At the kind invitation of the region of Brittany, island representatives attended the 51th General Assembly and 50th Anniversary of the CPMR, along with side events, in Saint-Malo on 15-17 November 2023. In this framework, the Islands Commission (IC) annual Plenary meeting took place on 16 November, involving several political officials, members of the European Parliament (MEPs), local, regional and national experts, as well as partner organisations.
In his opening speech, on behalf of the Interim Presidency of the CPMR Islands Commission held by the Regional Government of the Azores, Mr. Pedro De Faria e Castro, Regional Undersecretary of the Presidency, extended a warm welcome to the islands’ members and partners.
Mrs Josianne Cutajar, Member of the European Parliament from Gozo and Vice Chair of SMEs/Digitalization for the Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas (SEArica) intergroup, opened the session, emphasising the pivotal role of Cohesion Policy in addressing the challenges faced by islands and noting the important role of the REGI Committee in the process of defining the future of this policy. Delving into the challenges of climate change, she particularly underscored the impact that environmental phenomena can have on infrastructures, including vital energy networks, with instances of floods and fires, underlining the urgency of tackling these issues. Recognizing the specific barriers imposed by insularity, MEP Cutajar advocated for comprehensive measures encompassing digitalization, transport and decarbonization. Notably, in relation to the Green Deal objectives she stressed the importance of providing islands with the necessary time and support to realise their green transition. Furthermore, MEP Cutajar expressed her full support to the establishment of an Islands task force, in view of developing an Islands Pact, emphasising its potential to provide added value to insular regions by addressing their unique challenges.
Along these lines, Mr François Alfonsi, Member of the European Parliament from Corsica, and SEArica Vice Chair for Islands, also referred to the common challenges that islands share, especially higher costs for production and living and mobility barriers. Moreover, he called the European Commission to take the next steps towards an Islands Pact and stressed that the recent lobbying efforts of the European Parliament (EP) and the Committee of the Regions (CoR) have been crucial and need to be further amplified. In this regard, MEP Alfonsi urged for a collective pressure together with these key actors and more widely, notably towards future Council presidencies, to make the Islands Pact become a priority. For this reason, he encouraged the future insular MEPs to strategically support and actively participate in this matter’s discussion, and. To conclude, he underlined the central role the SEARICA intergroup is poised to play, in steering these efforts and advancing the cause of islands within the EU.
Following this speech, an insightful approach on this topic was provided by Mr Emmanouil Koutoulakis, Secretary General of the Aegean and Island Policy at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy in the Government of Greece. Acknowledging first the diverse typologies of insular regions in Greece, he highlighted the importance of initiating efforts at Country level as well, by establishing a comprehensive national agenda for an effective coordination with various regions. With a focus on enhancing connectivity and addressing environmental concerns – particularly the decarbonization of maritime transport – he advocated for a common approach through an Islands Pact. In this view, he noted that the upcoming European elections present a crucial opportunity to collectively commit to this cause. Finally, Mr. Koutoulakis mentioned the steps recently taken by Greece towards DG REFORM, including significant collaboration efforts with other European regions
Mr. Pedro De Faria e Castro joined the previous speakers, stressing the crucial need for islands’ representation at the European Parliament, particularly in the context of 2024 elections, and acknowledging the support islands have received so far from this Institution. He also highlighted the importance of a shared Islands Agenda, focusing on interests such as accessibility, transport, as well as digital connectivity, which are common to any island. Furthermore, he emphasised the growing relevance of pressing issues such as circular and blue economy, or energy resilience.
Then, Mrs Marie-Antoinette Maupertuis, President of the Assembly of Corsica, referred to the major challenges Mediterranean islands are currently facing, notably those linked to climate change, pollution and migration, and underlined the impacts these phenomena have on the unequal development of insular territories. In view of the upcoming elections, she underlined the importance of focusing on two key areas, namely the institutional and diplomatic one, on the one hand, the economic one, on the other hand. In this sense, Mrs Maupertuis advocated for continued efforts to fully implement Articles 174 for islands and Article 349 for outermost regions and called for an “island proofing” approach to ensure EU policies are adapted to islands’ realities, as necessary. Finally, she stressed once more the need for further political pressure towards the EU Institutions and Member States for the adoption of an Islands Agenda.
