'1a. The provisions referred to in paragraph 1 insofar as they concern a Member State to which an OCT is linked shall, taking into account the relationship of the Member State with that OCT, also ensure the effective application of this Regulation with regard to that OCT, neighbouring other Member States or outermost regions of those Member States'.

For the purposes of this Regulation, a third country or an OCT shall be considered to be neighbouring a Member State, including its outermost regions, where the third country or the OCT and that Member State share a common land border or where both the third country or OCT and the Member State are eligible under a joint maritime cross-border or transnational programme under the European territorial cooperation goal, or are eligible under another cross-border, sea-crossing or sea-basin cooperation programme, including where they are separated by international waters.

'1a. The provisions referred to in paragraph 1 insofar as they concern a Member State to which an OCT is linked shall, taking into account the relationship of the Member State with that OCT, also ensure the effective application of this Regulation with regard to that OCT, neighbouring other Member States or outermost regions of those Member States'.

· The Commission and Member States will work with the outermost regions and overseas countries and territories, which host more endemic species than the entire European continent, through the BEST (Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Territories of European Overseas) initiative to promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.

(1) By Decision 89/687/EEC(2), the Council adopted a programme of options specific to the remote and insular nature of the French overseas departments (Poseidom) in accordance with the Community's policy of assistance for the outermost regions. The purpose of the programme is to facilitate the economic and social development of those regions and enable them to benefit from the advantages of the single market of which they are an integral part despite the objective factors leaving them geographically and economically isolated. The programme calls for the CAP to be applied in those regions and provides for special measures to be adopted. I ...[+++]n particular, it provides for measures to improve the conditions in which agricultural products are produced and marketed in those departments and to mitigate the effects of their exceptional geographical situation and constraints as since recognised in Article 299(2) of the Treaty.

France asks that the system of dock dues which will expire on 31 December 2002 be maintained, given the economic and social situation of the overseas regions.