{{Short description|none}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox country | conventional_long_name = Overseas Countries and Territories | common_name = Overseas Countries and Territories | image_flag = Flag of Europe.svg | flag = Flag of Europe | flag_caption = European Union | image_map = Special member state territories and the European Union.svg | map_caption = Location of the European Union and the special territories | largest_settlement = {{cslist | Las Palmas | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | Ponta Delgada | Funchal | Nouméa | Cayenne | Saint-Denis | Mamoudzou | Fort-de-France | Les Abymes }} | largest_settlement_type = settlements | languages_type = Official language | languages = {{hlist | Spanish | French | Dutch | Portuguese | English | Swedish | Faroese | Danish | Greenlandic | Greek | Italian | German | Papiamento }} <small>(depends on the territory)</small> | membership = {{clist|title=9 Outermost Regions|hlist=on |Azores | Canary Islands | French Guiana | Guadeloupe | Réunion | Madeira | Martinique | Mayotte | Saint Martin }} {{clist|title=13 Overseas Countries and Territories|hlist=on | Aruba | Bonaire | Curaçao | French Polynesia | French Southern and Antarctic Lands | Greenland | New Caledonia | Saba | Saint Barthélemy | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | Sint Eustatius | Sint Maarten | Wallis and Futuna }} {{clist|title=10 Special Cases|hlist=on | Åland | Büsingen am Hochrhein | Campione d'Italia | Ceuta | Faroe Islands | Heligoland | Livigno | Melilla | Mount Athos | United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus }} | membership_type = Special territory | area_km2 = 2,733,792 | population_estimate = 6,297,986 | currency = Euro (EUR; )&nbsp;— OMRs, 3 OCTs{{efn|Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Barthélemy and the French Southern and Antarctic Lands}} and 9 special cases{{efn|Åland, Ceuta, Melilla, Heligoland, Livigno and Mount Athos; ''de jure'' in Büsingen am Hochrhein, Campione d'Italia and the UN Buffer Zone in Cyprus.}} {{clist|list_style = margin-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;<!-- {{unbulleted indent list}} --> | title = 5 others | Aruban florin (AWG)&nbsp; — Aruba | CFP franc (XPF)&nbsp;— New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna | Danish krone (DKK)&nbsp;— Greenland | Faroese króna (DKK)&nbsp;— Faroe Islands{{efn|The Faroese króna is not a separate currency, but a local issue of the Danish krone}} | Caribbean guilder (XCG)&nbsp;— Curaçao, Sint Maarten | United States dollar (USD)&nbsp;— Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba }} | date_format = dd/mm/yyyy&nbsp;(AD) }} {{Politics of the European Union}}

The European Economic Area (EEA) has 32 special territories of EU member states and EFTA member states which, for historical, geographical, or political reasons, enjoy special status within or outside the European Union and the European Free Trade Association.

The special territories of EU member states are categorised under three headings: nine '''Outermost Regions''' ('''OMR''') that form part of the European Union, though they benefit from derogations from some EU laws due to their geographical remoteness from mainland Europe; thirteen '''Overseas Countries and Territories''' ('''OCT''')<ref>{{Cite web |title=Overseas Countries and Territories |url=https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/countries/overseas-countries-and-territories_en |access-date=2025-08-02 |website=European Commission}}</ref> that do not form part of the European Union, though they cooperate with the EU via the Overseas Countries and Territories Association; and ten '''special cases''' that form part of the European Union (with the exception of the Faroe Islands), though EU laws make ''ad hoc'' provisions. The Outermost Regions were recognised at the signing of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992,<ref name=":0" /> and confirmed by the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007.<ref name="Penchard">{{cite web |url=http://www.outre-mer.gouv.fr/?la-collectivite-de-saint-barthelemy-obtient-un-nouveau-statut.html |title=La collectivité de Saint-Barthélémy obtient un nouveau statut européen |author=AFP |language=fr |date=29 October 2010 |access-date=8 April 2011 |work=Ministère de l'Outre-Mer}}</ref>

The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union states that both primary and secondary European Union law applies automatically to the outermost regions, with possible derogations due to the particularities of these territories. The Overseas Countries and Territories are recognised by Article&nbsp;198 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union which allows them to opt into EU provisions on the freedom of movement for workers and freedom of establishment, and invites them to join the Overseas Countries and Territories Association (OCTA) in order to improve cooperation with the European Union.<ref name=":1" /> The status of an uninhabited territory, Clipperton, remains unclear since it is not explicitly mentioned in primary EU law and has a ''sui generis'' status at the national level.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Murray |first=Fiona |title=The European Union and Member State Territories: A New Legal Framework Under the EU Treaties |date=2012 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-90-6704-826-2 |pages=172}}</ref>{{efn|The Clipperton Island is a private property of the French State. The Scattered Islands were regarded as "residual territories of the Republic" until 2007. They are now a district of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.|name=|group=}} Collectively, the special territories encompass a population of some 6.1&nbsp;million people and a land area of about 2,733,792 square kilometres (1,055,500&nbsp;sq&nbsp;mi). Around 80&nbsp;percent of this area is represented by Greenland. The largest region by population, the Canary Islands, accounts for more than a third of the total population of the special territories. The smallest by land area is the island of Saba in the Caribbean (13&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> or 5&nbsp;sq&nbsp;mi). The French Southern and Antarctic Lands is the only special territory without a permanent population.

== Outermost Regions == The Outermost Regions (OMR) are territories forming part of a member state of the European Union but situated a significant distance from mainland Europe. Due to this situation, they have derogation from some EU policies despite being part of the European Union.

According to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, both primary and secondary European Union law applies automatically to these territories, with possible derogations to take account of their "structural social and economic situation&nbsp;(...) which is compounded by their remoteness, insularity, small size, difficult topography and climate, economic dependence on a few products, the permanence and combination of which severely restrain their development".<ref name="Article 349 of TFEU">Article&nbsp;349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.</ref> All form part of the European Union customs area; however, some fall outside of the Schengen Area and the European Union Value Added Tax Area.

Seven Outermost Regions were recognised at the signing of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992.<ref name=":0">The Maastricht Treaty of 1992 (Treaty on European Union): Declaration on the outermost regions of the Community</ref> The Treaty of Lisbon included two additional territories (Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin) in 2007.<ref name="Article 349 of TFEU"/> Saint Barthélemy changed its status from OMR to OCT with effect from 1 January 2012.<ref name="Penchard" /> Mayotte, which was an OCT, joined the EU as an OMR with effect from 1 January 2014.<ref name="CD 2013/61/EU">{{cite web |url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:353:0005:0006:EN:PDF |title=Council Directive 2013/61/EU of December 2013 |date=17 December 2013 |access-date=1 January 2014}}</ref>

The 9 Outermost Regions of the European Union are:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Regional policy & outermost regions |url=https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/policy/themes/outermost-regions/#:~:text=The%20European%20Union%20(EU)%20counts,the%20Canary%20Islands%20(Spain). |access-date=10 July 2020 |website=ec.europa.eu |language=en}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style=font-size:90% ! class="unsortable" |Flag !! class="unsortable" |Coat of arms !Name !!Loca&shy;tion !!Area !!Pop. !!Capital !Largest<br />settle&shy;ment !!Official<br />language !!State |- |border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px ||Azores |rowspan=3 |North Atlantic |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000002333|{{convert|2333 |km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |236,440 |Angra do Heroísmo, Horta and Ponta Delgada ||Ponta Delgada |rowspan=2 |Portuguese |rowspan=2 |{{nowrap|{{flag|Portugal}}}} |- |border|80x80px |center|58x58px ||Madeira |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000000801|{{convert|801|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |250,769 |Funchal ||Funchal |- |border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px ||Canary Islands |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000007493|{{convert|7493|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |2,268,035 |Santa Cruz de Tenerife<br />and Las Palmas ||Las Palmas |Spanish ||{{flag|Spain}} |- |rowspan=2 |border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px ||French Guiana |South America |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000083534|{{convert|83534|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |292,354 |Cayenne ||Cayenne |rowspan=6 |French ||rowspan=6 |{{flag|France}} |- |center|58x58px||Guadeloupe |rowspan=3 |Caribbean |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000001628|{{convert|1628|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |380,387 |Basse-Terre ||Les Abymes |- |center|80x80px ! colspan="1" | ||Martinique |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000001128|{{convert|1128|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |355,459 |Fort-de-France ||Fort-de-France |- |rowspan=3 |border|center|80x80px |center|72x72px ||Saint Martin |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000000053|{{convert|53|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |36,286 |Marigot ||Marigot |- |center|58x58px ||Mayotte |rowspan=2 |Indian Ocean |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000000374|{{convert|374|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |320,901 |Mamoudzou ||Mamoudzou |- |center|58x58px ||Réunion |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000002511|{{convert|2511|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |896,175 |Saint-Denis ||Saint-Denis |- ! colspan="2" | !! Total !! !style=text-align:right |{{sort|00099855|{{convert|99855 |km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} !style=text-align:right |5,036,806 ! colspan="4" | |}

=== Autonomous Regions of Portugal === [[File:Vista sobre Angra do Heroismo.jpg|thumb|Angra do Heroísmo, oldest continuously settled town in the archipelago of the Azores and UNESCO World Heritage Site]]

Azores and Madeira are two groups of Portuguese islands in the Atlantic. Azores and Madeira are integral parts of the Portuguese Republic, but both have the special status as Autonomous Regions, with a degree of self-governance. Some derogations from the application of EU law apply in regards to taxation, fishing and transportation.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/competition/elojade/isef/index.cfm?fuseaction=dsp_result&policy_area_id=3&case_title=Madeira |title=Case search – Competition – European Commission |website=ec.europa.eu |access-date=7 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/competition/elojade/isef/index.cfm?fuseaction=dsp_result&policy_area_id=3&case_title=Azores |title=Case search – Competition – European Commission |website=ec.europa.eu |access-date=7 February 2020}}</ref> Their VAT is lower than the rest of Portugal, but they are not outside the EU VAT Area.

=== Canary Islands === The Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago off the African coast which form one of the 17&nbsp;autonomous communities of Spain–the country's principal first-level administrative division. They are outside the EU VAT Area.<ref name="vatcustoms">Article&nbsp;6 of Council Directive 2006/112/EC of 28 November 2006 (as amended) on the common system of value added tax (OJ&nbsp;L&nbsp;347, 11 December 2006, p.&nbsp;1) [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32006L0112:EN:NOT Eur-lex.europa.eu.]</ref> The Canary Islands are the most populous and economically strongest territory of all the outermost regions in the European Union. The outermost regions office for support and information is located in these islands, in the city of Las Palmas on the island of Gran Canaria.

=== French overseas regions === [[File:French Guiana tropical forest towards Cacao.jpg|thumb|French Guiana tropical forest, looking toward Cacao]]

French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Réunion are five French overseas regions (which are also overseas departments) which under French law are treated as integral parts of the Republic that are geographically unique. The euro is legal tender;<ref>[http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31992R2913:EN:NOT Article 3(1) of Council Regulation 2913/92/EEC of 12 October 1992 establishing the Community Customs Code (as amended) (OJ&nbsp;L&nbsp;302, 19 October 1992, pp.&nbsp;1–50)]</ref> however, they are outside the Schengen Area and the EU VAT Area.<ref name="vatcustoms" />

Mayotte is the newest of the five overseas departments, having changed from an overseas collectivity with OCT status on 31 March 2011. It became an outermost region, and thus part of the EU, on 1 January 2014.<ref name="CD 2013/61/EU"/>

=== Collectivity of Saint Martin === Saint Martin is the only overseas collectivity of France with the status of being an Outermost Region of the EU.<ref>[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/factsheets/en/sheet/100/outermost-regions-ors- Outermost regions, Fact Sheets on the European Union], European Parliament. Retrieved 6 November 2019.</ref> As with the French overseas departments, the euro is legal tender in Saint Martin, and it is outside the Schengen Area and the EU VAT Area.

On 22 February 2007, Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy were broken away from the French overseas department of Guadeloupe to form new overseas collectivities. As a consequence their EU status was unclear for a time. While a report issued by the French parliament suggested that the islands remained within the EU as outermost regions,<ref name="Rapport d'information no 3292">[http://www.senat.fr/rap/r04-329/r04-32915.html Rapport d'information nombre&nbsp;329] (2004–2005) de MM. Jean-Jacques Hyest, Christian Cointat et Simon Sutour, fait au nom de la commission des lois, déposé le 10 mai 2005. {{in lang|fr}}</ref> European Commission documents listed them as being outside the European Community.<ref name="eeas.europa.eu2">{{cite web |url=http://www.eeas.europa.eu/blood_diamonds/docs/trading_guidelines0108_en.pdf |title=Guidelines on Trading with the European Community (EC) |date=January 2008 |access-date=26 July 2011}}</ref> The legal status of the islands was clarified on the coming into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, which listed them as an outermost region.<ref name="functioning2">See Articles&nbsp;349 and&nbsp;355 [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2010:083:FULL:EN:PDF of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union].</ref> However, Saint Barthélemy ceased being an outermost region and left the EU, to become an OCT, on 1 January 2012.

