Brussels, 09/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - The Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) called on Wednesday 8 February for the next generation of cohesion policy programmes (2014-2020) to truly meet the needs of the islands, often faced with structural disadvantages especially when it comes to transport and access.
During a conference organised on this subject by the CPMR, Jean-Didier Hache, the executive secretary for the CPMR islands committee, pointed out that it was “necessary to acknowledge specific territorial features”. He said this acknowledgment should not remain just a principle but should lead to a flexible use of funds and to a flexible amount of funding. It will therefore, he said, be necessary to make adjustments in regulations. François Alfonsi (Greens/EFA, France) fully shared this point of view, saying: “To date, the islands have not been satisfactorily taken into account in Commission proposals, but it is through our work of communication that we shall manage to include provisions that are more favourable for the islands in future regulations.”
There is a problem, however, when it comes to determining the volume of structural funding granted to the islands depending on their GDP. The president of the Portuguese island Madeira, Alberto Jardim, is greatly opposed to this, saying: “If my region is developed it is thanks to the EU, but the GDP criterion is a blind criterion in that one is penalised for spending well.”
Nonetheless, Hache expressed confidence as member states support the need to take specific territorial features into account, especially Greece, Malta and Cyprus. The latter will play an essential role in coming months when it takes on the rotating EU presidency in July. Alfonsi said by way of conclusion: “We are now in a crucial period when the EP and the Cypriot Presidency will play a determining role.” (MD/transl.jl)