Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-09-02-Speech-2-017"
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"en.20030902.1.2-017"2
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"Mr President, those of us who come from regions with permanent structural disadvantages have real reason to be grateful to Mr Pomés Ruiz for his report and the innovative ideas it contains. I speak not only for my own country of Scotland but also from knowledge of some of the more remote Greek islands and of the north of Finland and Sweden. However, the problems of island status, mountainous terrain and sparse population affect many areas in other Member States and in some accession countries too.
One very great merit of the report is its recognition of the effects where these problems are combined or aggravated. I welcome particularly in this regard the proposed amendment to Article 158 of the Treaty, as also the thrust towards mainstreaming issues of structural disadvantage into EU policy more generally.
However, I would like to single out the calls for mountainous regions to be classified as agriculturally disadvantaged in relation to Structural Fund regulations, for permanent geographical handicaps to be taken more fully into account where rules on state aid are concerned and for the causes of emigration to be addressed. In the latter context, the relevance of isolation and difficulty of access is already well known, particularly where islands are concerned. Therefore, I wish to couple my welcome for today's reports with that of the analysis of island regions sponsored by the Commission. Some concern was expressed in Scotland that because certain types of island were excluded from the study they might suffer where future policymaking was concerned.
However, looking to the emphasis it places on the disadvantages associated with small size and population of archipelagos and on double handicap – for example islands with mountains – it was clear there was no need for such concerns. Indeed, the suggestions made in the study for more research and exchange of information and for innovative projects under Interreg looked to bring real practical benefits to all those whose lives are island ones. My thanks are thus due to the Commissioner and to the rapporteur – indeed, both rapporteurs alike."@en1
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