== Overseas countries and territories == The overseas countries and territories (OCT) are dependent territories that have a special relationship with one of the member states of the EU. Their status is described in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and they are not part of the EU or the European Single Market. The Overseas Countries and Territories Association was created to improve economic development and cooperation between the OCTs and the EU,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.octassociation.org/octa-presentation |title=OCTA Presentation |website=www.octassociation.org|access-date=12 March 2018}}</ref> and includes most OCTs except three territories which do not have a permanent local population.

The OCTs have been explicitly invited by the EU treaty to join the EU-OCT Association (OCTA).<ref name=":1">[http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32001D0822:EN:HTML Council Decision of 27 November 2001 on the association of the overseas countries and territories with the European Community] ("Overseas Association Decision") (2001/822/EC).</ref> They were listed in the Article&nbsp;198 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which aside from inviting them to join OCTA, also provided them the opportunity to opt into EU provisions on the freedom of movement for workers<ref>Article 202 [ex Article&nbsp;186)]</ref> and freedom of establishment.<ref>Article 199(5) [ex Article&nbsp;183(5)]</ref> Yet, the freedom of establishment is limited by Article&nbsp;203 TFEU and the respective Council Decision on OCTs. Its Article&nbsp;51(1)(a) prescribes only that "the Union shall accord to natural and legal persons of the OCTs a treatment no less favourable than the most favourable treatment applicable to like natural and legal persons of any third country with whom the Union concludes or has concluded an economic integration agreement." Again this can be, according to Article&nbsp;51(2)(b) limited. The obligations provided for in paragraph&nbsp;1 of this Article shall not apply to treatment granted under measures providing for recognition of qualifications, licences or prudential measures in accordance with Article&nbsp;VII of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) or the GATS Annex on Financial Services.

The OCTs are not subject to the EU's common external customs tariffs<ref>Article 200(1) [ex Article 184(1)]</ref> but may claim customs on goods imported from the EU on a non-discriminatory basis.<ref>Article 200(3) and&nbsp;200(5) [ex Article&nbsp;184(3) and&nbsp;(5)]</ref> They are not part of the EU and the EU acquis does not apply to them, though those joining OCTA are required to respect the detailed rules and procedures outlined by this association agreement (Council Decision 2013/755/EU).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:344:0001:0118:EN:PDF |title=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') |date=19 December 2013 |publisher=Official Journal of the European Union}}</ref> OCTA members are entitled to ask for EU financial support.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/octs_and_greenland/index_en.htm |title=EU relations with Overseas Countries and Territories |date=4 June 2014 |publisher=European Commission}}</ref>

When the Rome Treaty was signed in March 1957, a total of 15 OCTs existed: French West Africa, French Equatorial Africa, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Comoros Archipelago, French Madagascar, French Somaliland, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, French Togoland, French Cameroons, Belgian Congo, Ruanda-Urundi, Trust Territory of Somalia, Netherlands New Guinea. The list was since then revised multiple times, and comprised—as noted by the Lisbon Treaty—25 OCTs in 2007. One of the French territories subsequently switched status from OMR to OCT (Saint Barthélemy), while another French territory switched from OCT to OMR (Mayotte). As of July 2014, there are still 13&nbsp;OCTs (six with France, six with the Netherlands and one with Denmark)<ref name="OCT list" /> of which all have joined OCTA.

The 13 Overseas Countries and Territories of the European Union are:<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 December 2016 |title=Overseas Countries and Territories |url=https://trade.ec.europa.eu/tradehelp/overseas-countries-and-territories |access-date=10 July 2020 |website=Trade Helpdesk}}</ref><!--DO NOT CHANGE the names of sovereign states (Kingdom of Denmark, Kingdom of the Netherlands, French Republic). OCTs are not formally part of the states but under their sovereignty.-->

{| class="wikitable sortable" style=font-size:90% |- !class=unsortable |Flag !! class=unsortable |Coat of arms !Name !!Loca&shy;tion !!Area !!Pop. !!Capital !class=unsortable |Largest settlement !!Official lan&shy;guage(s) !!Sovereign state |- |border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px ||Greenland |North Atlantic and Arctic |style=text-align:right |{{sort|002166086|{{convert|2166086|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |56,542 ||Nuuk ||Nuuk |Greenlandic |{{flagicon|Kingdom of Denmark}} Kingdom of Denmark |- |border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px ||Curaçao |rowspan=6 |Caribbean |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000000444|{{convert|444|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |155,826 ||Willemstad ||Willemstad |Dutch, Papiamento, English |rowspan=6 | {{flag|Kingdom of the Netherlands}} |- |border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px ||Aruba |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000000179|{{convert|179|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |109,435 ||Oranjestad |Oranjestad ||Dutch, Papiamento |- |border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px ||Sint Maarten |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000000037|{{convert|37|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |58,477 ||Philipsburg |Lower Prince's Quarter ||Dutch, English |- |border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px ||Bonaire |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000000294|{{convert|294|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |26,552 ||Kralendijk |Kralendijk || rowspan=3 | Dutch |- |border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px ||Sint Eustatius |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000000021|{{convert|21|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |3,270 ||Oranjestad ||Oranjestad |- |border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px ||Saba |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000000013|{{convert|13|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |2,158 ||The Bottom ||The Bottom |- |border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px ||French Polynesia |rowspan=3 |Pacific |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000004167|{{convert|4167|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |278,786 ||Papeete ||Faʻaʻā |rowspan=6 |French || rowspan="6" |{{flag|French Republic}} |- |rowspan=3|border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px ||New Caledonia |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000418576|{{convert|18576|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |264,596 ||Nouméa ||Nouméa |- |center|58x58px ||Wallis-et-Futuna |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000000142|{{convert|142|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |11,151 ||Mata Utu ||Mata Utu |- |center|58x58px ||Saint Barthélemy ||Caribbean |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000000025|{{convert|25|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |9,279 ||Gustavia ||Gustavia |- |border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px |Saint Pierre and Miquelon ||North Atlantic |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000000242|{{convert|242|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |5,819 ||Saint-Pierre ||Saint Pierre |- |border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px |French Southern and Antarctic Lands ||Indian Ocean and Antarctica |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000439781|{{convert|439781|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |0{{efn|150 non-permanent in winter, 310 in summer (research and military personnel)}} |Saint-Pierre ||Port-aux-Français (base) |- ! colspan="2" | !! Total !! !style=text-align:right |2,630,007&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> (1,015,451 sq mi) !style=text-align:right |981,891 !! colspan="4" | |}

===Overseas Countries and Territories Association=== The Overseas Countries and Territories Association (OCTA) is an organisation founded on 17 November 2000 and headquartered in Brussels. All OCTs have joined OCTA as of February 2020. Its purpose is to improve economic development in overseas countries and territories, as well as cooperation with the European Union. On 25 June 2008, a Cooperation Treaty between the EU and OCTA was signed in Brussels.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.octassociation.org/IMG/pdf/green_paper_2008.pdf |title=Future relations between the EU and the Overseas Countries and Territories |date=25 May 2008 |publisher=Commission of the European Communities |location=Brussels |pages=17}}</ref> The current chairman is Louis Mapou.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.overseas-association.eu/about-octa/ |title=About the Overseas Countries and Territories Association |website=overseas-association.eu |access-date=25 July 2022}}</ref>

=== French overseas territories === [[File:BoraBora SEtienne.jpg|thumb|Bora Bora, in French Polynesia]] The French Southern and Antarctic Lands (which also include the French Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean, and the French claim of Adélie Land) are a disputed French Overseas Territory embodying the French claims to Antarctica but has no permanent population.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/french-southern-and-antarctic-lands/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120074747/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/french-southern-and-antarctic-lands/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 January 2021 |title=French Southern and Antarctic Lands |publisher=The Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=8 February 2010}}</ref> It has ''sui generis'' status within France.<ref>[http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000000879815 Art. 9, Loi n°&nbsp;55-1052 du 6 août 1955 modifiée portant statut des Terres australes et antarctiques françaises et de l'île de Clipperton].

[http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000018048991&fastPos=1&fastReqId=2007253908&categorieLien=id&oldAction=rechTexte Décret du 31 janvier 2008 relatif à l'administration de l'île de Clipperton].</ref>

Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Barthélemy, French Polynesia, and Wallis and Futuna are overseas collectivities (formerly referred to as overseas territories) of France, while New Caledonia is a "''sui generis'' collectivity". Saint Barthélemy<ref>[http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1454785116277&uri=CELEX:32011D0433 Council Decision of 12 July 2011 on the signing and conclusion of the Monetary Agreement between the European Union and the French Republic on keeping the euro in Saint-Barthélemy following the amendment of its status with regard to the European Union] (OJ&nbsp;L&nbsp;189, 20 July 2011, pp.&nbsp;1–2).</ref> and Saint Pierre and Miquelon use the euro,<ref>[http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:1999:030:0029:0030:EN:PDF Council Decision 1999/95/EC of 31 December 1998 concerning the monetary arrangements in the French territorial communities of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and Mayotte] (OJ&nbsp;L&nbsp;30, 4 February 1999, pp.&nbsp;29–30).</ref> while New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna use the CFP Franc, a currency which is tied to the euro and guaranteed by France. Natives of the collectivities are European citizens owing to their French citizenship and elections to the European Parliament are held in the collectivities.

On 22 February 2007, Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin were separated from the French overseas department of Guadeloupe to form new overseas collectivities. As a consequence, their EU status was unclear for a time. While a report issued by the French parliament suggested that the islands remained within the EU as outermost regions,<ref name="Rapport d'information no 3292"/> European Commission documents listed them as being outside the European Community.<ref name="eeas.europa.eu2"/> The legal status of the islands was clarified on the coming into force of the Lisbon Treaty which listed them as outermost regions.<ref name="functioning2"/> However, Saint Barthélemy ceased being an outermost region and left the EU, to become an OCT, on 1 January 2012. The change was made to facilitate trade with countries outside the EU, notably the United States,<ref name="Penchard2">{{cite web |url=http://www.outre-mer.gouv.fr/?la-collectivite-de-saint-barthelemy-obtient-un-nouveau-statut.html|title=La collectivité de Saint-Barthélémy obtient un nouveau statut européen |author=AFP |date=29 October 2010 |work=Ministère de l'Outre-Mer |language=fr |access-date=8 April 2011}}</ref> and was made possible by a provision of the Lisbon Treaty which allows the European Council to change the EU status of a Danish, Dutch, or French territory on the initiative of the member state concerned.<ref>See Article 355(6) of the [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2010:083:FULL:EN:PDF Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union]. The relevant decision of the European Council was made on 29 October 2010 [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:325:0004:0005:EN:PDF Decisions amending the status with regard to the European Union of the island of Saint-Barthélemy].</ref>

=== Dutch overseas territories === {{See also|Dutch Caribbean}}

[[File:PenhaBuildingWillemstad.jpg|thumb|Willemstad, the capital city of Curaçao]] Six territories of the Netherlands—all of which are Caribbean islands—have OCT status. As such, they benefit from being able to have their own export and import policy to and from the EU, while still having access to various EU funds (such as the European Development Fund). The inhabitants of the islands are EU citizens owing to their Dutch citizenship, with the right to vote in elections to the European Parliament.<ref name="Caribbean Netherlands">{{cite web |url=http://docplayer.net/22064716-Kingdom-of-the-netherlands-one-kingdom-four-countries-european-and-caribbean.html |title=The Kingdom of the Netherlands: One Kingdom – Four Countries; European and Caribbean) |date=April 2015 |publisher=Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken}}</ref> Initially they did not have voting rights for such elections, but the European Court of Justice granted them such rights, when they ruled their exclusion from the franchise was contrary to EU law, as all other Dutch citizens resident outside the EU did have the right to vote.<ref name="GibraltarAruba">[http://curia.europa.eu/en/actu/communiques/cp06/aff/cp060070en.pdf Judgments of the Court in Cases C-145/04 and C-300/04: Kingdom of Spain v United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and M.G. Eman and O.B. Sevinger v College van burgemeester en wethouders van Den Haag]</ref> None of the islands use the euro as their currency. The US dollar is used on Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, while Curaçao and Sint Maarten utilize their own shared currency the Caribbean guilder, and finally the currency of Aruba is the Aruban florin.<ref name="Caribbean Netherlands" />

Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten are classified as "countries" under Dutch law, and have considerable internal autonomy. In June 2008, the Dutch government published a report on the projected effect on the islands were they to join the EU as outermost regions.<ref name="Eerstekamer.nl">{{cite web |url=https://www.eerstekamer.nl/overig/20080619/schurende_rechtsordes_over/f=y.pdf |title=Schurende rechtsordes: Over juridische implicaties van de UPG-status voor de eilandgebieden van de Nederlandse Antillen en Aruba (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen) |date=19 June 2008 |publisher=Eerstekamer.nl |language=nl}}</ref><ref name="https">{{cite web |url=https://www.eerstekamer.nl/overig/20080619/economische_gevolgen_van_de_status/f=y.pdf |title=Economische gevolgen van de status van ultraperifeer gebied voor de Nederlandse Antillen en Aruba / SEOR |date=19 June 2008 |publisher=Eerstekamer.nl |language=nl}}</ref> It concluded that the choice would be for the islands themselves to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of becoming part of the EU as outermost regions, and that nothing would be done absent the islands specifically requesting it.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.eerstekamer.nl/behandeling/20080930/brief_van_de_staatssecretaris_van/f=y.pdf |title=Tweede Kamer, vergaderjaar 2008–2009, 31700&nbsp;IV, nr.&nbsp;3: Brief van de staatssecretaris van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties met het kabinetsstandpunt over de rapporten over de UPG status voor de eilandgebieden van de Nederlandse Antillen en Aruba |date=21 October 2008 |publisher=Eerstekamer.nl |language=nl}}</ref>

[[File:View from Mt Scenery, Saba.jpg|thumb|Mount Scenery, Saba]] Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba (collectively called Caribbean Netherlands) are "special municipalities" of the Netherlands proper. Their current OCT status, and the prospect of advancing their status to become part of the EU as new OMRs (outermost regions), was reviewed by the Dutch parliament in 2015,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/dossier/31954/kst-31954-7? |title=Kamerstuk 31954 nr.7: Regels met betrekking tot de openbare lichamen Bonaire, Sint Eustatius en Saba (Wet openbare lichamen Bonaire, Sint Eustatius en Saba) |date=14 October 2009 |publisher=Overheid.nl |language=nl}}<!--The Dutch translation of OMR is UPG--></ref> as part of the planned review of the Dutch law (WOLBES and FINBES) concerning the quality of their recently implemented new public administration bodies.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/dossier/31958/kst-31954-D?resultIndex=1&sorttype=1&sortorder=4 |title=Kamerstuk 31954+31958 D: BRIEF VAN DE MINISTER VAN BINNENLANDSE ZAKEN EN KONINKRIJKSRELATIES |date=9 March 2012 |publisher=Overheid.nl |language=nl}}</ref> In October 2015, the review concluded the present legal structures for governance and integration with European Netherlands was not working well within the framework of WolBES, but no recommendations were made in regards of whether a switch from OCT to OMR status would help improve this situation.<ref name="Evaluation report 1">{{cite web |url=https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/blg-599770.pdf |title=Vijf jaar Caribisch Nederland: De werking van wetgeving |author=Pro Facto – Rijksuniversiteit Groningen |date=August 2015 |language=nl}}</ref><ref name="Evaluation report 2">{{cite web |url=https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/blg-599774.pdf |title=Vijf jaar Caribisch Nederland: Werking van de nieuwe bestuurlijke structuur |author=DSP-Groep |date=23 September 2015 |language=nl}}</ref><ref name="Evaluation report 3">{{cite web |url=https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/blg-599777.pdf |title=Vijf jaar Caribisch Nederland: Gevolgen voor de bevolking |author=Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau |date=October 2015 |language=nl}}</ref><ref name="Evaluation report 4">{{cite web |url=http://deugdelijkbestuuraruba.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Evaluatiecommissie-Vijf-jaar-verbonden-Bonaire-Sint-Eustatius-Saba-en-Europees-Nederland.pdf |title=VIJFJAAR VERBONDE BONAIRE, SINT EUSTATIUS, SABA EN EUROPEES NEDERLAND (Rapport van de commissie evaluatie uitwerking van de nieuwe staatkundige structuur Caribisch Nederland) |author=Evaluatiecommissie Caribisch Nederland |date=12 October 2015 |language=Dutch<!--|alternatively also found at url=https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/blg-599768.pdf-->}}</ref>

The islands inherited their OCT status from the Netherlands Antilles which was dissolved in 2010. The Netherlands Antilles were initially specifically excluded from all association with the EEC by reason of a protocol attached to the Treaty of Rome, allowing the Netherlands to ratify on behalf of the Netherlands in Europe and Netherlands New Guinea only, which it subsequently did.<ref name="protocol-eec">Treaty Establishing the EEC – Protocol on the Application of the Treaty Establishing the European Economic Community to the non-European parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

{{sm|The High Contracting Parties}}

{{sm|Anxious}}, at the time of signature of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, to define the scope of the provisions of Article&nbsp;227 of this Treaty in respect of the Kingdom of the Netherlands,

{{sm|Have agreed}} upon the following provisions, which shall be annexed to this Treaty:

The Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, by reason of the constitutional structure of the Kingdom resulting from the Statute of 29 December 1954, shall, by way of derogation from Article&nbsp;227, be entitled to ratify the Treaty on behalf of the Kingdom in Europe and Netherlands New Guinea only.

Done at Rome this twenty-fifth day of March in the year one thousand nine hundred and fifty-seven.

[http://www.cvce.eu/obj/treaty_establishing_the_eec_protocol_on_the_application_of_the_treaty_establishing_the_eec_to_the_non_european_parts_of_the_kingdom_of_the_netherlands_rome_25_march_1957-en-6b87a3f0-b89e-4a47-b033-db404a41a240.html Treaty establishing the EEC]</ref> Following the entry into force of the Convention on the association of the Netherlands Antilles with the European Economic Community on 1 October 1964, however, the Netherlands Antilles became OCTs.

=== Greenland === {{Main|Greenland and the European Union}}

[[File:Kulusuk.jpg|thumb|Kulusuk, in Greenland]]

Greenland joined the then European Community in 1973 as a county along with Denmark, but after gaining autonomy with the introduction of home rule within the Kingdom of Denmark, Greenland voted to leave in 1982 and left in 1985, to become an OCT. The main reason for leaving is disagreements about the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and to regain control of Greenlandic fish resources to subsequently remain outside EU waters. Greenlandic nationals (OCT nationals) are, nonetheless, EU citizens due to Greenland's associated relationship with the EU within the meaning of EU treaties as well as holding Danish nationality.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

The EU–Greenland relationship is a comprehensive partnership, which is complementary to the OCT association arrangements under "Council Decision 2013/755/EU"; based specifically on "Council Decision 2014/137 of 14 March 2014" (outlining the relations)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32014D0137&from=EN |title=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 |date=15 March 2014 |publisher=Official Journal of the European Union}}</ref> and the Fisheries Partnership Agreement of 30 July 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/world/agreements/downloadFile.do?fullText=yes&treatyTransId=15181 |title=Protocol: Setting out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution provided for in the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community&nbsp;(1) on the one hand, and the Government of Denmark and the Home Rule Government of Greenland&nbsp;(2), on the other hand |date=23 October 2012 |publisher=Official Journal of the European Union}}</ref>

==Special cases== While the outermost regions and the overseas countries and territories fall into structured categories to which common mechanisms apply, this is not true of all the special territories. 10 member state territories have ''ad hoc'' arrangements in their relationship with the EU. In those special cases, VAT rules do not apply and they may also be exempt from customs or excise rules.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Anonymous |date=13 September 2016 |title=Territorial status of EU countries and certain territories |url=https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/business/vat/eu-vat-rules-topic/territorial-status-eu-countries-certain-territories_en |access-date=16 July 2020 |website=Taxation and Customs Union – European Commission}}</ref><ref>[http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/resources/documents/customs/procedural_aspects/general/sad/guide/1619-08annexi_en.pdf Annex 1 to SAD Guidelines (TAXUD/1619/08 rev.&nbsp;3.4): Overview of European Union countries] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140504214400/http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/resources/documents/customs/procedural_aspects/general/sad/guide/1619-08annexi_en.pdf |date=4 May 2014}}. Retrieved 20 August 2016.</ref><!--DO NOT ADD Clipperton. The territory is not explicitly mentioned in primary EU law.-->

{| class="wikitable sortable" style=font-size:90% |- !class=unsortable |Flag !!class=unsortable |Coat of arms !Name !!Area !!Pop. !Official language(s)!!Sove&shy;reign state !!Part of the EU !!Cus&shy;toms Union<ref name=":2" /> !VAT rules<ref name=":2" /> !!Ex&shy;cise rules<ref name=":2" /> |- |border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px |Melilla |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000012|{{convert|12.3|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |87,067 | rowspan="2" |Spanish | rowspan="2" |{{nowrap|{{flag|Spain}}}} |{{yes}} ||{{no}} ||{{shade|color=red|100|No}},<br>{{Flag decoration|ESP}} IPSI ||{{no}} |- |border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px |Ceuta |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000018|{{convert|18.5|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |83,567 |{{yes}} ||{{no}} ||{{shade|color=red|100|No}},<br>{{Flag decoration|ESP}} IPSI <!-- NOT a copy&paste error! the article on Melilla has text on IPSI while the Ceuta one doesn't, the tax is the same. --> ||{{no}} |- |border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px |Åland |style=text-align:right |{{sort|001580|{{convert|1580|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |30,654 |Swedish |{{nowrap|{{flag|Finland}}}} |{{yes}} ||{{yes}} ||{{shade|color=red|100|No}},<br>{{Flag decoration|ALA}} local ||{{no}} |- |border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px |Faroe Islands |style=text-align:right |{{sort|001399|{{convert|1399|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |56,210 |Faroese, Danish |{{nowrap|{{flag|Kingdom of Denmark}}}} |{{no}} ||{{no}} ||{{shade|color=red|100|No}},<br>{{Flag decoration|FRO}} local ||{{no}} |- |border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px |United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus{{efn|Villages in the buffer zone are legally administered by the Republic of Cyprus.<ref name="france24">{{Cite web |date=23 January 2018 |title=Mixed village in Cyprus buffer zone looks to offer hope |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20180123-mixed-village-cyprus-buffer-zone-looks-offer-hope |access-date=16 July 2020 |website=France 24 |language=en}}</ref> The application of EU ''acquis communautaire'' is suspended in territories where the Republic of Cyprus does not exercise effective control.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Murray |first=Fiona |title=The European Union and Member State Territories: A New Legal Framework Under the EU Treaties |date=2012 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-90-6704-825-5 |pages=3}}</ref> Northern Cyprus is a ''de facto'' state that is partially dependent on Turkey.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bahcheli |first1=Tozun |title=De Facto States: The Quest for Sovereignty |last2=Bartmann |first2=Barry |last3=Srebrnik |first3=Henry |date=2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-77121-8 |pages=24–25}}</ref>}} |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000346|{{convert|346|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |8,686<ref name="UNFICYP" /> ! |{{nowrap|{{flag|Cyprus}}}} (''de jure'') |{{yes}} ||{{yes}}{{Efn|With exceptions<ref>{{Citation |title=Council Regulation (EC) No&nbsp;866/2004 of 29 April 2004 on a regime under Article&nbsp;2 of Protocol No&nbsp;10 of the Act of Accession |date=30 April 2004 |url=http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2004/866/oj/eng |issue=32004R0866}}</ref>|name=buffer}} |{{no}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chesham |first=Mark |title=VAT and Financial Services|date=2017|publisher=Spiramus Press Ltd. |isbn=978-1-910151-52-5 |edition=3rd |pages=253}}</ref> |{{yes}}{{Efn|name=buffer}} |- |border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px |Livigno |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000227|{{convert|227.3|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |6,680 | rowspan="2" |Italian | rowspan="2" |{{nowrap|{{flag|Italy}}}} |{{yes}} ||{{no}} ||{{no}}<br>(no VAT) ||{{no}} |- |border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px |Campione d'Italia{{efn|Including the Italian national waters of Lake Lugano.}} |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000002|{{convert|2.68|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |1,845 |{{yes}} ||{{yes}}<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=EUR-Lex – 32019R0474 – EN – EUR-Lex |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/474/oj/eng |access-date=16 July 2020 |website=eur-lex.europa.eu |language=en}}</ref> |{{shade|color=red|100|No}},<br>{{Flag decoration|CHE}} Swiss (rate only){{efn|Not part of Swiss VAT area, but Swiss VAT rate is applied as local consumption tax.}} ||{{yes}}<ref name=":3" /> |- |border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px |Büsingen am Hochrhein |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000007|{{convert|7.62|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |1,440 | rowspan="2" |German | rowspan="2" |{{nowrap|{{flag|Germany}}}} |{{yes}} ||{{shade|color=red|100|No}},<br>{{Flag decoration|CHE}} Swiss customs ||{{shade|color=red|100|No}},<br>{{Flag decoration|CHE}} Swiss VAT ||{{no}} |- |border|center|80x80px |center|58x58px |Heligoland |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000001|{{convert|1.7|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |1,329 |{{yes}} ||{{no}} ||{{no}}<br>(no VAT) ||{{no}} |- ! colspan="2" | |Mount Athos |style=text-align:right |{{sort|000335|{{convert|335.63|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}}} |style=text-align:right |1,811 |Greek |{{nowrap|{{flag|Greece}}}} |{{yes}} ||{{yes}} ||{{no}}<br>(no VAT) ||{{yes}} |- ! colspan="2" | !!Total !style=text-align:right |3,930&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> (1,517 sq&nbsp;mi) !style=text-align:right |279,289 ! ! colspan="5" | |}

=== Åland === [[File:18-08-25-Åland-Föglö RRK7086.jpg|thumb|Föglö islands in Åland]]

Åland, an autonomous archipelago belonging to Finland, but with partial autonomy, located between Sweden and Finland, with a Swedish-speaking population, joined the EU along with Finland in 1995. The islands had a separate referendum on accession and like the Finnish mainland voted in favour.

