On Wednesday 10 June, the European Commission unveiled strategies dedicated to the islands and coastal communities of the European Union.
They are intended to take better account of the specific features of these types of territory, by steering public policies and adapting existing funding under the EU’s Cohesion Policy. These documents will complement the OceanEye initiative (see EUROPE 13880/13) and the so-called ‘Right to Stay’ strategy (see EUROPE 13882/18).
On Wednesday, the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) welcomed the two initiatives, stressing that regional and local authorities should be full partners in their design, implementation and monitoring.
Strategy for islands. This first strategy recognises, for the first time, the notion of the ‘cost of insularity’.
“The EU has more than 4,000 inhabited islands and around 17 million people live on the EU islands. Three of our Member States (...) are islands themselves (and) islands face challenges as other European territories but the impact is often made worse by one specific condition: insularity. For example, transport costs, housing prices, and the cost of providing public services are much higher compared to the mainland”, explained the Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Cohesion, Raffaele Fitto. According to the OECD, transport prices can be more than 300% higher than those observed on the mainland.
The strategy is therefore structured around four pillars to address these particular challenges:
- economic development and connectivity;
- energy transition and climate resilience;
- demography and quality of life;
- security and crisis preparedness.
The strategy seeks to improve the use of cohesion policy funds, the Connecting Europe Facility, the InvestEU programme, EIB loans and the common agricultural policy to address the concerns of island territories.
It should also help steer the post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) towards better account being taken of islands’ needs. Asked about this point, however, Mr Fitto did not confirm the existence of specific funding in the EUs next long-term budget. “We are currently working to equip these strategies with tools with a view to the next MFF. […] It is very important for us to stress that this is clearly a priority”, he said.
The strategy for islands will be presented at a high-level meeting in Paphos (Cyprus) on 26 June.
To see the European strategy for islands: https://aeur.eu/f/ma4
Strategy for coastal communities. In addition, the European Commission wants to strengthen the attractiveness and competitiveness of coastal territories and enable them to adapt to climate risks through a second strategy dedicated to coastal communities, presented on the same day. This is structured around three priorities: prosperity, resilience and quality of life.
On the ‘prosperity’ part, the EU institution intends to strengthen traditional economic sectors (fisheries, aquaculture, tourism), while fostering the emergence of new sustainable activities.
European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Kóstas Kadís cited as examples the dual use of fishing boats for tourism activities, or offshore energy production.
As regards the ‘resilience’ part, the strategy recalls how exposed coastal areas are to the effects of climate change. Damage linked to coastal flooding could reach between €93 billion and €961 billion per year by the end of the century if no adaptation measures are taken by then.
The Commission therefore plans to launch three climate adaptation pilot projects by the end of the year, as well as a European mapping of investment needs to adapt coastal areas. The EIB will once again step in to support coastal communities. Lastly, an extension of the CoastWAVE initiative, dedicated to warning systems and preparedness for coastal risks, is planned.
In connection with the ‘Right to Stay’ initiative, the strategy also places the emphasis on quality of life in order to strengthen the attractiveness of coastal territories, particularly for young people. The Commission identifies several challenges: access to housing, healthcare, transport, education and digital infrastructure.
The European strategy on affordable housing and the expected revision of the regulation on short-term rentals (in force since May 2026) should in particular address property pressure on coastal areas and the issue of ‘overtourism’. The strategy also aims to promote maritime cultural heritage, coastal traditions and seafaring professions.
Lastly, the Commission underlines the strategic importance of coasts for European security and wants to strengthen the protection of critical infrastructure, improve warning capacities and involve local maritime actors more closely in monitoring maritime areas.
To see the strategy on coastal communities: https://aeur.eu/f/ma5 (Original version in French by Juliette Verdes)