European Union territory

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Member States (blue) and candidate countries (yellow) of the EU (clickable map)

The territory of the European Union basically comprises the national territories of the member states and represents the sphere of activity of the European Union . It is between

• the international law area of ​​the European Union,
• the areas in which the law of the European Union ( acquis communautaire ) applies, and
• for example the customs area of ​​the European Union

to distinguish. Other differences result, among other things, from the non-participation of certain states or areas in policy areas of the European Union, such as the common currency.

For example, the northern part of the island of Cyprus belongs to the Republic of Cyprus under international law and thus to the territory of the EU . However, it is not under the control of the Republic of Cyprus. The law of the European Union is suspended there. France is a member of the EU under international law with all of its departments and the Collectivité Saint-Martin . Other French areas are not part of the European Union and are considered third countries for customs purposes. For Germany , all areas of the Federal Republic of Germany are part of the European Union, with Heligoland , the Büsingen exclave on the Upper Rhine, as well as the free ports and the duty-free areas of the airports not belonging to the customs area.

In addition, there are areas that are under the sovereignty of an EU member state , as well as states that are represented internationally by a member state that are not or only partially part of the European Union.

Outermost regions ("GÄR" or "OMR")

Map of the overseas countries and territories (green) and the outermost regions (blue)

According to Art. 349 in conjunction with Art. 355 (1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), for the " Outermost regions " (or Outermost regions ; marked in the table with "GÄR"), taking into account their special social and economic situation (e.g. remoteness or economic dependence on a few products), specific measures and benefits are adopted that are exceptions to otherwise applicable provisions of European law. Despite these exceptions, these areas are fully fledged parts of EU territory.

Overseas countries and territories ("OCT" or "OCT")

After the fourth part of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union ( Art. 198 bis 204 TFEU ), the "Overseas countries and territories" (or are Overseas countries and territories ) associated with the European Union. This means that there are no customs duties, especially in trade with these areas. Although they partially belong to the territory of a member state of the European Union, in principle they do not belong to the European Union, although individual aspects of European law also apply there.

Overview of special features in the areas of the member states of the European Union

These special features, listed by way of example in the introduction, are shown in the following table according to the Member States concerned.

Member States and Territories		Part of the EU	Applicable to European law	EURATOM	Union citizenship	Election of the European Parliament	Schengen area	VAT Union of the EU	Customs territory of the EU	Euro
Belgium		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Bulgaria		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Not introduced	Yes	Yes	no, BGN
Denmark		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	no, DKK
	Faroe Islands	No	No	No	No	No	No (but no border controls)	No	No	no, DKK
	Greenland	OCT	Minimal	No	No	No	No (but no border controls)	No	No	no, DKK
Germany		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Büsingen	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	official: only EUR factual: also CHF
	Heligoland	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
Estonia		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Finland		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Åland	Yes	With exceptions	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
France		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	French Guiana	Yes	With exceptions (GÄR)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
	French Polynesia	OCT	Minimal	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	no, XPF
	French Southern and Antarctic Lands	OCT	Minimal	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
	Guadeloupe	Yes	With exceptions (GÄR)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
	Martinique	Yes	With exceptions (GÄR)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
	Mayotte	Yes	With exceptions (GÄR)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
	New Caledonia	OCT	Minimal	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	no, XPF
	Reunion	Yes	With exceptions (GÄR)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
	Saint Barthelemy	OCT	Minimal	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
	Saint Martin	Yes	With exceptions (GÄR)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
	Saint-Pierre and Miquelon	OCT	Minimal	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
	Wallis and Futuna	OCT	Minimal	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	no, XPF
	Clipperton Island	???	???	Yes	Yes, but uninhabited	No	No	No	No	???
Greece		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Athos	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	With exceptions	No	Yes	Yes
Ireland		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Police and judicial cooperation only	Yes	Yes	Yes
Italy		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Campione d'Italia	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	no, CHF
	Livigno	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
Croatia		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Not introduced	Yes	Yes	no, HRK
Latvia		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Lithuania		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Luxembourg		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Malta		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Netherlands		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Aruba	OCT	Minimal	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	no, AWG
	Bonaire	OCT	Minimal	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	no, USD
	Curacao	OCT	Minimal	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	no, ANG
	Saba	OCT	Minimal	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	no, USD
	St. Eustatius	OCT	Minimal	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	no, USD
	Sint Maarten	OCT	Minimal	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	no, ANG
Austria		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Poland		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	no, PLN
Portugal		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Azores	Yes	With exceptions (GÄR)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Madeira	Yes	With exceptions (GÄR)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Romania		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Not introduced	Yes	Yes	no, RON
Slovakia		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Slovenia		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Spain		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Ceuta	Yes	With exceptions	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
	Canary Islands	Yes	With exceptions (GÄR)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
	Melilla	Yes	With exceptions	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Sweden		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	no, SEK
Czech Republic		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	no, CZK
Hungary		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	no, HUF
Republic of Cyprus		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Not introduced	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Northern Cyprus	De jure yes, de facto no	(Contract application suspended)	(Contract application suspended)	Partially	part	No	No	No	no, TRY
	UN buffer zone	Yes	???	???	Yes	Yes	No	No	???	Yes
Free ports and duty-free areas at airports in various member states		Yes	Yes	Yes	uninhabited	uninhabited	As in member state	No	No	Currency of the member state
Member States and Territories		Part of the EU	Applicable to European law	EURATOM	Union citizenship	Election of the European Parliament	Schengen area	VAT Union of the EU	Customs Union of the EU	Euro

