With the European Parliament’s vote of confidence, the new European Commission is now officially set to begin its mandate on 1 December 2024.
The CPMR Secretariat, in cooperation with its different Geographical Commissions, has just released an interesting analysis of the hearings carried out by Commissioner candidates designated by President Von de Leyen from 4 to 12 November 2024.
While the analysis provides a comprehensive overview of key points of interest in relation to the main CPMR policy areas of work – focusing on concerns and needs of peripheral maritime regions – the CPMR Islands Commission also followed the most relevant auditions and noted a number of issues of interest for its insular member regions, that are summarised in the next paragraphs.
Raffaele Fitto – Cohesion & Reforms
During his confirmation hearing, Commissioner-designate Fitto conveyed its attachment to the place-based approach of Cohesion Policy, and the importance given to the multi-level governance model, placing regions as its core. Similarly, he mentioned the need to simplify Cohesion Policy, making it more flexible and reducing administrative burden.
Fitto also showed a willingness to continue working closely with representatives from EU outermost regions, acknowledging their specific realities and calling for adapted policies and derogations for these territories.
Another crucial point of the European Commission’s new mandate will certainly be its priority on housing, a portfolio shared by Fitto with Jørgensen (Commissioner for Energy & Housing) and a key topic for islands. Indeed, both Commissioners announced 7-14 billion € earmarked to this key issue, as it plays a crucial role in relation to the right to stay which Commissioner Fitto also emphasized.
Despite some mentions of islands and outermost regions in his hearings, the CPMR Islands Commission regrets he did not make any specific reference to the Islands Pact nor to the Agenda for EU Islands, even when welcoming last year’s MEP Omarjee’s report as an “important starting point”. He explained briefly that he considers islands to be too diverse, particularly in terms of size, and seemed to discard the possibility of a holistic approach to EU Islands in Cohesion Policy. In this sense, the CPMR Islands Commission is willing to discuss the possible ways forward with Commissioner Fitto, to convey the key reflections developed with its member regions on the topic through its last Final Declarations.
Stéphane Séjourné – Prosperity & Industrial Strategy
During his hearing, Commissioner-designate Séjourné underlined the importance of mobilising all European regions in the industrial transformation, notably through the targeted use of European funds, such as innovation funds. He insisted on an inclusive industrial policy, which ensures that “no region or citizen is left behind”. In that sense, Séjourné emphasised the importance of local and regional consultations in the development of European policies: indeed, before making any legislative proposals, he intends to engage in discussions with local and regional authorities – particularly on public procurement – to gain a better understanding of budgetary constraints and local realities.
Despite no islands, insular regions or outermost regions were mentioned in his speech, the CPMR Islands Commission welcomes his willingness to include upstream consultations with local and regional authorities for any future policy development, as it clearly expressed in its vision for an Agenda for EU islands.
Commissioner Séjourné also explained his view on state aid, opposing a subsidy race, but supported what he calls “good state aid,” such as European common interest projects. These initiatives aim to enhance value chains and benefit multiple EU member states, rather than merely preserving ecosystems in a single country. Moreover, he acknowledged that state aid played a critical role in saving jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this regard, the CPMR Islands Commission reminds the requests included in both its Gotland Declaration (2022) and Palma Declaration (2023), for greater flexibility in the use of state aid, as it ensures competitiveness and attractiveness of island territories, especially in the face of the recent global crisis, and that European state aid legislation should incorporate horizontal provisions for island territories and a broader approach due to their discontinuity with the European mainland (e.g. in regional aids, de minimis, GBER, among others).
Costas Kadis – Fisheries & Oceans
In his hearing, Commissioner-designate Kadis emphasized the distinct challenges faced by the EU outermost regions, acknowledging their unique characteristics. In this sense, he especially recognized that they have many specificities and reaffirmed his commitment in continuing supporting these regions in every manner that he has in his power.
The importance of key sectoral activities – such as fisheries (and small-scale fisheries), aquaculture, and the blue economy – for these areas were also highlighted, recalling that they may imply different types of challenges depending on each sea basin. Kadis reassured those challenges would be taken into account “comprehensively, but also in a targeted manner”. He also recalled that key maritime sectoral activities are interlinked with the development and prosperity of coastal and peripheral communities, and that synergies with the Cohesion Policy should be further developed to leverage all available resources to address the specific needs of outermost regions and promote a sustainable development of those communities.
