The European Committee of the Regions' opinion on the European Commission's new EU Strategy for Islands will be developed through an open and inclusive consultation with island communities across Europe. Speaking during an online workshop organised by INSULEUR – the Network of Insular Chambers of Commerce of the European Union, Noel Formosa, Vice-President of Gozo, Mayor of San Lawrenz and rapporteur of the European Committee of the Regions on the EU Strategy for Islands, committed to ensuring that the Committee's recommendations are shaped by the experiences of local and regional authorities, businesses, civil society and citizens from Europe's islands.
Addressing representatives of the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, island authorities and business organisations, Formosa described the Commission's Communication as a historic milestone, recognising that it is the first comprehensive European policy framework dedicated specifically to islands. He also acknowledged the years of joint advocacy by the European Committee of the Regions, the European Parliament, island authorities and territorial networks such as INSULEUR that made the Strategy possible.
Introducing his approach as newly appointed rapporteur, Formosa stressed that the European Committee of the Regions' opinion should not simply respond to the Commission's proposal but strengthen it by reflecting the realities and aspirations of island communities across Europe. "Today is not the end of the process. Today is the beginning. My responsibility is not simply to draft my Opinion. My responsibility is to build our Opinion. An Opinion that reflects the voices of Europe's islands. An Opinion that is evidence-based. An Opinion that is ambitious. But above all, a people-based Opinion. An Opinion built with islands rather than simply about islands."
Formosa identified the recognition of the cost of insularity as one of the most significant developments of the new Strategy, welcoming the European Commission's commitment to acknowledge the permanent structural disadvantages faced by islands and to develop policies that better reflect their realities. "For the first time, it explicitly introduces into the European policy debate the concept of the cost of insularity. This is much more than a new expression. It represents recognition that islands face permanent structural costs that cannot simply be measured using mainland indicators."
Looking ahead, the rapporteur outlined two priorities that will guide the Committee of the Regions' work over the coming months: ensuring that the principle of Island Proofing is embedded across future European legislation and policies, and guaranteeing that the Strategy delivers tangible results through genuine multi-level governance. He stressed that local and regional authorities must play a central role in the future National and Regional Partnership Plans, participating not only in implementation but also in their design, monitoring and evaluation. "Strategies only matter if they improve people's lives. The proposed National and Regional Partnership Plans offer an important opportunity. However, they can only succeed if local and regional authorities are fully involved—not only during implementation, but already during design, monitoring and evaluation. Good governance is just as important as adequate resources."
Formosa also announced that the preparation of the CoR opinion will begin with an extensive listening exercise involving local and regional authorities, national governments, businesses, academia, civil society, young people, European institutions and island networks from across Europe. "I do not intend to begin by writing. I intend to begin by listening. During the coming months I want to meet as many island communities as possible... because before writing a European Opinion, I first want to hear Europe's islands."
Concluding his remarks, Formosa underlined that the opinion will represent all of Europe's islands, regardless of their size or location, and reaffirmed his commitment to an open and transparent process. "Although I come from Gozo, this Opinion is not about Gozo. It is not about Corsica. It is not about the Balearic Islands. Nor about the Greek islands. It is about every island in Europe. My ambition is that, once this Opinion is adopted, every island community will be able to recognise part of itself within it."
The online workshop brought together representatives of the European Commission, the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee, the CPMR Islands Commission, the Committee of the Regions and island business organisations to discuss how the new EU Strategy for Islands can support competitiveness, connectivity, sustainability and resilience across Europe's island territories.
