The archipelagos of Azores, Canarias, Cape Verde and Madeira together constitute the Macaronesia region located in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. The isolation of these volcanic islands results in shared biological and geological characteristics, creating a biogeographical province and one of the most important biodiversity sites in the world. From a political perspective, Macaronesia is divided between Europe and Africa, with three of the archipelagos belonging to two Member States of the European Union (EU), Portugal and Spain, and Cape Verde to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The geopolitical situation of Macaronesia is both inspiring and challenging. Despite political divisions, the region is increasingly of geopolitical interest in the frame of EU-Africa cooperation, particularly in maritime affairs. This can be easily explained because Macaronesia may account for a maritime space of almost 3.5 million sq. km, including the claims on the Extended Continental Shelf.
Moreover, being part of the Outermost Regions of Europe, the archipelagos of Azores, Madeira and Canarias have access to EU horizontal programmes and to the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF). These create opportunities for collaboration, taking advantage of the strategic geographic location of the islands. In fact, there have been attempts to initiate transboundary cooperation such as in the Summit of the archipelagos of Macaronesia in 2010, with the aim to develop a stronger bond under a common maritime vocation and Atlantic identity. Also, the on-going program of MAC 2014-2020 sought to involve Cape Verde to a greater extent.
Among the various projects, many are related to the Integrated Maritime Policy’s Blue Growth agenda and the proposed use of maritime resources and space. However, not all of them involve all the islands of Macaronesia, but the participation of the ECOWAS countries is worth noting as it signals strong intent to build cross-border cooperation. Furthermore, the connection between the EU and this region of the African Continent is also underlined by the Sustainable Fishery Partnership Agreement (SFPA) that set an important economic and political bond between them.
However, the different circumstances related to economic and human resources among the European archipelagos and Cape Verde is reflected in the state of the art of the advancement of some cross-border cooperation initiatives, highlighting the need for better harmonisation within this area.
This paper aims at examining the level of cooperation among the archipelagos of Macaronesia on maritime affairs and the challenges and opportunities that cross-border cooperation bring to the region. A definition of maritime boundaries and a conceptualisation of cross-border in this context will be included.