Even if Commissioner Kadis’ statements seem quite promising regarding the recognition of outermost Regions’ specific challenges in the framework of maritime activities and policies, his speech did not provide clear indications on how EU insular regions overall will be further accompanied in relation to their key maritime sectoral development.
Apostolos Tzitzikostas – Transport & Tourism
Declaring himself honoured to be the first-ever EU Commissioner for Tourism, Commissioner-designate Tzitzikostas presented his approach focusing on sustainable tourism, which appears to be in line with the demands of the CPMR Islands Commission members, as reiterated in the recent Policy position on Sustainable Tourism. He announced a Strategy for sustainable tourism, which will be based on the Agenda 2030, to support the industry while preserving the environment and well-being of local communities. The current Governor of Central Macedonia (Greece) and former President of the Committee of the Regions also detailed his willingness to create “Destination Management Organisations” (DMOs) within local and regional authorities, to tackle the issue of tourism flow management and further promote ecotourism and alternative destinations for tourism.
When it comes to transport, the connectivity debate largely focused on land connectivity issues. Commissioner Tzitzikostas stressed the importance of connectivity for territories through the completion of the TEN-T and extensive network and announced the facilitation of cross-border journeys through a single digital booking and ticketing regulation for train journeys, to be accompanied by a multimodal initiative.
Regarding transport decarbonation, he announced a Sustainable Transport Investment Plan in 2025, acknowledging the need to invest in sustainable fuels and electrification in the aviation and maritime sectors, which indeed represent crucial sectors for islands.
In particular, concerning Maritime affairs and Ports, he announced a Maritime Industrial Strategy, to gain and/or maintain leadership in the industry in the EU, as well as his willingness to continue working on a comprehensive European Port Strategy, envisaged under the angle of strategic independence from third countries, cybersecurity, and the development of alternative fuels as well as the necessary charging infrastructures in ports.
Overall, the CPMR Island Commission regrets the lack of mention of islands and outermost regions’ specificities during his hearing, given the importance of transport and tourism to these territories and is looking forward to working with Commissioner Tzitzikostas on these key issues to make sure the insular perspective will be adequately taken into account going forward.
Dan Jørgensen – Energy & Housing
Although Commissioner-designate Jørgensen did not mention islands in his speech, he did mention several topics of special relevance to islands.
Indeed, the former Danish Minister for energy took a clear stand in favour of renewable energy and energy efficiency, including innovative solutions based on hydrogen, a political direction in line with the Green Deal objectives and Islands Commission members’ ongoing reflections on decarbonation. He also declared his wish to set a Renewable energy target, and emphasizing the need to extend grids and interconnectors, he announced a Clean Energy Investment Plan and an Electrification Plan. The CPMR Islands Commssion will monitor closely whether insular and outermost regions’ specificities are adequately integrated within these different pieces of legislation in the upcoming months. In addition, Commissioner Jørgensen announced his willingness to accelerate the licensing process for renewable energy infrastructure projects.
Raised multiple times during the hearings, the question of energy affordability will remain central to the new Commission, given its important impacts on the costs of living and EU competitiveness. To this regard, Commissioner Jørgensen announced the release of a Clean Industrial Deal with Action Plan for affordable energy within his first 100 days of office. Most importantly for islands, he highlighted the need to tackle energy poverty in the current geopolitical context and provide tangible solutions, starting with a dialogue with all relevant stakeholders (both public and private ones), in relation to the housing sector (including possibly reforming State aid rules to support social housing).
Wopke Bastiaan Hoekstra – Climate, Net-Zero, Clean Growth
In the recent context of sudden climatical catastrophes, preparedness and responsiveness to urgent climate threats are also key aspects in terms of territorial adaptation. In that sense, Commissioner-designate Hoekstra in his hearing stressed the importance of integrating responsibilities across local, regional, national and European levels. He recalled the need for ensuring clarity in risk ownership and disaster preparedness rather than mere adaptation.
