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Scottish Islands Network
“Islands work,” says Islay European Small
Islands Conference, “but they need better
representation at Government and European
levels. “
“Islands Work“
“Islands work” was the overall message at
the European Small Islands conference held
in Islay on Tuesday and Wednesday 21 and 22
November 2006.
The conference brought to Islay 150 island
delegates from 9 island regions in Europe
together with 50 decision makers.
The Islay conference presented the results
of
twelve transnational exchanges involving 400
islanders from the island regions of
Denmark, Sweden, Finland, France, Scotland
and Ireland through the Inter Island
Exchange Project financed by the European
programme Interreg IIIC.
Amongst the government officials present at
the conference, were George Lyon, MSP,
Depute Finance Minister, Scottish Executive,
Eamon O’Cuiv, the Irish Minister for
Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs,
Giuseppe Bertolucci, Minister for Maritime
Affairs of the Tuscany Regional Council,
Preben Rudiengaard, Danish MP and Chairman
of the Danish Maritime Commission with two
colleagues from the Danish Parliament, Aimé
Kerguéris, French MP and President of the
Maritime Group at the French Parliament,
Monica Green, Swedish MP, Neil Mitchison,
European Commission representative in
Scotland, and Jean-Didier Hache of the CPMR.
Conference Chair, Broadcaster Lesley Riddoch
concluded: ”this conference has shown how
islands have the imagination and the will to
create their own future.”
Islands as transferable development models
The conference showed that the smaller
islands of Europe, which are all too often
ignored by the mainland and the larger
islands, are leading the way with innovative
solutions in the field of renewable energy,
education, social provisions, and IT.
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The workshop on islands’ sustainable
development concluded that islands
were ideally suited for pilot studies, since
they can act as “transferable development
models,” particularly in the fields of
renewable energy, social modelling and the
environment.
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“It is their strong community spirit that
binds islanders together and helps them find
solutions to their own problems,
islands can and must continue to work
together, or they will become mere
extensions of the mainland.” This was very
much insisted upon in the workshop on Island
Identity, which stressed the difference
between islanders and remote mainlanders, a
difference that decision-makers do not
always recognise.
·
Islanders saw their identity as very much
bound to their geographical situation, and
that in many cases, they would prefer to
retain their isolation rather than lose the
qualities that make them different.
They saw the sea barrier that define islands
as the positive factor in developing greater
social cohesion, greater independence of
spirit and determination to move forward,
and in helping to maintain the community
values which are under threat in an
increasingly urbanized world. It
was also acknowledged that islands could not
be looked upon solely as museums of culture
and language, but as living places, with new
people and a tradition that evolves.
·
Retaining island
populations was an important issue as
islands tend to attract a high level of
second homes. (up to 60% in Scottish
islands). Taxes on second homes, or tax
incentives to encourage people to live on
islands all year round were examples to
consider. The provision of housing for
renting and of opportunities for
remote-working were seen as the way forward.
The crofting system was also seen as a good
model to help retain island populations.
Making the most of island resources, in the
context of a reduction in subsidies, and
particularly developing local food
production, was seen as an important factor.
·
The workshop on essential
public services and facilities stressed that
islanders should and must have the same
rights as other citizens, and that their
economic contribution had to be understood
better, as islanders still had to fight the
popular image of islands as financial
burden. Yet, islanders paid the same
level of taxes as everyone else, without the
same level of services, whilst making a
considerable contribution to the economy
through tourism in particular. It was
important to show that “islands are worth
it,” and deserve the same level of services
as the mainland, especially ion view of that
contribution.
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Sweden, where the Annual Road Tax goes to
the upkeep of ferries as well as roads was
identified as a model of good practice, as
Sweden considers the ferry routes to be an
extension of the road service.
Small Islands must have better
representation
In Scotland, as well as in other island
regions, the needs of smaller islands are
not always understood nor represented as
well as those of larger islands. Apart from
Shetland, Orkney and Western Isles, many
islands do not have their own regional
administrative authorities.
George Lyon, MSP, Depute Finance Minister,
Scottish Executive, keynote speaker on the
first day of the conference, supported the
European Small Islands’ Network vision for a
sustainable future, and agreed that “it was
vitally important that the needs of
islanders are understood,” and that
"affordability of transport [was] a key
driver in improving the prospects of
[Scottish] islands. He said that “islanders
need to see a greater direct benefit from
the £30million of subsidy per year for
ferries and that the air discount scheme is
a model which needs to be examined further
in the context of ferry fares."
He acknowledged the Scottish Islands
Network’s call for a minister with special
responsibilities for islands and anticipated
that this could be a topic for debate in the
forthcoming parliamentary election.