EU law, including the fundamental four freedoms, applies to Åland.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.naringsliv.ax/en/Doing%20business/live_and_work_on_aland |title=Live and work on Åland |website=Naringsliv.ax |access-date=16 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121201084420/http://www.naringsliv.ax/en/Doing%20business/live_and_work_on_aland |archive-date=1 December 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> However, there are some derogations due to the islands' special status. Åland is outside the VAT area<ref name="vatcustoms" /> and is exempt from common rules in relation to turnover taxes, excise duties and indirect taxation.<ref name="1994protocol" /> In addition, to protect the local economy, the treaty of accession allows for a concept of ''hembygdsrätt/kotiseutuoikeus'' (regional citizenship). Consequently, there are restrictions on the holding of property and real estate, the right of establishment for business purposes and limitations on who can provide services in Åland, for people not holding this status.<ref name="1994protocol">{{Cite web|url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/treaty/acc_1994/act_1/pro_1/sign/eng|title=EUR-Lex - 11994N/PRO/01 - EN - EUR-Lex|website=eur-lex.europa.eu}}</ref> The status may be obtained by any Finnish citizen legally resident in Åland for 5&nbsp;years who can demonstrate an adequate knowledge of the Swedish language.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.naringsliv.ax/en/facts/aland_and_eu |title=Åland and EU |website=Naringsliv.ax |access-date=16 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511193640/http://www.naringsliv.ax/en/facts/aland_and_eu |archive-date=11 May 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Büsingen am Hochrhein=== The German village of Büsingen am Hochrhein is an exclave entirely surrounded by Switzerland and as such is for practical purposes, in a customs union with the latter non-EU country.<ref>[http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31992R2913:EN:NOT Treaty of 23 November 1964 between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Swiss Confederation on the inclusion of the municipality of Büsingen am Hochrhein in the customs territory of the Swiss Confederation, as referred to in Article&nbsp;3(1) of Council Regulation 2913/92/EEC of 12 October 1992 establishing the Community Customs Code (as amended) (OJ&nbsp;L&nbsp;302, 19 October 1992, pp.&nbsp;1–50)]</ref> The euro is legal tender, though the Swiss franc is preferred. Büsingen is excluded from the EU customs union and the EU VAT area.<ref name="vatcustoms" /> Swiss VAT generally applies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://treaties.un.org/Pages/showDetails.aspx?objid=08000002805b1747|title=UNTC|website=treaties.un.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/No%20Volume/41257/A-41257-08000002805b1747.pdf | title=Germany and Switzerland | website=treaties.un.org}}</ref>

===Campione d'Italia and Livigno=== The Italian exclave village of Campione d'Italia is enclaved by Switzerland's Ticino canton as well as Lake Lugano (or Ceresio), and is a ''comune'' in the Province of Como, whilst Livigno, a small and remote mountain resort town, is a ''comune'' in the Province of Sondrio. Both ''comuni'' are part of the Lombardy region. Although part of the EU, Livigno is excluded from the customs union and VAT area, with Livigno's tax status dating back to Napoleonic times. Campione is excluded from the EU VAT area, instead while technically not part of the Swiss VAT area, the Swiss VAT rate is applied as a local consumption tax.<ref>{{Citation |title=Campione d’Italia: Local Consumption Tax (ILCCI) Rate Increase |url=https://sovos.com/regulatory-updates/vat/campione-ditalia-local-consumption-tax-ilcci-rate-increase/ |language=en |access-date=16 April 2026}}</ref> It was excluded from the EU customs area until the end of 2019.<ref name="vatcustoms" /><ref name="2019/474">{{Citation |title=Regulation (EU) 2019/474 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 March 2019 amending Regulation (EU) No&nbsp;952/2013 laying down the Union Customs Code |date=25 March 2019 |url=http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/474/oj/eng |issue=32019R0474 |language=en |access-date=13 January 2020}}</ref> Shops and restaurants in Campione accept payments in both euros and Swiss francs and prices are displayed in both currencies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thisotherworld.co.uk/campione.html |title=CAMPIONE D'ITALIA – Italy in Switzerland ENCLAVES |publisher=This other world |access-date=21 February 2017}}</ref>

===Ceuta and Melilla=== [[File:Ceuta desde el mirador de Isabel II banner (cropped).jpg|thumb|Ceuta in Spanish North Africa]] Ceuta and Melilla are two Spanish cities on the North African coast. They are part of the EU but they are excluded from the common agricultural and fisheries policies.<ref>[http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.1985.302.01.0023.01.ENG&toc=OJ:L:1985:302:TOC#L_1985302EN.01040001 Act concerning the conditions of accession of the Kingdom of Spain and the Portuguese Republic and the adjustments to the Treaties]. Retrieved 20 August 2016.</ref> They are also outside the customs union and VAT area,<ref name="vatcustoms" /> but no customs are levied on goods exported from the Union into either Ceuta and Melilla and certain goods originating in Ceuta and Melilla are exempt from customs charges.

While nominally part of the Schengen Area (Schengen visas are valid), Spain performs identity checks on all sea and air passengers leaving the enclaves for elsewhere in the Schengen Area.<ref name="OJ L 239, 22.9.2000, p. 69">Declaration No.&nbsp;1. on Ceuta and Melilla attached to the Final Act of the Accession Treaty of the Kingdom of Spain to the Schengen Agreement ([http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:42000A0922%2804%29:EN:NOT OJ&nbsp;L&nbsp;239, 22.9.2000, p.&nbsp;69])</ref>

===Cyprus=== [[File:Grenspost.jpg|thumb|The internationally unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus]] When the Republic of Cyprus became part of the European Union on 1 May 2004, the northern third of the island was outside of the effective control of its government due to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, a United Nations buffer zone of varying width separated the two parts, and a further 3% of the island was taken up by UK sovereign bases (under British sovereignty since the Treaty of Establishment in 1960). Two protocols to the Treaty of Accession 2003—numbers&nbsp;3 and&nbsp;10, known as the "Sovereign Base Areas Protocol" and the "Cyprus Protocol" respectively—reflect this complex situation.

EU law only applies fully to the part of the island that is effectively controlled by the government of the Republic of Cyprus. EU law is suspended in the northern third of the island (the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, whose independence is recognised only by Turkey) by article&nbsp;1(1) of the Cyprus Protocol.<ref name="cyprus">[http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:12003T/PRO/10 Protocol&nbsp;10 to the Treaty of Accession 2003] (OJ&nbsp;L&nbsp;236, 23 September 2003, p.&nbsp;955).</ref> If the island is reunified, the Council of the European Union will repeal the suspension by a decision. Four months after such a decision has been adopted, new elections to the European Parliament will be held on the island to elect Cypriot representatives from the whole of the island.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32004D0511&qid=1470416385493|title=COUNCIL DECISION of 10 June 2004 concerning the representation of the people of Cyprus in the European Parliament in case of a settlement of the Cyprus problem (2004/511/EC)}}</ref>

Cypriot nationality law applies to the entire island and is accordingly available to the inhabitants of Northern Cyprus and the British sovereign base areas on the same basis as to those born in the area controlled by the Republic of Cyprus.<ref>{{cite web |last=Skoutaris|first=Nikos |title=On Citizenship and Donkeys in Cyprus |work=Citizenship in Southern Europe |url=http://www.citsee.eu/citsee-story/citizenship-and-donkeys-cyprus/ |publisher=CITSEE |access-date=5 January 2013}}</ref><ref>[http://www.legislationline.org/documents/action/popup/id/5818Citizenship law of the Republic of Cyprus], Source: Cyprus Ministry of Justice compilation and translation (updated to June 2000).</ref> Citizens of the Republic of Cyprus living in Northern Cyprus are EU citizens and are nominally entitled to vote in elections to the European Parliament; however, elections to that Parliament are not organised in Northern Cyprus as it is governed de facto by a separate state, albeit a state recognized only by Turkey.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Agency |first=Central Intelligence|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AJq5DwAAQBAJ&q=northern+cyprus |title=The CIA World Factbook 2020–2021 |date=2 June 2020 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-5107-5826-1}}</ref>

====Akrotiri and Dhekelia==== The United Kingdom has two sovereign base areas on Cyprus, namely Akrotiri and Dhekelia. Unlike other British overseas territories, their inhabitants (who are entitled to British Overseas Territories Citizenship) have never been entitled to British citizenship.

Prior to Cypriot accession to the EU in 2004, although the United Kingdom was an EU member at the time, EU law did not apply to the sovereign base areas.<ref>See Article 299(6)(b) of the Consolidated Treaty establishing the European Community as amended by the Nice Treaty. [https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:12002E/TXT Council Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 of 12 October 1992 establishing the Community Customs Code]</ref> This position was changed by the Cypriot accession treaty so that EU law, while still not applying in principle, applied to the extent necessary to implement a protocol attached to that treaty.<ref>[http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2003:236:0931:0956:EN:PDF Protocol&nbsp;3 to the Treaty of Accession 2003] (OJ&nbsp;L&nbsp;236, 23 September 2003, p.&nbsp;955).</ref> This protocol applied EU law relating to the Common Agricultural Policy, customs, indirect taxation, social policy and justice and home affairs to the sovereign base areas. The sovereign base areas' authorities also made provision for the unilateral application of directly applicable EU law.<ref>{{cite web |title=First Report on the implementation of the provisions of Protocol No&nbsp;3 to the 2003 Act of Accession on the Sovereign Base Areas of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Cyprus |url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2010:0155:FIN:EN:PDF |publisher=European Commission |location=Brussels |date=19 April 2010}}</ref> The UK also agreed in the Protocol to keep enough control of the external (i.e. off-island and northern Cyprus) borders of the base areas to ensure that the border between the sovereign base areas and the Republic of Cyprus could remain fully open and would not have to be policed as an external EU border. Consequently, the sovereign base areas would have become a ''de facto'' part of the Schengen Area if and when Cyprus implemented it. The base areas are already ''de facto'' members of the eurozone due to their previous use of the Cypriot pound and their adoption of the euro as legal tender from 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sbaadministration.org/home/legislation/01_02_09_05_ORDINANCES/01_02_09_05_48_ORD_2007/20070101_Ord-18_G1470_u.pdf |title=EURO ORDINANCE 2007 An Ordinance to provide for the adoption of the euro as legal tender in the Sovereign Base Areas and for related matters |date=7 August 2007 |author= R&nbsp;H Lacey, Administrator |publisher= Government of the United Kingdom}}</ref>

Because Cypriot nationality law extends to Cypriots in the sovereign base areas, Cypriot residents, as citizens of the Republic of Cyprus, are entitled to EU citizenship. Just under half of the population of the sovereign base areas are Cypriots, the rest are British military personnel, support staff and their dependants.<ref>{{cite web |title=Akrotiri|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/akrotiri/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210104184423/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/akrotiri/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 January 2021 |work=CIA World Factbook|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=5 January 2013 |quote=approximately 15,700 live on the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia including 7,700 Cypriots, 3,600 Service and UK-based contract personnel, and 4,400 dependents}}</ref> In a declaration attached to the Treaty of Establishment of the Republic of Cyprus of 1960, the British government undertook not to allow new settlement of people in the sovereign base areas other than for temporary purposes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Declaration by Her Majesty's Government Regarding the Administration of the Sovereign Base Areas |url=http://www.mfa.gov.cy/mfa/mfa2006.nsf/All/F207EF6146AA7AFEC22571BF0038DDC6/$file/Treaty%20of%20Establishment.pdf |work=Treaty of Establishment of the Republic of Cyprus |access-date=5 January 2013 |page=111 |year=1960 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023064308/http://www.mfa.gov.cy/mfa/mfa2006.nsf/All/F207EF6146AA7AFEC22571BF0038DDC6/$file/Treaty%20of%20Establishment.pdf |archive-date=23 October 2014 }}</ref>

