Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-03-15-Speech-4-014"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20070315.3.4-014"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, Commissioner, the ALDE Group thanks Mr Musotto for his very valuable report on the natural and economic constraints affecting islands.
All the topics covered merit full attention, but I should like to concentrate on issues relating to state aid and paragraphs 8, 9 and 19. The reason has to do with the realities of life on islands, particularly those remote from centres of population. The examples are from my own constituency, but resonate across the whole of the EU.
To emphasise the problem of distance, it takes a friend from the Shetland Islands a 14-hour journey by car and ferry to reach the nearest cinema. The price of petrol is some 11% higher in the Western Isles than in Scotland’s central belt. This rises to around 16% for the Shetland Islands. A bale of hay costs five times as much in the Western Isles as it does just outside the nearest city of Inverness. Facts like these only begin to illustrate how far matters of location alone can place islands at a competitive disadvantage.
I thank the Commissioner for what she said about state aid, but a more flexible regime is still needed simply to level the playing field. I have particular concerns, as she knows, with the market investor test. Again, the realities of life on islands and in other remote regions make this test very difficult to satisfy, as no appropriate comparator may be available and the small size of the market creates problems where the average level of return for a given sector is concerned.
All we seek in this context is for our islands to enjoy access to the single market on equal terms with mainland regions."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples