ESIN
and the EU
Report
from ESIN 9th AGM, Elba, 7/8 September 2009
Better understanding of small islands at commission level.
Bengt
Almkvist, the ESIN chairman, reported that there is now a better
understanding at EU level on what constitutes a small island, through
continous discussions between ESIN and DG REGIO. However pressure must
still be applied through each member country’s own elected members to
the European Parliament which in the future will have much more power
than currently given to them and are likely to become more important
than the Commission.
More
in depth studies needed: ESPON project the way forward
A study
could be set up with ESPON to liaise with various groups within the EU
but is likely to experience competition from a number of universities
who are fully funded for this type of operation.
The
ESPON project hopes to deliver:
a)
An insight to the islands’ handicaps and particular
development constraints based on appropriate information and data
collected from the lower level of governance, the local community and
market
b)
An assessment of the intensity of constraints islands
face based on the typology that takes into account the different island
situations
c)
An analysis of the challenges and potentials that the
islands can “invest” in
d)
A complete knowledge of the islands’ realities and
disclosure of the extend to which the instruments of the Cohesion Policy
can be effectively applied to different territories given their
particular circumstances
e)
Recommendations so as the European policies will be
appropriately adapted to the islands’ realities in order to enable the
islands (especially handicapped and insular) to play an active role in
the EU both economically and socially
More
pressure needed for permanently disadvantaged areas lobby.
There
has been a great deal of discussion on the poor communications with
Brussels and the likelihood that ISLANDS will be grouped with the
Mountain Regions as one large body with better lobbying power.
It
would therefore be imperative that we all put great pressure on our
Elected Members of EU to push our own particular agenda and make sure
that the Islands voice is heard loudly and often within the chambers of
the EU.
European
Small Islands Going Green
ESIN - the European Small Isles Federation - adopted the
concept of Islands Going Green as its new project at its AGM
in Elba on 7/8 September 2009.
This was in response to the SIF delegate’s inspiring
presentations about the isle of Cumbrae recycling operation
and the isle of Eigg renewable energy system and Island
Going Green scheme.
Frank Corcoran from the Cumbrae Development Company
represented SIF at the AGM which also looked at the impact
of ESIN in Brussels.
