Outermost status becomes a sticking point in EU budget talks

Portugal may block the next EU budget without a €1 billion funding guarantee for the Azores and Madeira, [RTP Açores]() reports, citing a diplomatic source speaking to Lusa. The Irish proposal omits the outermost regions. Carla Tavares, co-rapporteur for the future financial framework, opposes that omission. The European Parliament must also approve the budget.

Both Portuguese archipelagos belong to the European Union's outermost regions, which receive specific treatment under Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. This framework allows EU policies, rules and access to funding to be adapted to these territories' circumstances, as explained by the [European Commission](https://regions-and-cities.ec.europa.eu/policy/themes/outermost-regions_en).

For the Azores, the debate matters because it connects recognition of the islands' particular circumstances with the European instruments intended to address them. The Commission identifies distance from continental Europe and geographical constraints among the challenges facing these regions. Outermost status therefore provides a framework for specific measures across policies and programmes that affect regional development and residents' lives.