WRITTEN QUESTION E-0364/96 by Joan Vallvé (ELDR) to the Commission (22 February 1996)

Subject: Compensatory measures for islands

Because of the insular nature of the various archipelagoes and islands in the European Union, their economies a whole series of disadvantages. The fragmentation of these regions has a detrimental effect on their economies, particularly as regards imports and exports because of the extra costs and difficulty of access involved.

Can the Commission say whether it has adopted, or intends to adopt, measures to compensate for the detrimental effects suffered by islands?

Can the Commission provide information on the different types of compensatory measures, if any, which have benefitted islands and archipelagos in the European Union to date and what say criteria have been applied?

Can the Commission say whether it plans any specific measure for the Balearic islands?

Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission (25 March 1996)

There exists a series of mainly structural measures dealing with island related-problems (difficulty of access and slow economic development) aimed at indirectly rectifying some of the economic effects of insularity.

As regards the outermost regions (the most distant regions, in other words the four French overseas departments, Madeira, the Azores and the Canary Isles):

- the Regis Community initiative, set up in 1992 and extended for the current planning period, is aimed at fostering better integration of these outermost regions into the Community;- the Community's Poseidom (1989), Poseima and Poseican (1991) programme, is aimed at modulating the implementation of Community policies taking into account the outermost regions' specific constraints;- a specific clause in the 1993 regulations on the Structural Funds concerning Community participation is mentioned in Article 13 (3) of the framework Regulation No (EEC) 2052/88, amended in the area of the Structural Funds. ((OJ L No 193, 31.7.1993. )) It stipulates that 'the Community contribution may (...) rise to a maximum of 85% of the total cost for the outermost regions, as well as for outlying Greek islands which are under a handicap as far as distance is concerned'. Hence, the amount of Community co-financing is higher for these regions.

As regards the problems of regional economic development in general, most islands within the Community are eligible for structural funds in accordance with the criteria for the regional objectives due to certain economic weaknesses that they have in common with some mainland regions. Thus, some islands are fully eligible under Objective 1 (the Greek islands, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, islands within the Highlands and Islands Enterprise Area, and the outermost islands mentioned above); others are partially eligible under other objectives (the Balearics and several French, Danish, Swedish, Dutch and Finnish islands).

Despite the fact that no specific measure has been adopted with regard to the Balearics, these islands benefit from structural fund aid under Objective 2 (regions in industrial decline) and Objective 5b (development of rural areas). Thus, the operational programme for Objective 2 provides for Community aid of ECU 10 369 million (at 1994 prices) for the period 1994-1996, whilst the single document on planning for Objective 5b (period 1994-1999) provides for funding of ECU 46 120 million (at 1994 prices).