.3.2014, pp. 1-5)
last update 21.09.2015
(1) The United Kingdom withdraws from the European Union and becomes a third country (non-EU country) as of 1 February 2020.