Dear EU islands community,
Welcome to the Clean energy for EU islands newsletter!
The guest editorial below is written by Younous Omarjee, MEP, The Left group in the European Parliament
"Islands and outermost regions are on the front line of climate change". The report on EU islands and cohesion policy for which I was the rapporteur repeats it a few times. Islands face some of the most dramatic consequences of global warming and rising sea levels, including disproportionate biodiversity loss. Yet islands can also be on the front line of mitigation, a formidable laboratory for sustainability practices in sectors such as clean energy, the circular economy, smart mobility, waste management and the blue economy.
The stakes are high, but the opportunities are also there. That’s why I call for a European island vision to be developed and to be formalised in an Island Pact. Specifically on energy, we call for specific rules and financial support to help islands achieve climate neutrality goals, taking into account the additional costs linked to sectors such as energy and transport as well as the impact of mobile technologies on their energy systems.
Renewable energy deployment and implementation of the fit for 55 package should go hand in hand with the promotion of economic, social and territorial cohesion. It is not only about the energy and the climate, it’s about the people, the islanders. We aim for a renewables-based energy autonomy to be established as a target for all European islands. Key to achieving this to enhance the administrative capacity of the local institutions of European islands and to develop their potential both as enablers of economic, social and territorial competitiveness and as promoters of climate-friendly behaviour among citizens.
That’s why I applaud the efforts of the Clean energy for EU islands secretariat in working bottom-up with island communities to achieve the clean energy transition. I look forward to the continuation of the secretariat in support of EU islands.
