The EU strategies for islands and coastal communities (see EUROPE 13885/1) were presented during a high-level meeting in Paphos (Cyprus) on Friday, 26 June.
Jointly organised by the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Commission, this conference brought together Member States’ national, regional, and local authorities as well as networks of stakeholders and experts in order to discuss the development of islands and coastal areas.
“[These strategies are] inextricably linked with our efforts to strengthen the EU’s social cohesion, hand in hand with European competitiveness. Because cohesion and competitiveness are two sides of the same coin. One reinforces and complements the other,” declared Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.
The Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR), which was represented at this meeting, welcomed the adoption of two separate strategies and emphasised the importance of the diagnosis that had been made. In particular, the recognition, for the first time, of the ‘cost of insularity’.
Nevertheless, the organisation expects a greater level of ambition in the implementation of these strategies, particularly as regards the funding dedicated to island and coastal regions under the future long-term budget (MFF).
“The Strategy identifies the future NRPPs as a key vehicle for addressing island challenges [...]. However, the extent to which this ambition will ultimately translate into concrete investment priorities remains uncertain,” the CPMR wrote in an analysis published on 12 June.
In addition, the sector’s stakeholders believe that these two strategies compile a series of existing laws or upcoming legislation without introducing enough new regulatory proposals specifically dedicated to these areas. Asked about this by Agence Europe, MEP Thomas Bajada (S&D, Maltese), who is active on these issues, stated that he shared that opinion. “I appreciate that these strategies recognise the need to go beyond existing policies and acknowledge that islands require a more tailored approach. However, they are still not going far enough so as to propose sufficiently concrete and targeted measures,” he warned.
MEP Younous Omarjee (The Left, French), who is a vice-president in the European Parliament, has also taken on the issue and is currently preparing an own-initiative report on the EU strategy for islands. (Original version in French by Juliette Verdes)