Overseas Countries and Territories Association

Overseas Countries and Territories Association (OCTA; French: Association des pays et territoires d'outre-mer de l'Union européenne, PTOM[2]) is an international organisation founded on November 17, 2000 during the conference of prime ministers of overseas countries and territories in Brussels, Belgium. It includes almost all special member state territories of European Union whose purpose is to improve economic development in overseas countries and territories and cooperation with the European Union. It currently has 22 members.[3][4] On 25 June 2008, a Cooperation Treaty between the EU and OCTA was signed in Brussels.[5]

Overseas Countries and Territories Association

Association des pays et territoires d’outre-mer de l’Union européenne
Abbreviation	OCTA
Formation	November 17, 2000 (2000-11-17)
Type	International organization
Purpose	Economic and social cooperation[1]
Headquarters	Brussels, Belgium
Region	Special member state territories of EU
Official language	English, French
Chairman	Édouard Fritch
Website	www.octassociation.org

Chairmen

Édouard Fritch, President of the French Polynesia and the OCTA Chairman since 2018.

Since 2011, the chairmen are chosen annually and their function is to head the organization and elect an Executive Committee. The current[6] and previous[7] chairmen are:

• Reuben Meade, Prime Minister of Montserrat (1 January – 31 December 2011)
• Kuupik Kleist, Prime Minister of Greenland (1 January – 31 December 2012)
• Stéphane Artano, President of the Territorial Council of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (1 January – 31 December 2013)
• Orlando Smith, Prime Minister of British Virgin Islands (1 January 2014 – 26 February 2015)
• Ivar Asjes, Prime Minister of Curaçao (26 February 2015 – 31 August 2015)
• Bernard Whiteman, Prime Minister of Curaçao (31 August 2015 – 25 February 2016)
• Michiel Godfried Eman, Prime Minister of Aruba (25 February 2016 – 23 February 2017)
• Sharlene Cartwright Robinson, Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands (23 February 2017 – 22 February 2018)
• Édouard Fritch, President of French Polynesia (since 22 February 2018)

OCTA members

The members of OCTA are:[4]

Member	Location	Status
Anguilla	Caribbean	British Overseas Territory
Aruba	Caribbean	Constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Bermuda	North Atlantic	British Overseas Territory
Bonaire	Caribbean	Special municipality of the Netherlands
British Virgin Islands	Caribbean	British Overseas Territory
Cayman Islands	Caribbean	British Overseas Territory
Curaçao	Caribbean	Constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Falkland Islands	South America	British Overseas Territory
French Polynesia	Pacific Ocean	Overseas collectivity of France
French Southern and Antarctic Lands	Indian Ocean and Antarctica	Overseas territory of France
Greenland	North America and Arctic	Autonomous country in the Kingdom of Denmark
Montserrat	Caribbean	British Overseas Territory
New Caledonia	Pacific Ocean	Special collectivity of France
Pitcairn Islands	Pacific Ocean	British Overseas Territory
Saba	Caribbean	Special municipality of the Netherlands
Saint Barthélemy	Caribbean	Overseas collectivity of France
Sint Eustatius	Caribbean	Special municipality of the Netherlands
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha	South Atlantic	British Overseas Territory
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	North America	Overseas collectivity of France
Sint Maarten	Caribbean	Constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Turks and Caicos Islands	Caribbean	British Overseas Territory
Wallis and Futuna	Pacific Ocean	Overseas collectivity of France

Political dialogue between EU, OCTA, and EU member states

The forum between OCTs, European Union and its member states to which OCTs are linked, has been held annually since 2003 alternating between Brussels (Belgium) and an OCT:[8]

1. September 2002 – Brussels (Belgium)
2. December 2003 – Brussels (Belgium)
3. March 2005 – Papeete (French Polynesia)
4. December 2005 – Brussels (Belgium)
5. September 2006 – Nuuk (Greenland)
6. November 2007 – Brussels (Belgium)
7. November 2008 – George Town (Cayman Islands)
8. March 2010 – Brussels (Belgium)
9. March 2011 – Nouméa (New Caledonia)
10. January 2012 – Brussels (Belgium)
11. September 2012 – Ilulissat (Greenland)
12. December 2013 – Brussels (Belgium)
13. February 2015 – Road Town (British Virgin Islands)
14. February 2016 – Brussels (Belgium)
15. February 2017 – Oranjestad (Aruba)
16. February 2018 – Brussels (Belgium)

See also

• European Union
• Special member state territories and the European Union

References

1. "Overseas Countries and Territories Association of the European Union – Vision". weadapt.org. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
2. "Les PTOM". www.octassociation.org. Retrieved 2018-03-12.
3. "Association of the Overseas Countries and Territories of the European Union (OCTA)". cooperation-regionale.gouv.nc. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
4. "OCTA Presentation". octassociation.org. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
5. Future relations between the EU and the Overseas Countries and Territories (PDF). Brussels: Commission of the European Commities. 25 May 2008. p. 17.
6. "Current Chair – French Polynesia". octassociation.org. Retrieved 2019-01-08.
7. "Former Chairs". octassociation.org. Retrieved 2019-01-08.
8. "Political dialogue EU–OCT–MS – Annual Forum". octassociation.org. Retrieved 2019-01-08.

External links

• Official website
• Founding document (27 November 2001)

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