We need a new EU strategy for Mediterranean islands to build higher resilience to health and environmental crises

Francina Armengol calls on the European Commission to

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Friday, October 2, 2020

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Francina Armengol calls on the European Commission to
devise a new strategy that better aligns EU policies and funding mechanisms to
the particularities of Mediterranean islands in order to build higher resilience
to natural disasters and health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the context of the European Green Deal, what issues are particularly relevant for the Mediterranean islands?
The majority of the EU's island inhabitants live on Mediterranean islands.
The exceptional richness of Mediterranean ecosystems and their particular vulnerability to socioeconomic development and climate change make the sustainable management of these islands' scarce natural resources a key challenge.
The Balearic Islands are a frontrunner in terms of sustainability within the Mediterranean.
In fact, the Parliament of the Balearic Islands last year adopted two important laws that go in that direction.
The Mediterranean islands are a tourist hotspot, and COVID-19 has shifted the focus from environmental sustainability to economic, social and health management issues related to the way our world functions.
What are your concrete proposals for the future of the Mediterranean islands, also in the context of the European Green Deal?
We urge the European Commission to devise a strategy for the Mediterranean islands in cooperation with Member States, Permanent Representations in Brussels and local and regional authorities.