He notably stressed his willingness to support vulnerable regions, ensuring fairness, and promoting best practices and data sharing, acknowledging that regional engagement is essential for achieving Europe-wide resilience and equity in climate adaptation. Nevertheless, no specific highlights were given regarding the specific condition of insular regions which are particularly vulnerable to climate change effects and exposed to sudden climate events.
Regarding the Clean Growth strategy, Hoekstra recognized the pivotal role in Europe’s industrial competitiveness. By the end of the year, he plans to release a report assessing the maritime sector’s progress and identifying potential distortions. Maritime considerations will also feature prominently in the 2026 review of the Emissions Trading System (ETS) – positioned as the cornerstone of Europe’s climate policy – alongside aviation, municipal waste, and negative emissions, activities which are particularly relevant for insular economic development. The CPMR Islands Commission expects therefore that the insular perspective will be taken into account in the upcoming assessments and report.
He finally underscored the significance of negative emission technologies in achieving net-zero targets, aligning with scientific recommendations for a comprehensive decarbonization. However, facing the need to “drive fully down emissions”, it is worrying that no specific support or recommendations were risen to support islands’ decarbonization processes in a clear pathway.
Jessika Roswall – Environment, Water Resilience, Circular Economy
Commissioner-designate Roswall emphasized her commitment to strengthening environmental policies and enhancing the EU’s environmental standards: her primary objectives will include tackling Climate Change by adapting EU policies to current environmental realities.
She notably highlighted the urgency to improve water management, including through a “source-to-sea” approach, water resilience, and sustainable agricultural practices to mitigate environmental stress. The enhancement of water legislation should also focus on efficient implementation and innovative solutions such as nature-based solutions like wetland restoration, within the EU adaptation strategy and exploring new tools for soil and water management. In this context, she emphasised the importance of leveraging both public and private funding to support green initiatives and particularly stressed the need for adequate funding and effective management of water supplies across the EU, “in particular in water-stressed areas, peripheral regions and islands”.
Roswall placed strong emphasis on protecting biodiversity. She expressed her dedication to implementing the Nature Restoration Law, aiming to safeguard ecosystems, enhance resilience, and fulfil international environmental commitments. The CPMR Islands Commission welcomes this commitment but also insists on the relevant role of insular regional authorities in developing nature restoration plans and actions, as detailed in last year’s joint IC and IMC Policy Position on Nature Restoration Law.
In addition, she underlined her willingness to further promote Circular Economy, aiming to reduce dependence on raw materials, with only 11% currently coming from recycled sources. Pushing for clean, sustainable production, she announced the target increase up to 75% of clean tech material that needs to be met through recycling by 2050. Indeed, Circular Economy is a unprecedent opportunity for islands to create virtuous economic and social development, and thus the CPMR Islands Commission recalls the necessity for further support and insular customized guidelines to reach those objectives.
Commissioner-designate Roswall’s vision reflects a key drive to not only meet EU and international climate goals but also to create a competitive, sustainable economy that benefits all Member States. Her aim is to reach a balanced approach where competitiveness and environmental protection are treated as complementary goals. In that sense, the CPMR Islands Commission welcomes her proposals, particularly reminding the importance of adopting an ecosystem-based approach in developing territorial impacting policies.
Magnus Brunner – Internal Affairs & Migration
No specific reference to islands nor outermost regions was expressly made by Commissioner-designate Brunner in his hearing. However, the role of regions, particularly islands, in managing migration flows, was highlighted during the hearing by both MEP López Aguilar and MEP Zoido Álvarez. They recalled the migration challenges currently faced by the Canary Islands, the need for shared responsibility and solidarity, particularly with those external borders of the EU which are under pressure, as well as for an effective involvement of regional and local authorities in implementing the Pact on Migration and Asylum.
In response, Brunner pointed out the need to find a proper balance between responsibility and solidarity and stated that determining how involve all levels of administrations in the process falls under to the competence of each Member State. Nevertheless, he confirmed his intention to urge Member States to recognize the importance of including regions and local authorities to ensure the effective implementation of the Pact, stressing that the proximity of local inhabitants and municipalities to the problem needs to be taken into account.
The CPMR Islands Commission is concerned about the limited attention paid by Commissioner Brunnes to the crucial contribution and critical situations of some islands on the external maritime borders, and as stated in its last Final Declaration, adopted in the Azores in April 2024, urges further support for these territories when it comes to migration management.