Under a protocol to the Brexit withdrawal agreement, certain provisions of EU law on agriculture, customs, indirect taxation, social security and border control continue to apply to the sovereign base areas.<ref name="brexit">[https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A12019W%2FTXT%2802%29#d1e32-136-1 Protocol relating to the Sovereign Base Areas of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Cyprus], Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, EUR-Lex, 12 November 2019.</ref>

====United Nations buffer zone==== The United Nations buffer zone between north and south Cyprus ranges in width from a few metres in central Nicosia to several kilometres in the countryside. While it is nominally under the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus, it is effectively administered by the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). The population of the zone is 8,686 (as of October 2007),{{update inline|reason=population is 12 years old|date=May 2019}} and one of the mandates of UNFICYP is "to encourage the fullest possible resumption of normal civilian activity in the buffer zone".<ref name="UNFICYP">{{cite web |title= UNFICYP – Civil Affairs |url= http://www.unficyp.org/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=1416&tt=graphic&lang=l1 |publisher= United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus |year= 2008 |access-date= 15 November 2008 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081015025759/http://www.unficyp.org/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=1416&tt=graphic&lang=l1 |archive-date= 15 October 2008}}</ref> Inhabited villages located in the buffer zone are legally administered by the Republic of Cyprus but policed by UN peacekeepers.<ref name="france24" /> Article&nbsp;2.1 of the Cyprus Protocol<ref name="cyprus" /> allows the European Council to determine to what extent the provisions of EU law apply in the buffer zone.<ref>[http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2004:161:0128:0143:EN:PDF Council Regulation (EC) No 866/2004 of 29 April 2004 on a regime under Article&nbsp;2 of Protocol No&nbsp;10 of the Act of Accession]. [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2005:050:0001:0002:EN:PDF Council Regulation (EC) No&nbsp;293/2005 of 17 February 2005 amending Regulation (EC) No&nbsp;866/2004 on a regime under Article&nbsp;2 of Protocol&nbsp;10 to the Act of Accession as regards agriculture and facilities for persons crossing the line].</ref>

===Faroe Islands=== {{main|Faroe Islands and the European Union}}

[[File:Kunoy.10.jpg|thumb|Kunoy island, Faroe Islands]] The Faroe Islands have never been part of the EU. Danish citizens residing on the islands are not considered citizens of a member state within the meaning of the treaties or, consequently, citizens of the European Union.<ref>See Article&nbsp;4 of the [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:11972B/PRO/02:EN:HTML Faroe Islands Protocol], 355(5)(a) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Article of the Treaty on European Union (as amended).</ref> However, Faroese people, who are Danish citizens, may become EU citizens by changing their registered residence to the Danish mainland.

The Faroe Islands are not part of the Schengen Area, and Schengen visas are not valid. However, the islands are part of the Nordic Passport Union and the Schengen Agreement provides that travellers passing between the islands and the Schengen Area are not to be treated as passing the external frontier of the Area.<ref>{{cite web |title=Spørgsmål og svar |url=http://www.eu-oplysningen.dk/emner/schengen/spsv/ |website=www.eu-oplysningen.dk |publisher=Danish Parliament |access-date=21 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212161029/http://www.eu-oplysningen.dk/emner/schengen/spsv|archive-date=12 February 2014 |language=da}}</ref> This means that there is no formal passport control, but an identity check at check-in for air or boat travel to the islands where Nordic citizens on intra-Nordic travel need no passport, only showing the ticket plus identity card.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pas |url=https://www.atlantic.fo/da/alt-om-flyrejsen/foer-flyrejsen/check-in/pas-p%C3%A5kr%C3%A6vet/ |website=atlantic.fo|publisher=Atlantic Airways |access-date=21 June 2015 |language=da |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621234310/https://www.atlantic.fo/da/alt-om-flyrejsen/foer-flyrejsen/check-in/pas-p%C3%A5kr%C3%A6vet/ |archive-date=21 June 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Heligoland=== [[File:Aerial image of Heligoland.jpg|thumb|Heligoland]] Heligoland is an archipelago of Germany situated in the North Sea {{convert|70|km|mi|abbr=on}} off the German north-western coast. It is part of the EU, but is excluded from the customs union and the VAT area.<ref name="vatcustoms" />

===Mount Athos=== Mount Athos is an autonomous monastic region of Greece. Greece's EU accession treaty provides that Mount Athos maintains its centuries-old special legal status,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/13520.stm |title=Monks see Schengen as Devil's work |access-date=14 October 2007 |date=26 October 1997 |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation }}</ref> guaranteed by article&nbsp;105 of the Greek Constitution. It is part of the customs union but outside the VAT area.<ref name="vatcustoms" /> Notwithstanding that a special permit is required to enter the peninsula and that there is a prohibition on the admittance of women, it is part of the Schengen Area.<ref>The Greek [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:42000A0922(06):EN:NOT accession treaty] does not specifically exclude Mount Athos from the Convention's territorial scope.</ref> The monastery has certain rights to house monks from countries outside the EU. A declaration attached to Greece's accession treaty to the Schengen Agreement states that Mount Athos's "special status" should be taken into account in the application of the Schengen rules.<ref>Joint Declaration No.&nbsp;5 attached to the Final Act of the [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:42000A0922(06):EN:NOT accession treaty].</ref>

===Plazas de soberanía=== The ''plazas de soberanía'' are small islands and a peninsula scattered along the Moroccan coast which have been integral parts of Spain since the 15th&nbsp;century and therefore are also part of the European Union. Their currency is the euro.

==Areas of extraterritoriality== {{Further|Privileged transit traffic}}The Saimaa Canal and Värska–Ulitina road are two of several distinct travel arrangements that exist or existed because of changes in borders over the course of the 20th&nbsp;century, where transport routes and installations ended up on the wrong side of the border. Some have become superfluous thanks to the Schengen Agreement. These listed examples pass the external EU border.

===Saimaa Canal=== Finland leases the {{convert|19.6|km|mi|-long|adj=mid}} Russian part of the Saimaa Canal from Russia and is granted extraterritoriality rights.<ref name=liikennevirasto>{{cite web|url=http://www.liikennevirasto.fi/web/en/waterways/canals-and-bridges/the-saimaa-canal|title=The Saimaa Canal – Finnish Transport Agency|website=www.liikennevirasto.fi}}</ref> The area is not part of the EU; it is a special part of Russia. Under the treaty signed by Finnish and Russian governments, Russian law is in force with a few exceptions concerning maritime rules and the employment of canal staff which fall under Finnish jurisdiction. There are also special rules concerning vessels travelling to Finland via the canal. Russian visas are not required for just passing through the canal, but a passport is needed and it is checked at the border.<ref name=liikennevirasto/> Euros are accepted for the canal fees. Prior to the 50-year lease renewal coming into effect in February 2012, the Maly Vysotsky Island had also been leased and managed by Finland. Since then it has been fully managed by Russian authorities, and is no longer part of the concession territory.

===Värska–Ulitina road=== The road from Värska to Ulitina in Estonia, traditionally the only road to the Ulitina area, goes through Russian territory for {{Convert|1|km|4=1|spell=in}} of its length, an area called Saatse Boot.<ref>Watch map services, especially Google Streetview, on {{coord|57.90577|N|27.71323|E}}</ref> This road has no border control, but there is no connection to any other road in Russia. It is not permissible to stop or walk along the road. This area is a part of Russia but is also a de facto part of the Schengen area.

===Switzerland=== Some roads, railways and tram lines along the border of Switzerland allow transit between two Swiss places through neighbouring countries, or between the border and international airports and railway stations, without customs controls (and before 2008 without passport controls when those were otherwise needed at the Swiss border). See Privileged transit traffic#Switzerland.

== Non-EU countries and territories with partial EU integration == Special territories of some other European countries are strongly connected to the European Union. These are as follows: *special areas of the member states of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA): **Norway ***Jan Mayen ***Svalbard: not part of the Schengen area, Norwegian VAT area<ref name=norway-vat>[https://www.skatteetaten.no/globalassets/bedrift-og-organisasjon/avgifter/merverdiavgift/refusjon-av-mva---avgiftsinfo/vat-act---oversatt-versjon-av-merverdiavgiftsloven-updatet-may-2014.pdf VAT act of 19 June 2009 no.&nbsp;58], Norwegian Tax Administration, updated May 2014.</ref> or the EU single market; free movement of people into the territory regardless of nationality<ref>[https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2006/7/4/immigrants-warmly-welcomed Immigrants warmly welcomed], Al Jazeera, 4 July 2006.</ref> ***Bouvet Island ***Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land are disputed Norwegian territories embodying the Norwegian claims to Antarctica but have no permanent population. **Switzerland ***Samnaun and Val Sampuoir: outside Swiss VAT area<ref name="Swiss VAT Act">[https://www.admin.ch/opc/en/classified-compilation/20081110/index.html Federal Act on Value Added Tax], Federal law of the Swiss Confederation. Retrieved 17 February 2016.</ref> ***Basel Badischer Bahnhof platforms: part of EU Customs Union, VAT area and single market{{citation needed|date=February 2026}} *the United Kingdom is not a member state of the EU anymore, nevertheless, it has remained an associated country of the Euratom and is set to continue as participant in the EU's Joint European Torus and Fusion for Energy joint undertakings, as well as participant in the Euratom Supply Agency, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology and the executive agencies of the EU, while some of its territories and the Crown Dependencies are to remain partially integrated with the EU: **Northern Ireland remains under the Northern Ireland Protocol of the Brexit withdrawal agreement de facto part of the European Single Market and the European Union Customs Union for the purposes of goods only{{citation needed|date=February 2026}}, in order to prevent the creation of a customs border on the island of Ireland; along with the remainder of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the Republic of Ireland, it has continued to form the Common Travel Area outside of the Schengen Area. **Akrotiri and Dhekelia, a British territory, is partially integrated with Cyprus in the areas of agriculture, currency, customs, indirect taxation, social security and border control{{citation needed|date=February 2026}}. **Gibraltar, also a British territory, is in negotiations with the EU for an arrangement to participate in the Schengen Area and (with exceptions) the Single Market, pending implementation.<ref name=brexit/><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Brandtjen |first=Roland |date=May 2022 |title=The impact of Brexit on the identity of small British-European nations |url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/94162 |journal=Small States & Territories Journal |language=en |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=13–30}}</ref>

== Summary == {{for|sovereign states|European integration#Summary of European integration uniformity and progress}}