literature

• Ulrike Jureit and Nikola Tietze (eds.): “Post sovereign territoriality. The European Union and its area ”. Hamburger Edition published by HIS Verlag, Hamburg 2015, ISBN 978-3-86854-287-5 .

See also

• Candidate countries of the European Union, section "Dependent territories"

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Which areas are “outermost regions” within the meaning of Art. 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) results from Art. 349 in conjunction with Art. 355 (6) TFEU in conjunction with 2010/718 / EU: Decision of the European Council of October 29, 2010 to change the status of the island of Saint-Barthélemy vis-à-vis the European Union ( OJ L 325 of December 9, 2010, pp. 4–5) and 2012/419 / EU: Decision of the European Council of 11 July 2012 amending Mayotte's status vis-à-vis the European Union (OJ L 204 of 31 July 2012, pp. 131–131) (all accessed on 15 December 2017).
2. ↑ ^{a b} Agreement on the Accession of the Kingdom of Denmark to the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement of 14 June 1985 on the gradual abolition of checks at the common borders signed at Schengen on 19 June 1990
3. ↑ ACT concerning the conditions of accession of the Kingdom of Norway, the Republic of Austria, the Republic of Finland and the Kingdom of Sweden and the adjustments to the Treaties on which the European Union is founded, Protocol No 2 - on the Åland islands
4. ↑ 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
5. ↑ 1999/95 / EC: Council Decision of 31 December 1998 concerning the monetary arrangements in the French territorial communities of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and Mayotte
6. ↑ Act concerning the conditions of accession of the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia and the Slovak Republic and the adjustments to the Treaties on which the European Union is founded - Protocol No 10 on Cyprus
7. ↑ Since the northern part of the Republic of Cyprus was occupied by Turkey in 1974, but the territory is still part of the republic under international law, the rules of the Cyprus Nationality Act are also applied to northern Cyprus . Turkish Northern Cypriots are also citizens of the Republic of Cyprus and are consequently also Union citizens when they join the EU, but not people who were settled on the island for political reasons after 1974.
8. ↑ Since the Republic of Cyprus cannot exercise its sovereignty in the north of the island, it cannot open any polling stations there. In order for those citizens of Northern Cyprus to exercise their right to vote, they must visit polling stations in the Republic of Cyprus. Two of the six Cypriot seats in the European Parliament are actually reserved for Turkish Cypriots. [1] However, it was only during the European elections in 2019 with Niyazi Kizilyürek first elected a Nordzyprer to parliament.