Antonella Sberna MEP, Vice-President of the European Parliament and ECR Shadow Rapporteur, has welcomed the Commission’s new plans for EU islands and coastal communities.

Presented today by Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto, the two initiatives mark the first attempt to give Europe’s islands and coastal areas a more coherent policy framework.

Sberna said:

“I welcome the two strategies presented today by Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto for islands and coastal communities. For the first time, the European Union is giving these territories a coordinated framework for development, recognising their structural disadvantages while also acknowledging their potential for growth.

“Cohesion and sustainability must go hand in hand. At the same time, we must respect the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, and leave territories the responsibility to make choices that reflect their own realities. Islands and coastal communities are not asking for assistance. They are asking for fair conditions to compete, grow and develop.

“In this process, Europe’s major transitions, starting with the forthcoming reviews of the ETS and FuelEU Maritime, must support the development of these territories, not hold it back. For islands and coastal communities, maritime connectivity is not a luxury. It is a basic condition for economic growth and quality of life.”