===Special territories of EU member states=== This table summarises the various components of EU laws applied in the special territories of EU member states. {|class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%; line-height:1.4" |-valign="bottom" !scope="col" width="12%" colspan="2"| Member&nbsp;states and&nbsp;territories !scope="col" width="12%"| Application {{nowrap|of EU law}} !scope="col" width="7%"| EURATOM !scope="col" width="7%"| EU citizen&shy;ship !scope="col" width="7%"| EU elections !scope="col" width="12%"| Schengen area !scope="col" width="7%"| EU&nbsp;VAT area !scope="col" width="7%"| EU&nbsp;customs territory !scope="col" width="9%"| EU&nbsp;single market !scope="col" width="9%"| Euro&shy;zone |- | colspan="11" | |- |scope="rowgroup" colspan="2"| {{flagcountry|Cyprus}}, except: | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |{{Partial|Set to implement later{{efn|name="CYP-Schengen"}}}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- |rowspan="2" style="border-top:hidden"| |scope="row"| {{flagicon|United Nations}}&nbsp;UN Buffer Zone | {{Partial|With exemptions}} | {{Partial|de facto}} | {{Yes}} | {{No}}<!--No voting facilities--> | {{No}} | {{No}} | {{Yes}}{{efn|Exceptions may be in place for Turkish goods and services destined for Pyla.}} | {{Yes|With exemptions}}{{efn|Due to the military nature of zone, the UN requires permits for some economic activity to ensure that the fundamental nature of the area as a buffer zone is not compromised.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.unficyp.org/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=1608&tt=graphic&lang=l1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021143210/http://www.unficyp.org/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=1608&tt=graphic&lang=l1 |title=- UNFICYP Buffer Zone permits |archive-date=21 October 2014}}</ref>}} | {{Yes}} |- |scope="row"| {{flagcountry|Northern Cyprus}} | {{No|Suspended}} | {{No}} | {{partial|Cypriot citizens}}{{efn|Cypriot nationality law extends to Northern Cyprus, meaning citizens of the Republic of Cyprus residing in Northern Cyprus are entitled to EU citizenship.}} | {{No}}<!--No voting facilities--> | {{No}} | {{No}} | {{No}}<ref name="FI-tulli">{{Cite web|url=http://www.tulli.fi/en/09|title=Information for Businesses/01 Customs and fiscal territories/index.jsp The customs and fiscal territories of the European Community}}</ref> | {{No}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://europa.eu/eur-lex/en/com/pdf/2004/com2004|title=0466en01.pdf Direct Trade Regulation proposal, not yet implemented}}</ref> | {{No|TRY}} |- | colspan="11" | |- |scope="rowgroup" colspan="2"| {{DEN}}, except: | {{Yes}}{{efn|name="EU-opt-outs"|Opt-outs in force for some treaty provisions and legislations}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{partial|DKK (ERM&nbsp;II)}} |- |rowspan="2" style="border-top:hidden"| |scope="row"| {{GRL}} | {{No|Minimal}} (<span title="Overseas countries and territories">OCT</span>)<ref name="OCT list">{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/regions/overseas-countries-and-territories-octs/oct-eu-association_en |title=Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) |access-date=9 January 2019 |publisher=EU Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development}}</ref> | {{No}}<ref name="GRL-EURATOM">{{cite web |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/FindByProcnum.do?lang=2&procnum=INI/2006/2012 |title=Procedure File: 2006/2012(INI) – Legislative Observatory – European Parliament |website=www.europarl.europa.eu}}</ref> | {{Yes}} | {{No}} | {{No}} | {{No}} | {{No}}<ref name="FI-tulli" /> | {{partial}}<ref name="EU-OCTs-market">{{Cite web|url=http://data.europa.eu/eli/treaty/tec_2002/oj/eng|title=EUR-Lex - 12002E/TXT - EN - EUR-Lex}}</ref> | {{partial|DKK (ERM&nbsp;II)}} |- |scope="row"| {{FRO}} | {{No}} | {{No}}<ref name="EURATOM-treaty">{{Cite web|url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/treaties/dat/12006A/12006A.htm|title=EURATOM Treaty Art.198d}}</ref> | {{No}} | {{No}} | {{No}} | {{No}} | {{No}}<ref name="FI-tulli" /> | {{No|Minimal}} (<span title="free trade agreement">FTA</span>)<ref name="FTAs">List of free trade agreements</ref><ref name="Faroe-FTA">{{Cite web|url=http://www.consilium.europa.eu/applications/Accords/details.asp?cmsid=297&id=1996089&lang=EN&doclang=EN|title=Agreement between the European Community, of the one part, and the Government of Denmark and the Home Government of the Faroe Islands}}</ref> | {{partial|DKK (ERM&nbsp;II)}} |- | colspan="11" | |- |scope="rowgroup" colspan="2"| {{FIN}}, except: | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- |style="border-top:hidden"| &nbsp; |scope="row"| {{ALA}} | {{Yes|With exemptions}} | {{Yes}}<ref>{{cite book |author=Lauri Hannikainen |author2=Frank Horn |title=Autonomy and Demilitarisation in International Law: The Åland Islands in a Changing Europe |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=kpHRY6gFmLEC&pg=PA94 |year=1997 | publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers |isbn=978-90-411-0271-3 |page=94}}</ref> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{No}} | {{Yes}}<ref name="FI-tulli" /> | {{Yes|With exemptions}} | {{Yes}} |- | colspan="11" | |- |scope="rowgroup" colspan="2"| {{FRA}}, except: | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- |rowspan="13" style="border-top:hidden"| |scope="row"| {{flag|French Guiana|FRA}} | {{Partial|With exemptions}} (<span title="Outermost regions">OMR</span>)<ref name="OMRnew" /> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}}{{efn|name=EUFRYES|Part of the former ''Outre-Mer'' electoral constituency, now part of the single national constituency.}} | {{No}}<ref name="Schengen21">[http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2006/l_105/l_10520060413en00010032.pdf Schengen Borders Code] Article (21)</ref> | {{No|VAT free}} | {{Yes}}<ref name="FI-tulli" /> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- |scope="row"| {{flag|Guadeloupe|local2}} | {{Partial|With exemptions}} (<span title="Outermost regions">OMR</span>)<ref name="OMRnew" /> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}}{{efn|name=EUFRYES}} | {{No}}<ref name="Schengen21" /> | {{No|Low-rate VAT}} | {{Yes}}<ref name="FI-tulli" /> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- |scope="row"| {{MTQ}} | {{Partial|With exemptions}} (<span title="Outermost regions">OMR</span>)<ref name="OMRnew" /> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}}{{efn|name=EUFRYES}} | {{No}}<ref name="Schengen21" /> | {{No|Low-rate VAT}} | {{Yes}}<ref name="FI-tulli" /> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- |scope="row"| {{REU}} | {{Partial|With exemptions}} (<span title="Outermost regions">OMR</span>)<ref name="OMRnew" /> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}}{{efn|name=EUFRYES}} | {{No}}<ref name="Schengen21" /> | {{No|Low-rate VAT}} | {{Yes}}<ref name="FI-tulli" /> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- |scope="row"| {{flagcountry|Mayotte}} | {{Partial|With exemptions}} (<span title="Outermost regions">OMR</span>)<ref name="OMRnew" /> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}}{{efn|name=EUFRYES}} | {{No}}<ref name="Schengen21" /> | {{No|VAT free}} | {{Yes}}<ref name="FI-tulli" /> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- |scope="row"| {{MAF}} | {{Partial|With exemptions}} (<span title="Outermost regions">OMR</span>)<ref name="OMRnew">{{Cite web |url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2007:306:0042:0133:EN:PDF |title=Treaty of Lisbon, Article&nbsp;2, points&nbsp;287 and&nbsp;293 |access-date=31 January 2008}}</ref> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}}{{efn|name=EUFRYES}} | {{No}}<ref name="Schengen21" /> | {{No|Low-rate VAT}} | {{Yes}}<ref name="FI-tulli" /> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}}<ref name="FR-EUR">{{Cite web|url=http://europa.eu/legislation|title=summaries/economic and monetary affairs/institutional and economic framework/l25042 en.htm Agreements concerning the French territorial communities}}</ref> |- |scope="row"| {{flag|Saint Barthélemy|local}} | {{No|Minimal}} (<span title="Overseas countries and territories">OCT</span>)<ref name="OCT list" /> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}}{{efn|name=EUFRYES}} | {{No}}<ref name="Schengen21" /> | {{No}} | {{No}} |{{partial}}<ref name="EU-OCTs-market" /> | {{Yes}}<ref name="FR-EUR" /> |- |scope="row"| {{flag|Saint Pierre and Miquelon|local}} | {{No|Minimal}} (<span title="Overseas countries and territories">OCT</span>)<ref name="OCT list" /> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}}{{efn|name=EUFRYES}} | {{No}}<ref name="Schengen21" /> | {{No}} | {{No}}<ref name="FI-tulli" /> |{{partial}}<ref name="EU-OCTs-market" /> | {{Yes}}<ref name="FR-EUR" /> |- |scope="row"| {{flag|Wallis and Futuna|local}} | {{No|Minimal}} (<span title="Overseas countries and territories">OCT</span>)<ref name="OCT list" /> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}}{{efn|name=EUFRYES}} | {{No}}<ref name="Schengen21" /> | {{No}} | {{No}}<ref name="FI-tulli" /> |{{partial}}<ref name="EU-OCTs-market" /> |{{partial|XPF, pegged to EUR}} |- |scope="row"| {{flagcountry|French Polynesia}} | {{No|Minimal}} (<span title="Overseas countries and territories">OCT</span>)<ref name="OCT list" /> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}}{{efn|name=EUFRYES}} | {{No}}<ref name="Schengen21" /> | {{No}} | {{No}}<ref name="FI-tulli" /> |{{partial}}<ref name="EU-OCTs-market" /> |{{partial|XPF, pegged to EUR}} |- |scope="row"| {{flagcountry|New Caledonia}} | {{No|Minimal}} (<span title="Overseas countries and territories">OCT</span>)<ref name="OCT list" /> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}}{{efn|name=EUFRYES}} | {{No}}<ref name="Schengen21" /> | {{No}} | {{No}}<ref name="FI-tulli" /> |{{partial}}<ref name="EU-OCTs-market" /> |{{partial|XPF, pegged to EUR}} |- |scope="row"| {{flagcountry|French Southern and Antarctic Lands}} | {{No|Minimal}} (<span title="Overseas countries and territories">OCT</span>)<ref name="OCT list" /> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{No}}{{efn|name=EUFRNO|No permanent population; not part of any of the eight former European Parliament electoral constituencies of France.}} | {{No}}<ref name="Schengen21" /> | {{No}} | {{No}}<ref name="FI-tulli" /> |{{partial}}<ref name="EU-OCTs-market" /> | {{Yes}}<ref name="ATF-CPT-status">Art. 1-1-6°, [http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do;jsessionid=2E14855B772D504D6D56073B3A3BFDAD.tpdjo13v%201?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000000879815&categorieLien=cid&dateTexte= Loi n°55-1052 du 6 août 1955 portant statut des Terres australes et antarctiques françaises et de l'île de Clipperton.]</ref> |- |scope="row"| {{flagcountry|Clipperton Island}} | {{Partial|de facto}} | {{Yes}}<ref>Article 108 of the Euratom Treaty</ref> | {{yes}}<ref name="ATF-CPT-status" /> | {{No}}{{efn|name=EUFRNO}} | {{No}}<ref name="Schengen21" /> | {{No|de facto}} | {{No|de facto}} | {{No|de facto}} | {{yes}}<ref name="ATF-CPT-status" /> |- | colspan="11" | |- |scope="rowgroup" colspan="2"| {{GER}}, except: | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- |rowspan="2" style="border-top:hidden"| |scope="row"| 15px|link=&nbsp;Büsingen am Hochrhein | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}}{{efn|name="switzschengen"}} | {{No|Low-rate VAT}} | {{No}}<ref name="FI-tulli" /> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- |scope="row"| {{flagicon image|Flag of Helgoland.svg}}&nbsp;Heligoland | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{No|VAT free}} | {{No}}<ref name="FI-tulli" /> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- | colspan="11" | |- |scope="rowgroup" colspan="2"| {{GRE}}, except: | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- |style="border-top:hidden"| |scope="row"| {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Greek Orthodox Church.svg}} Mount Athos | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{No|VAT free}}<ref name="vatcustoms"/> | {{Yes}}<ref name="FI-tulli" /> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- | colspan="11" | |- |scope="rowgroup" colspan="2"| {{ITA}}, except: | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- |rowspan="2" style="border-top:hidden"| |scope="row"| {{flagdeco|Italy}}&nbsp;Livigno | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{No|VAT free}} | {{No}}<ref name="FI-tulli" /> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- |scope="row"| {{flagicon image|Flag of Campione d'Italia.svg}}&nbsp;Campione d'Italia | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}}{{efn|name="switzschengen"|Participating together with Switzerland}} | {{No|Low-rate VAT}} | {{Yes}}<ref name="2019/474" /> | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- | colspan="11" | |- |scope="rowgroup" colspan="2"| {{flagcountry|Kingdom of the Netherlands}}, except: | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- |rowspan="6" style="border-top:hidden"| &nbsp; |scope="row"| {{flagcountry|Bonaire}} | {{No|Minimal}} (<span title="Overseas countries and territories">OCT</span>)<ref name="OCT list" /> | {{No}}{{efn|name=BES|Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius: Inherited status as non-member from the Netherlands Antilles.}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{No}}<ref name="Schengen21" /> | {{No}} | {{No}}<ref name="customs">{{Cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/taxation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070214020539/http://ec.europa.eu/taxation |title=customs/common/glossary/customs/index en.htm Customs territory of the Community |archive-date=14 February 2007}}</ref> |{{partial}}<ref name="EU-OCTs-market" /> | {{No|USD}} |- |scope="row"| {{flagcountry|Saba}} | {{No|Minimal}} (<span title="Overseas countries and territories">OCT</span>)<ref name="OCT list" /> | {{No}}{{efn|name=BES}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{No}}<ref name="Schengen21" /> | {{No}} | {{No}}<ref name="customs" /> |{{partial}}<ref name="EU-OCTs-market" /> | {{No|USD}} |- |scope="row"| {{flagcountry|Sint Eustatius}} | {{No|Minimal}} (<span title="Overseas countries and territories">OCT</span>)<ref name="OCT list" /> | {{No}}{{efn|name=BES}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{No}}<ref name="Schengen21" /> | {{No}} | {{No}}<ref name="customs" /> |{{partial}}<ref name="EU-OCTs-market" /> | {{No|USD}} |- |scope="row"| {{CUW}} | {{No|Minimal}} (<span title="Overseas countries and territories">OCT</span>)<ref name="OCT list" /> | {{No}}<ref name="Rijksoctrooiwet">{{cite web |url=https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/kst-32186-3.html?zoekcriteria=%3fzkt%3dUitgebreid%26pst%3dParlementaireDocumenten%26vrt%3deuratom%2bbonaire%26zkd%3dInDeGeheleText%26dpr%3dAlle%26sdt%3dDatumPublicatie%26ap%3d%26pnr%3d1%26rpp%3d10&resultIndex=3&sorttype=1&sortorder=4 |access-date=6 November 2010 |title=Rijkswet aanpassing rijkswetten, nr.&nbsp;3 MEMORIE VAN TOELICHTING |language=nl |quote=(...) van het Verdrag tot oprichting van de Europese Gemeenschap voor Atoomenergie (Euratom) (Tr.&nbsp;1957, 92). Dit verdrag geldt niet voor Curaçao en Sint Maarten.}}</ref> | {{Yes}}{{efn|name=Hague|Voters from the territory, like Dutch citizens residing abroad, must register with the municipality of the Hague. A separate vote count is not available.}} | {{Yes}} | {{No}}<ref name="Schengen21" /> | {{No}} | {{No}}<ref name="customs" /> |{{partial}}<ref name="EU-OCTs-market" /> | {{No|XCG}} |- |scope="row"| {{SXM}} | {{No|Minimal}} (<span title="Overseas countries and territories">OCT</span>)<ref name="OCT list" /> | {{No}}<ref name="Rijksoctrooiwet" /> | {{Yes}}{{efn|name=Hague}} | {{Yes}} | {{No}}<ref name="Schengen21" /> | {{No}} | {{No}}<ref name="customs" /> |{{partial}}<ref name="EU-OCTs-market" /> | {{No|XCG}} |- |scope="row"| {{ABW}} | {{No|Minimal}} (<span title="Overseas countries and territories">OCT</span>)<ref name="OCT list" /> | {{No|de facto}}<ref name="EURATOM-treaty" /><ref name="NLD-EURATOM-protocol">See the [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/treaties/dat/12006A/12006A PRO PRI.htm Protocol on the application of the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community to the non European parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands] and [http://www.cvce.eu/obj/act_ratifying_the_eaec_treaty_in_the_netherlands_5_december_1957-en-81e8ada8-64c8-4ccb-a03d-76b3733abb80.html Act ratifying the EAEC Treaty in the Netherlands]. The protocol on non-application of EURATOM by derogation was abrogated by Article&nbsp;8 (III) of the Treaty of Amsterdam, which entered into force in 1999, but there is no evidence that the EURATOM treaty was ever extended to other countries within the Kingdom (now: Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten, formerly: the Netherlands Antilles and Suriname).</ref> | {{Yes}}{{efn|name=Hague}} | {{Yes}} | {{No}}<ref name="Schengen21" /> | {{No}} | {{No}}<ref name="customs" /> |{{Partial}}<ref name="EU-OCTs-market" /> | {{No|AWG}} |- | colspan="11" | |- |scope="rowgroup" colspan="2"| {{POR}}, except: | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- |rowspan="2" style="border-top:hidden"| |scope="row"| {{flagcountry|Azores}} | {{Yes}} (<span title="Outermost regions">OMR</span>) | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes|Local rate}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- |scope="row"| {{flagcountry|Madeira}} | {{Yes}} (<span title="Outermost regions">OMR</span>) | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes|Local rate}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- | colspan="11" | |- |scope="rowgroup" colspan="2"| {{ESP}}, except: | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- |rowspan="3" style="border-top:hidden"| |scope="row"| {{flagcountry|Canary Islands}} | {{Partial|With exemptions}} (<span title="Outermost regions">OMR</span>) | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{No|VAT free}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- |scope="row"| {{flagcountry|Ceuta}} | {{Partial|With exemptions}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{partial}}{{efn|The full Schengen acquis applies to all Spanish territories, but there are border checks on departure from Ceuta and Melilla to Spain or other Schengen countries, because of specific arrangements for visa exemptions for Moroccan nationals resident in the provinces of Tetuan and Nador.<ref name="OJ L 239, 22.9.2000, p. 69"/><ref name="EA-Schengen">{{Cite web|url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/Notice.do?val=240436%3Acs&lang=en&list=240453%3Acs%2C240428%3Acs%2C240442%3Acs%2C240441%3Acs%2C240440%3Acs%2C240439%3Acs%2C240438%3Acs%2C240437%3Acs%2C240436%3Acs%2C240435%3Acs%2C&pos=9&page=1&nbl=11&pgs=10&hwords=&checktexte=checkbox&visu=|title=Declaration on the towns of Ceuta and Melilla regarding Schengen}}</ref>|name="CeutaMelillaSchengen"}} | {{No|VAT free}} | {{No}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- |scope="row"| {{flagcountry|Melilla}} | {{Partial|With exemptions}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} | {{partial}}{{efn|name="CeutaMelillaSchengen"}} | {{No|VAT free}} | {{No}} | {{Yes}} | {{Yes}} |- | colspan="11"| |-valign="top" !scope="col" width="12%" colspan="2"| Member states and territories !scope="col" width="12%"| Application of EU law !scope="col" width="7%"| EURATOM !scope="col" width="7%"| EU citizen&shy;ship !scope="col" width="7%"| EU elections !scope="col" width="12%"| Schengen area !scope="col" width="7%"| EU&nbsp;VAT area !scope="col" width="7%"| EU&nbsp;customs territory !scope="col" width="9%"| EU single market !scope="col" width="9%"| Euro&shy;zone |- | colspan="11" | |- | scope="col" colspan="11" | '''Legend for the "Application of EU law" column:''' &nbsp; <span style="background-color:#90ff90">Full. Part of the EU.<ref name="auto">Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union § Article&nbsp;355</ref></span> — <span style="background-color:#ff9090">Minimal or none. Not part of the EU territory.</span> |}

