The European Commission has adopted two strategies which aim to take a targeted approach to EU islands and coastal communities.
The two initiatives “set out for the first time a coordinated European approach to support both types of territories and unlock their long-term potential”, the Commission says.
It says they are dedicated to the specific needs and unique challenges of:
- Residents of over 4,000 inhabited islands across 16 member states—including the three island nations of Cyprus, Ireland, and Malta—where some 17 million people live.
- 95 million people living along the 70,000 km of EU coastlines and in coastal areas across 22 EU member states.
The Commission proposes a “coherent, holistic approach addressing economy, connectivity, energy, environment, demography and security in an integrated way, aiming to transform the challenges faced by these territories into opportunities and lasting strengths”.
“This includes ensuring that their specific needs are fully reflected in future proposals and aligned with broader EU priorities,”it says.
“Most EU islands share common challenges impacting their economic sustainability and quality of life, such as geographical isolation, limited connectivity, high transport costs and travel times, small and fragmented markets, overdependence on tourism, excessive reliance on fossil fuels, climate vulnerability, demographic decline, water scarcity, reduced access to essential services, and other added costs of insularity,”it says.
“At the crossroads between land and sea, Europe's coastal communities are a vital asset. They combine rich environmental, cultural and maritime heritage with strong potential to drive a sustainable blue economy,”it says.
“ At the same time, Europe's coastal communities are at the frontline of climate change, marine and coastal biodiversity loss, and marine pollution, which impact their long-term resilience and economic growth. Some also face additional pressures, including imbalanced tourism, shortage of affordable housing, seasonality of economic activity and limited job opportunities, leading to youth outmigration and economic instability,”it continues.
“This is why a tailored approach is essential. The two strategies work in tandem, reinforcing each other to address shared pressures while responding to the unique realities of islands and coastal communities alike,”it says.
“Recognising these interconnected pressures, the EU has developed the two complementary strategies to build a cohesive framework within existing policies and funding, with a view to strengthening economic opportunity, quality of life, and resilience,”it adds.
It says the approach is structured around four key pillars:
- Economic development, connectivity, competitiveness and innovation: boosting entrepreneurship, diversified local economies, sustainable tourism, and digitalisation, while tackling the connectivity gaps that constrain island economic activity and life.
- Energy security, environmental protection and climate resilience: accelerating decarbonisation, renewable energy, climate adaptation, and biodiversity protection.
- Communities and demography: strengthening public services, healthcare, housing, education and social inclusion to reverse depopulation and retain young people.
- Security and crisis preparedness: reinforcing resilience against natural disasters linked to climate crisis, maritime risks and other emerging threats.
More information on the EU strategy is here
