1. Islands in Europe Dr Gordon Cordina Data Sources: University of Geneva; Alterra, Wageningen University and Research Centre; European Perspective of Specific Types of Territory, ESPON GeoSpecs Project, Mar 2013 October 2013

2. What is an island? Islands are characterised by a mix of geographical and behavioural traits that are better described by the term “insularity”. This implies that the following three conditions are met: In the main part surrounded by the sea; Dependent on centres of economic, social and cultural activity outside the territory; Peripheral in relation to the main centre of economic, social and cultural activity. The extent to which islands are affected by their uniqueness depends on their degree of insularity since islands are heterogeneous.

3. Islands in Europe AreaPopulation sq km% of EuropePersons% of Europe All European Islands274,9315.6%20,518,8864.1% of which:sq km % of total for IslandsPersons % of total for Islands Island State9,5623.5%1,189,8035.8% Without Fixed Link263,00085.8%15,785,55876.9% Mountainous121,69544.3%13,200,43164.3% South118,80843.2%15,381,27075.0% North156,12356.8%5,137,61625.0% Iceland102,69937.4%289,5421.4%

4. Comparisons with other Territories TerritoriesArea (% of total) Access to cities (min) Air Destination s (%) Employme nt Rate (%) Population aged over 60 (%) Islands3%1521%32%27% Mountains29%13514%32%28% All Territories 100%121100%44%25%

5. Geography

6. Accessibility

7. Demography

8. Economic Profile

9. Land use

10. Islands: Challenges and Opportunities

11. Main conclusions Islands with physical constraints, eg. the presence of mountains, appear to exhibit common traits: higher employment rates, which is fuelled by a larger primary sector, most likely related to agriculture or mineral extraction; a higher diversification index, which is a sign of the inability to specialise in a few areas of comparative advantage. This exposes the need for islanders to be more flexible in order to be able to generate an income throughout the year, as many of the activities undertaken on an island, whether tourism-related, or agriculturally related, are highly seasonal. Tourism plays an important role in the economy of most islands, especially smaller islands and those that are more densely populated.

12. Main conclusions The Mediterranean Sea: contains the three islands with the largest populations as well as the greatest number of islanders in the ESPON space; the greatest incidence of an ageing population, low population growth and very few fixed links; large proportions of protected areas, and high levels of agricultural land; a large presence of agriculture and tourism, as well as high levels of public sector employment. Islands with fixed links: are likely to have weaker air connectivity; are more generally smaller islands with lower population density; have a more developed manufacturing sector but a lower tourism sector than those without fixed links; may experience a population outflow (North and Norwegian Seas).

13. Proposed policy framework Top-Down Approach Bottom-Up Approach DG Regional Development Island Observatory Regional/Local Authorities Islands’ Development Mitigating constraint s Developing islands’ potential Evaluation activities Monitoring activities Funding Instruments Regulatory Instruments Identifying islands’ Roles within EU Identifying residual constraints

14. Recommendation: Top-down and Bottom-up policy framework Top-down approaches generally fail to garner support at ground level and results in lack of ownership of development policy. Bottom-up approaches may work on a small scale but momentum is lost when there is lack of higher level coordination. Proposed policy framework: Top-down: An overarching body, such as the European Commission, could give guidance to European islands as to how they can contribute to the EU as a whole, eg. recreational tourism; renewable energy; creation of artistic, cultural and thinking centres; RTDI in specific areas including health and social sciences. A coordination and leadership body, such as an Island Observatory within DG Regio, should coordinate such development plans. It would serve to identify which inherent disadvantages unfairly preclude individuals, groups, and all EU islands from realising their potential within the EU territory, while at the same time working with communities through a bottom-up approach. Bottom-up: In order to ensure that islanders feel ownership of the economic activities, they would be encouraged to prepare development plans that incorporate strategies on how best to exploit their assets and inherited characteristics.

15. Thank you