===Special territories of other European states=== Special territories of EFTA states and some other European countries also have a special status in regard to EU laws applied.<ref name="FTAs" /> {|class="wikitable" |- !colspan="2" | {{nowrap|Countries and territories}} ! Application {{nowrap|of EU law}} ! EURATOM ! Schengen area ! EU&nbsp;VAT area ! EU&nbsp;customs territory ! EU&nbsp;single market ! Adoption of euro |- | colspan="11" | |- | colspan="2" | {{NOR}}, except: |{{Partial}} |{{no}} |{{Yes}} |{{No}} |{{No}} |{{Yes|With exemptions, in EEA}}<ref name="EEA">European Economic Area agreement</ref> |{{No|NOK}} |- | style="border-top:hidden"| |{{flagdeco|Norway}} Svalbard |{{Partial}} |{{no}} |{{No}}<ref name="Schengen-Norway">[https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A21999A0710%2802%29 Agreement concluded by the Council of the European Union and the Republic of Iceland and the Kingdom of Norway concerning the latters' association with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis – Final Act], EUR-Lex, 10 July 1999.</ref> |{{No|VAT free}}<ref name=norway-vat/> |{{No}} |{{No}}<ref name="EEA"/><ref name="Protocol40">[http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:21994A0103(41):EN:HTML Agreement on the European Economic Area – Protocol&nbsp;40 on Svalbard] and [http://www.consilium.europa.eu/App/accords/Default.aspx?command=declaration&id=297&lang=EN&aid=1992045&partyId=N&doclang=EN Declaration for activation of Protocol&nbsp;40 exclusion].</ref> |{{No|NOK}} |- | style="border-top:hidden"| |{{flagdeco|Norway}} Jan Mayen |{{Partial}} |{{no}} |{{Yes}}<ref name="Schengen-Norway"/><ref>[http://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/30079/qc0114777enn.pdf The Schengen Area] (Council of the European Union, 2015)</ref> |{{No|VAT free}}<ref name=norway-vat/> |{{no}} |{{Yes|Like rest of Norway}}<ref name="EEA"/> |{{No|NOK}} |- | style="border-top:hidden"| |{{flagdeco|Norway}} Bouvet Island |{{No}} |{{No}} |{{No}} |{{No}} |{{No}} |{{No}} |{{No|NOK}} |- | style="border-top:hidden"| |{{flagdeco|Norway}} Peter I Island |{{No}} |{{No}} |{{No}} |{{No}} |{{No}} |{{No}} |{{No|NOK}} |- | style="border-top:hidden"| |{{flagdeco|Norway}} Queen Maud Land |{{No}} |{{No}} |{{No}} |{{No}} |{{No}} |{{No}} |{{No|NOK}} |- | colspan="11" | |- | colspan="2" | {{CHE}}, except: |{{Partial}} |{{Partial|Associated state}} |{{Yes}} |{{No|Swiss–Liechtenstein VAT&nbsp;area}} |{{No|Swiss–Liechtenstein customs&nbsp;territory}} |{{Partial|With exemptions, not in EEA}}<ref name=Swiss-EU>Through multiple sectoral agreements</ref> |{{No|CHF}} |- | style="border-top:hidden"| |15px|link= Samnaun and Val Sampuoir |{{Partial}} |{{Partial|Associated state}} |{{Yes}} |{{No|VAT free}}<ref name="Swiss VAT Act"/> |{{No|Swiss–Liechtenstein customs&nbsp;territory}} |{{Partial|With exemptions, not in EEA}}<ref name=Swiss-EU/> |{{No|CHF}} |- | style="border-top:hidden"| |15px|link= Basel Badischer Bahnhof platforms |{{Partial}} |{{Partial|Associated state}} |{{Yes}} |{{Yes}}<ref name="Swiss VAT Act"/> |{{Yes}} |{{Yes}}<ref name=Swiss-EU/> |{{No|CHF}} |- | colspan="11" | |- |scope="rowgroup" colspan="2"| {{GBR}}, except: | {{Partial}} | {{Partial|Associated state}} | {{No|CTA}} | {{no}} | {{no}} | {{no}} | {{No|GBP}} |- |style="border-top:hidden"| |scope="row"| Northern Ireland | {{Partial}}{{efn|The Northern Ireland Protocol applies EU law only to the extent necessary to prevent a customs border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland}} | {{Partial|Associated state}} | {{No|CTA}} | {{Partial|Goods only, de facto}} | {{Partial|Goods only, de facto}} | {{Partial|Goods only, de facto}} | {{No|GBP}} |- |style="border-top:hidden"| |scope="row"| {{flagicon|GBR}}&nbsp;Akrotiri and Dhekelia | {{Partial}}<ref name=brexit/> | {{Partial|Associated state}} | {{partial|Set to implement later}}{{efn|Akrotiri and Dhekelia, and Cyprus should implement together the Schengen area.<ref name="mfacy">{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.cy/mfa/Embassies/BerlinEmbassy.nsf/All/9E3EA74BCAD066E5C125727D00493F03?OpenDocument&print |title=Foreign Minister says Cyprus not to join Schengen before 2010 |publisher=Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Berlin |access-date=3 February 2010}}</ref>|name="CYP-Schengen"}} | {{Yes}}<ref name=brexit/> | {{Yes}}<ref name=brexit/> | {{Partial}}{{efn|In a declaration attached to the Treaty of Establishment of the Republic of Cyprus of 1960, the British government undertook not to allow new settlement of people in the sovereign base areas other than for temporary purposes, meaning at present, free movement of people is limited.}} | {{Yes}}<ref>By the third protocol to the Cyprus adhesion Treaty to EU and British local ordinance (see [http://www.sba.mod.uk/SBA%20Legislation/Ord%202007/Euro%20Ordinance%202007.pdf]).</ref> |- |style="border-top:hidden"| |scope="row"| {{flagcountry|Gibraltar}} | {{Partial}} | {{Partial|Associated state}} | {{Partial|Set to implement later}}<ref name=deal-between-spain-and-uk>{{Cite web|url=https://english.elpais.com/brexit/2021-01-11/deal-between-spain-and-uk-plans-to-eliminate-gibraltar-border-checkpoint.html|title=Deal between Spain and UK plans to eliminate Gibraltar border checkpoint|first=María Martín, Miguel|last=González|date=11 January 2021|website=EL PAÍS English}}</ref> | {{No}} | {{Partial|Set to implement later}}<ref name=deal-between-spain-and-uk/> | {{Partial}} | {{No|GIP}} |- |style="border-top:hidden"| |scope="row"| {{flagcountry|Guernsey}} | {{Partial}} | {{Partial|Associated state}} | {{No|CTA}} | {{no}} | {{no}} | {{no}} | {{No|GGP}} |- |style="border-top:hidden"| |scope="row"| {{flagcountry|Jersey}} | {{Partial}} | {{Partial|Associated state}} | {{No|CTA}} | {{no}} | {{no}} | {{no}} | {{No|JEP}} |- |style="border-top:hidden"| |scope="row"| {{flagcountry|Isle of Man}} | {{Partial}} | {{Partial|Associated state}} | {{No|CTA}} | {{no}} | {{no}} | {{no}} | {{No|IMP}} |- |style="border-top:hidden"| |scope="row"| Other {{flagicon|GBR}}&nbsp;British Overseas Territories | {{No}} | {{Partial|Associated state}} | {{No}} | {{No}} | {{No}} | {{No}} | {{No|Various currencies}} |- | colspan="11"| |-valign="top" !colspan="2" | {{nowrap|Countries and territories}} ! Application {{nowrap|of EU law}} ! EURATOM ! Schengen area ! EU&nbsp;VAT area ! EU&nbsp;customs territory ! EU&nbsp;single market ! Adoption of euro |} {{reflist|group=Note}}

==Former special territories== Many currently independent states or parts of such were previously territories of the following EU members since the latter joined the EU or, previously the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC): * Belgium (with multiple territories, from ECSC formation until 1962) * France (with multiple territories, from ECSC formation) * Italy (with Italian Somaliland, from ECSC formation until 1960) * The Netherlands (with multiple territories, from ECSC formation) * Portugal (with multiple territories, from 1986 enlargement until 1999 ''(de facto)''/2002 ''(de jure)'') * United Kingdom (with multiple territories, from 1973 enlargement) Most of these territories seceded before the implementation of the Maastricht Treaty in 1993 and the following years, meaning that cooperation like the EU citizenship, the VAT union or the Eurozone did not exist, so it made less difference to be a special territory then.