Mr Jean-Pierre Chabriat, Regional councillor in charge of energy transition, research and higher education, from La Reunion, referred to Cohesion as a fundamental pillar of European integration, urging for the application of the “do no harm to cohesion” principle across all EU policies. On behalf of the current Presidency of the Conference of Presidents of the Outermost Regions[1], he called for reinforced support for regions, with a focus on certain key EU policies, particularly those tackling energy resilience, climate adaptation, accessibility, transport and digital connectivity. In this context, Mr Jean-Pierre Chabriat gave special emphasis to islands’ representation in the European Parliament and finally reminded the urgent need for impact studies related to the “Fit for 55” Package in Outermost Regions.
As last speaker in the panel, Mr Filip Reinhag, Deputy Mayor of Gotland, offered a Baltic Island perspective, mentioning last year’s OECD territorial review focusing on Gotland and highlighting the shared challenges of insularity faced by different islands. Acknowledging the difficulty in achieving the Islands Pact in the current mandate, Mr Reinhag insisted on the importance of 2024 EU elections, to consolidate the important work done in the past years. He then concluded his speech by emphasizing the need to achieve a balanced labour and housing market to improve the overall quality of life on islands.
As final remarks closing the plenary session, Mr Pedro De Faria e Castro highlighted the reiterated demand for an Agenda in defence of islands, centred around common interests such as connectivity, circular and blue economy and energy resilience. In this context, he particularly emphasised the promotion of maritime interests in international institutions, urging for a specific focus on these matters in EU economic and social Cohesion Policy.
Throughout the CPMR General Assembly week, representatives from IC Member Regions also actively participated in a variety of relevant sessions on topics of interest. Mr Jean-Pierre Chabriat took part in the seminar on Marine Renewable Energy and shared the inspiring example of La Reunion’s efforts towards durable energy sovereignty, through solar panels, and prospective floating windmills and hydrogen projects, also mentioning the cooperation with other EU territories and partners, through projects such as Twinsolar, a key factor for energy innovation.
It is worth mentioning also the contribution of Mr Emmanouil Koutoulakis to the session of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, in which he repeatedly called for moving from test-beds context to real-world application of analytical data and also referred to a number of key initiatives linked to insularity, such as those led by DG MARE,or DG REGIO, among others. This was followed by insightful reflections from both Mr Pedro De Faria e Castro and Mr Jean-Pierre Chabriat on the essential role of blue economy in their respective regions.
As to the session on Cohesion Policy, which naturally counted on a strong representation of islands’ demands, MEP Cutajar from Malta recalled, that Cohesion Policy should not be used as response to crisis, but rather being conceived as long-term stable mechanism, considering regions specificities, as necessary and avoiding a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Likewise, Mr Ioannis Vardakastanis, Member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Rapporteur of the Opinion “Main challenges faced by Islands, and mountainous and sparsely populated areas” called for an increased multilevel and effective governance, a bottom-up approach, and diversified programmes in this regard. Mr Filip Reinhag, from Gotland, in the same spirit as the previous speakers, insisted on the respect of the subsidiarity principle, concluding that “EU citizens should not only have a future to live in, but also a future to long for”.
A 50th Anniversary dedicated session, starting with a keynote address by Mr Jean-Yves Le Drian, Honorary President of the CPMR also gathered several former CPMR Presidents to reflect on the past and future of our organisation. This was followed by the presentation and debate on the CPMR Manifesto to the EU Institutions, a crucial document approved by the General Assembly, including clear messages also directly linked to IC members’ priorities.
[1] The Conference of Presidents of the ORs is the main structure for political and technical cooperation between the Presidents of the executive bodies of the Azores, the Canary Islands, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Madeira, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion and Saint-Martin.