Eamon O’Cuiv, the Irish Minister for
Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, made
the keynote speech on the second day of the
conference. He has direct responsibility for
islands and has set up a special “island
section” in his department. Mr O’Cuiv said
that whilst most government worked in a
vertical basis, his government also worked
on a horizontal basis, and having a special
responsibility for islands was crucial
“because [he is] sitting at the table with
the other 14 Ministers, [he] can push the
issues, and [doesn’t] let them be pushed
into the waste-paper basket.” Mr O’Cuiv ‘s
view was that “islands are microcosms of
what is happening in Rural Europe”, and that
providing incentives to islanders to start
their own small enterprises and ensure broad
range diversification is a key for future
sustainability. “Islands should have more
money because it costs more to do things in
islands.” The Irish government’s policy is
to continue to invest in the islands’
infrastructure as a priority until the
islands’ transport deficit is addressed.”
It was unanimously agreed that the Irish
government provides an example of best
practice, which ought to be emulated.
Cllr Gillies, the Scottish Islands Network’s
convener, proposed that “a
Scottish Island federation on the model of
the Danish organisation would be the way
forward to represent the smaller Islands in
Scotland. A minister for islands in the
Scottish Executive is also required to give
political support at regional/ National/ EU
Government Level, to provide advocacy to
small islands, to promote the Interests of
all islands, and to help retain close links
with EU Funding Streams such as INTERREG
3C.“
Delegates from the Iles du Ponant in France
and Elba in Italy agreed that they too could
benefit from better representation at
government and European level. At present
they are obliged to lobby with Mountain
groups within their own parliament to get
any chance of being heard.
The role of ESIN
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ESIN could have an
important lobbying role at government and
European level to help decision makers
better understand island issues, and small
islands issues in particular. A new
category of disadvantage describing the
small island situation would facilitate
government departments and agencies in
providing the funds needed to address the
infrastructural deficits and lack of service
provision experienced by small islands.
SENT ON BEHALF OF WILLIAM ROE
As you know, in a recent
conversation with the Cabinet
Secretary for Finance & Sustainable
Growth I agreed to send a short
paper on Islands to him, based on
the paper we discussed at the
Convention last October. Many
thanks to those who offered thoughts
on the draft. I am now attaching a
copy of the letter sent today with
various attachments.
I am also sending a separate copy of
the final Islands paper summary
and a separate copy of a map
illustrating the 'Arc of
Opportunity' which we believe the
Islands offer. This will allow you
to circulate the Islands paper
and/or the map within your own
organisations as you wish.
We will keep you informed of any
response we receive from Mr Swinney.
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ESIN could also help by
quantifying and measuring the islands’
economic contribution.
Cllr Gillies, the Scottish Islands Network’s
convener, offered a vision of the future:
“by
2013 every island is represented at national
level by its own government minister, and
each island group has its own properly
funded islands federation. Through the
European Small Islands Network (ESIN), the
Small Islands begin to lobby effectively
within the European parliament, and address
environmental issues by creating their own
environmental fund through tourism.”
Further exchange
opportunities with European Funding
The SISU and ISLA projects
presented at the conference highlighted how
islands can work together using other
European funding streams.
Many of the delegates from
island regions of Denmark, Sweden, Finland,
France, Ireland who worked with Scotland on
twelve transnational exchanges through the
Inter Island Exchange Project financed by
Interreg IIIC, have now come away with
inspiration for new exchange projects.
Kees Van Der Vaart, the ISLA
project worker from Holland, said: “I have
one national and at least two transnational
exchanges in the pipeline as a result of
attending this conference.” He also
suggested that
Knowledge Networks should be developed
to facilitate the exchange of information
accumulated through these European projects.
There was a strong interest
to continue with the inter-island exchanges,
particularly as the Interreg IV C programme
running from 2007 to 2013 offers new funding
possibilities. It is particularly important
for the future to continue engaging young
islanders in a
Young People’s network.
Future challenges
The transport issue remains a
very important topic: Cllr Gillies
concluded that
“there has to be a commitment at regional
and national level to island ferry and air
travel as an extension of our national roads
networks. We have examples of good
practice with the Danish and Swedish models.
What is required is a subtle shift in the
way that taxation revenue is re-distributed
nationally by government and the EU.”
The role of fishing in island
and coastal communities and the protection
of their inshore waters was also highlighted
by the French and Irish delegates as a
crucial issue which would require strong
strategic lobbying on the part of ESIN.
Tuscany for example was pioneering an
integrated “systeme de la Mer” as a pilot
project which offers a model of cooperative
governance and a better integration of
services and development opportunities.
The consultation
about the Green Paper on European Maritime
Policy which was published in June 2006 was
seen as an opportunity for a concerted
response and for sending a strong
message at government and European level. *
In conclusion Bengt Almkvist,
the Swedish chairman of the European Small
Islands Federation (ESIN), said “
We find ourselves united in
defining our common goal: working together
with one voice as the Small Islands of
Europe to take our case to decision-makers
at all levels, regional, national and
European. “
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