These were: * Cambodia (gained independence from France in 1953), no Community treaty applied there, besides ECSC preferences<ref name="ECSCOCT">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cvce.eu/en/obj/treaty_establishing_the_european_coal_and_steel_community_paris_18_april_1951-en-11a21305-941e-49d7-a171-ed5be548cd58.html|title=Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community (Paris, 18 April 1951)|date=11 September 2015|website=CVCE.EU by UNI.LU}}</ref> * Laos (gained independence from France in 1954), no Community treaty applied there, besides ECSC preferences<ref name="ECSCOCT"/> * Vietnam (gained independence from France in 1954), no Community treaty applied there, besides ECSC preferences<ref name="ECSCOCT"/> * Tunisia (gained independence from France in 1956), no Community treaty applied there, besides ECSC preferences<ref name="ECSCOCT"/> * Morocco (gained independence from France in 1956), no Community treaty applied there, besides ECSC preferences<ref name="ECSCOCT"/> * Guinea (gained independence from France in 1958), had OCT status<ref name="EECOCT">Annex IV: Overseas countries and territories</ref> * Cameroon (French-administered part gained independence from France in 1960 along with some of UK-administered parts); had OCT status for the French part<ref name="EECOCT"/> * Togo (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status<ref name="EECOCT"/> * Mali (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status<ref name="EECOCT"/> * Senegal (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status<ref name="EECOCT"/> * Madagascar (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status<ref name="EECOCT"/> * DR Congo (gained independence from Belgium in 1960), had OCT status<ref name="EECOCT"/> * Somalia (Italian-administered part gained independence from Italy in 1960 along with UK-administered part); had OCT status for the Italian part<ref name="EECOCT"/> * Benin (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status<ref name="EECOCT"/> * Niger (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status<ref name="EECOCT"/> * Burkina Faso (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status<ref name="EECOCT"/> * Ivory Coast (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status<ref name="EECOCT"/> * Chad (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status<ref name="EECOCT"/> * Central African Republic (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status<ref name="EECOCT"/> * Congo (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status<ref name="EECOCT"/> * Gabon (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status<ref name="EECOCT"/> * Mauritania (gained independence from France in 1960), had OCT status<ref name="EECOCT"/> * Burundi (gained independence from Belgium in 1962), had OCT status<ref name="EECOCT"/> * Rwanda (gained independence from Belgium in 1962), had OCT status<ref name="EECOCT"/> * Netherlands New Guinea (transferred from the Netherlands to UN in 1962, later annexed by Indonesia), had OCT status<ref name="EECOCT"/> * Suriname (gained independence from the Netherlands in 1975), had OCT status,<ref name="ECSCOCT"/><ref>Up to 1 September 1962 no Community treaty applied there, besides ECSC preferences. Between that date and 16 July 1976 Suriname had OCT status.</ref><ref>"The provisions of Part Four of the Treaty were applied to Surinam, by virtue of a Supplementary Act of the Kingdom of the Netherlands ([http://www.antillenhuis.nl/web/images/Publicaties/Relatie%20Antillen%20en%20Aruba%20met%20EU%20-%20Raad%20van%20State.pdf?PHPSESSID=9a70673bf0407a3421716f747777eb5e page29]) to complete its instrument of ratification, from 1 September 1962 to 16 July 1976.", in: eur-lex.europa.eu – [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:12006E/TXT:EN:HTML Treaty establishing the European Community (consolidated version) – Text of the Treaty]</ref> EURATOM application unsure.<ref name="NEDprotocolEURATOM">See the [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/treaties/dat/12006A/12006A_PRO_PRI.htm Protocol on the application of the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community to the non European parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands] and [http://www.cvce.eu/obj/act_ratifying_the_eaec_treaty_in_the_netherlands_5_december_1957-en-81e8ada8-64c8-4ccb-a03d-76b3733abb80.html Act ratifying the EAEC Treaty in the Netherlands]. The protocol on non-application of EURATOM by derogation was abrogated by Article 8 (III) of the Treaty of Amsterdam, which entered into force in 1999, but there is no evidence that the EURATOM treaty was ever extended to other countries within the Kingdom (now: Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten, formerly: the Netherlands Antilles and Suriname).</ref> * Algeria (gained independence from France in 1962), had a status similar to OMR<ref name="EECOMR">European Economic Community Treaty, Art 227</ref> * The Bahamas (gained independence from the UK in 1973), had OCT status<ref name="OCT73">{{cite web|url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:11972B024:EN:HTML|title=EUR-Lex – 11972B024 – EN|website=eur-lex.europa.eu}}</ref> * Grenada (gained independence from the UK in 1973), had OCT status<ref name="OCT73"/> * Comoros (gained independence from France in 1975), had OCT status<ref name="EECOCT"/> * Seychelles (gained independence from the UK in 1976), had OCT status<ref name="OCT73"/> * French Somaliland (gained independence from France as Djibouti in 1977), had OCT status<ref name="EECOCT"/> * Solomon Islands (gained independence from the UK in 1978), had OCT status<ref name="OCT73"/> * Tuvalu (gained independence from the UK in 1978), had OCT status<ref name="OCT73"/> * Dominica (gained independence from the UK in 1978), had OCT status<ref name="OCT73"/> * Saint Lucia (gained independence from the UK in 1979), had OCT status<ref name="OCT73"/> * Kiribati (gained independence from the UK in 1979), had OCT status<ref name="OCT73"/> * Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (gained independence from the UK in 1979), had OCT status<ref name="OCT73"/> * Zimbabwe (gained ''de jure'' independence from the UK in 1980), no Community treaty applied there, besides ECSC preferences<ref name="ECSCOCT"/><ref name="NOUKOCT">According to Art.227 (EEC) and Art.198 (EURATOM) these Treaties shall not apply to those overseas countries and territories having special relations with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland which are not listed in Annex IV to the EEC Treaty. Zimbabwe and Hong Kong are not listed in the annex.</ref> * Vanuatu (gained independence from the UK and France in 1980), generally had OCT status<ref>New Hebrides had ECSC preferences and EURATOM application 1952–1973 stemming from the French administration in the territory, from 1973 to 1980 from both the French and British administrations, no EEC law applied 1958–1973, EEC OCT status 1973–1980</ref> * Belize (gained independence from the UK in 1981), had OCT status<ref name="OCT73"/> * Antigua and Barbuda (gained independence from the UK in 1981), had OCT status<ref name="OCT73"/> * Saint Kitts and Nevis (gained independence from the UK in 1983), had OCT status<ref name="OCT73"/> * Brunei (gained independence from UK in 1984), had OCT status<ref name="OCT73"/> * Hong Kong (sovereignty transferred from the UK to China in 1997), no Community treaty applied there,<ref name="NOUKOCT"/> besides ECSC preferences<ref name="ECSCOCT"/> * Macau (sovereignty transferred from Portugal to China in 1999), EURATOM was applicable,<ref>Art.198 of the EURATOM Treaty states that the treaty applies to ''non-European territories under jurisdiction of Member States''. So far there is no reference for Macau exclusion, thus considering it included between 1986 and 1999.</ref> besides the ECSC preferences<ref name="ECSCOCT"/> * Timor-Leste (East Timor) (gained independence from Indonesia in 2002, considered under Portuguese administration before that), no Community treaty applied there{{efn|When Portugal became a Community member in 1986 East Timor was considered a non-self-governing-territory under Portuguese administration by the United Nations despite Indonesian occupation of East Timor between 1975 and 1999. None of the EC laws were ever in force, but EURATOM and ECSC preferences were to apply if not for the Indonesian occupation. The ''de jure'' Portuguese administration formally ceased on 20 May 2002 when Portugal recognised East Timor's independence.}}

The United Kingdom left the EU in 2020. When it was a member, some of its Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories were partially integrated with the EU. *Gibraltar was part of the EU and partially inside its single market. *Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man were not part of the EU, but were in its customs union and enjoyed free trade. *Akrotiri and Dhekelia continue to have partial integration with Cyprus, an EU member state, even after the UK is no longer an EU member. *Other territories which were Overseas Territories that year had OCT status.

Additionally in Europe there were special territories in the past that had different status than their "mainland", because of various reasons, but now are part of a member state. Some of these territories were as follows: * The Austrian areas of Kleinwalsertal and Jungholz formerly enjoyed a special legal status. The two areas have road access only to Germany, and not directly to other parts of Austria. They were in customs and currency union with Germany and there were no border controls between Kleinwalsertal and Jungholz, respectively, and Germany. When Austria entered the EU (and its customs union) in 1995, the customs union became defunct. The entry into force of the Schengen Agreement for Austria (1997) and the introduction of the euro (2002) caused Kleinwalsertal and Jungholz to lose their remaining legal privileges. It is now legally treated in the same manner as the rest of Austria. * Saar (merged with the Federal Republic of Germany on 1 January 1957), was fully part of the Community as French-administered European territory<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cvce.eu/obj/treaty_establishing_the_european_coal_and_steel_community_paris_18_april_1951-en-11a21305-941e-49d7-a171-ed5be548cd58.html |title=Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community (Paris, 18 April 1951) |date=11 September 2015}}</ref> * West Berlin (merged with the Federal Republic of Germany on 3 October 1990), was subject to the full application of the treaties{{efn|Until the unification of Germany in 1990 the ''de jure'' status of West Berlin was that of French, UK and US occupied zones with West German civilian administration. The treaties applied fully during 1952–1990 given the Federal German and French treaty responsibilities [http://www.cvce.eu/obj/treaty_establishing_the_european_coal_and_steel_community_paris_18_april_1951-en-11a21305-941e-49d7-a171-ed5be548cd58.html European Coal and Steel Community Treaty, Art.79], and during 1973–1990 given the British treaty responsibilities.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:11972B/AFI/DCL/06:EN:HTML |title=EUR-Lex – 11972B/AFI/DCL/06 – EN |website=Official Journal L 073, 27 March 1972, p. 0195}}</ref>{{Clarify|date=September 2009}} For the 1979, 1984 and 1989 European Parliaments, three MEPs were appointed on the nomination of the Berlin House of Representatives rather than being directly elected. From 3 October 1990 West Berlin was fully integrated in Berlin in the Federal Republic of Germany, along with the former East Germany.}} * German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was until 1972 on paper a part of one Germany and the European Community, since West Germany, the NATO countries and the European Community did not recognize the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) until 1972. East Germany did not recognize any membership of the EC. The West German government treated trade with East Germany as inter-German trade and not subject to the EC trade tariffs.

The following areas are still special member state territories, but have changed their status. See their entries in the article for details. * Greenland * Saint Barthélemy * Mayotte

== See also == <!--In Alphabetical Order--> * Dependent territory * Elections to the European Parliament * Enlargement of the European Union * European Union Association Agreement * European Union law * Eurosphere * Eurozone * Foreign relations of the European Union * Freedom of movement for workers in the European Union * {{annotated link|Free economic zone}} * Future enlargement of the European Union * History of the European Union * Member state of the European Union * Microstates and the European Union * Opt-outs in the European Union * Outline of the European Union * Withdrawal from the European Union {{clear}}

==Notes== {{Notelist|35em}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{Official website|http://www.octassociation.org/}} * [https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/business/vat/eu-vat-rules-topic/territorial-status-eu-countries-certain-territories_en Information on the "Territorial status of EU countries and certain territories" from the European Commission] ** [http://www.eclac.org/publicaciones/xml/3/34433/L.176.pdf Review of CARIFORUM-EU EPA – and Implications for the British and Dutch Caribbean Octs] – What the CARIFORUM-EU trade deal means for current EU territories * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110820150232/http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/themes/outermost/index_en.htm Regional policy & outermost regions]

{{European Union topics}} {{portal bar|European Union| Europe}} Category:Foreign relations of the European Union *

da:Oversøiske lande og territorier