CONFERENCE FOR EUROPEAN SMALL ISLANDS May, Möja, Sweden Conference Notes

Transcription

1 THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE SWEDISH ARCHIPELAGO 1 CONFERENCE FOR EUROPEAN SMALL ISLANDS May, Möja, Sweden Conference Notes THE PURPOSE OF THE CONFERENCE The conference was organised by the Swedish National Association of Small islands and held in one of the islands of the Stockholm archipelago. Small islands include all those islands that do not have separate regional government status. Very often small islands also are parts of large mainland communities. The representatives for the small islands are voluntary organizations or local authorities from small and often poor local communities. Every country must give it s own definition what a small island is it is a question of local traditions and culture and the degree of insularity. Mostly a small island has a population under inhabitants. The purpose of the conference was to build a network of small islands to promote self-help. The participating islands were of the view that the problems associated with islands (remoteness, transportation, depopulation etc) are experienced most severely on small islands. Large islands or islands that have a separate regional government do not suffer such acute problems. The conference heard presentations from all island areas (see below) and concluded with a declaration of intent to create a European Small Islands Network. The Swedish Association will undertake some initial work on this subject, looking at sources of funding etc. The Danish Association may host a small islands conference next year. The Irish Federation will set up an homeside for small islands where all organizations can be linked. The conference concluded with the following statement: STATEMENT Representatives from small islands in Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Scotland and Sweden gathered at Möja in the Stockholm Archipelago in Sweden, may The conference decided unanimously to create a network for the Small European Islands to address the specific issues of insularity. The aim of the network is to promote sustainable social, cultural and economic development of small islands; to maintain a permanent resident population. The Small Islands Network is now seeking recognition and support from the European community for transnational cooperation. May 22, 2001

2 BEGINNING OF THE CONFERENCE 2 The president for The National Association for the Swedish Archipelago, Bengt Almkvist, welcomed and started the conference telling why the Swedes had come to the conclusion that they had to arrange the conference. They had during the last years experienced that more and more of the Swedish regional politic was governed from EU or at least what was said. Therefore it had became natural to try to influence EU;s regional policy and create an understanding for the situation in the Swedish archipelagos. Invitation was sent to a lot of organizations and local authorities all over EU and to the countries that applies for membership. Also Norway was contacted. Of course it will take time before all small islands in Europé are interested in building a network, but it is good for the future work, having a contact also with islands that not are represented on the Möja conference. The conference was located on an living island with both traditional and new branches an island that not only has its outcome from tourism. Möja has about 300 inhabitants and the most of them combine a lot of different businesses but here is also a callcenter owned by an insurance company. The conference was placed at home at the last fisherman at Möja, Rune Wikström and his wife Ingalill. She has started a fishrestaurant and all the food are traditional food from the Stockholm Archipelago. Around the Wikströms they have rent houses, cottages and rooms for the participants in the conference. The aim of the conference is to create cooperation between archipelagoes and small islands on two levels: 1. Finding new ways to influence EU:s policy and rules 2. Giving support to each others in form of knowledge and idéas. THE STATUS OF SMALL ISLANDS - NOTES ON PRESENTATIONS BY PARTICIPANTS Sweden Skärgårdarnas Riksförbund There are 221,000 islands in Sweden with about 75,000 inhabitants. There ate also two large islands, Gotland with 50,000 residents and Oland, which is linked to the mainland by a bridge. In Sweden the islands and the coastal villages belongs to large mainland communities. In Sweden you devide the archipelagos in archipelagos near big urban areas, archipelagos at country side and archipealgos in extreme spare-populated areas. They have different situations but still much in common. The Swedish National Association was formed 1982 to lobby national government on behalf of Swedish islands; it has subsequently developed an interest in European policy. The Association is grant aided by the Swedish Government, and has one PT employee. Members in the association are 13 regional organizations. They consists of a lot of local organizations. F.ex. The archipelago organization in Stockholm consists of 12 local organisations and the Gothenburg organization of 34. In the local organizations only permanent living residents are allowed to be members. The Swedish archipelago association organizes both small islands with a bridge or not and some of

3 the marine small villages on a spare-populated coast. It excludes large Baltic Islands as Gotland and Öland. 3 France - Association pour la promotion et la protection des iles du Ponant APPIP There are 15 small islands with a total of 16,000 population. (This excludes Corsica etc.) The islands are dominated by tourism; traditional activities such as agriculture are in decline. Each island has a commune with tax raising powers. In France there are about small communes and the situation is the same as for other small communes in sparepopulated areas. APPIP is an organization for cooperation between all the small island communes and is working with getting the islands interests well-known and fund-raising for island projects. Of course it is a good help that CPMR has its HQ in Rennes in Bretagne. Denmark Sammanslutningen av Danske Småöer An Association was established in 1972 after a commune reform where the small island communes disappeared. There work is to address the issue of island decline. There are 27 small islands with 5,400 inhabitants. The population is ageing and the Association wishes to reverse this trend. IT has been identified as an opportunity, but has not yet lived up to its promise. The contact with the government is very good and the organization for Danish small islands are supported by a special law about the farming conditions on the islands. Ireland Comhdháil Oileáin na h Éireann. The Federation of Irish Islands was established 10 years ago with EU funding. Includes both Irish and English speaking islands includes Rathlin Island (N. Ireland). Total population is only 3,000. The HQ is in the Aran Islands. The Ireland federation made an attempt to create an European network for small islands last year and hold a successful conference. But the lack of EU-money during 2000 made it difficult to work further with the network. Scotland Argyll and Bute Council Argyll and Bute Council is a regional unite with both a large sparepopulated mainland area and 26 small islands with permanent residents. The small islands are communes of their own but have no taxing right. The have a lot of problems with high costs for the schools and the welfare system. The big Shetland and Orkney islands get a lot of money from EU but not the small islands. The Argyll and Bute Council held a conference in march 2001 about the development on the small islands and decided to try to build an organization with all Scottish small islands.

4 Finland Pro Åbolands Utskär 4 The organization is quite new and consists of about 50 small islands in the outshore Turku archipelago. It is between 5 and 50 residents on the islands. The residents are Swedish-speaking and that is expensive with both a minority-language and the island situation. Education is an issue, with some young children on small islands required to go away to school. Transport by ferry is free for islanders. It is very difficult for the inhabitants to influence on Turku local government and they want to get help for creating an archipelago organization for the whole Finnish coast. ISSUES AND CHALLENGES Delegates summarised the main challenges facing small islands they represent. Finland There are no schools on the small islands and the children have to be boarded on the coast or have a very long way to school IT they have worked much so all the residents can use the system but still the techique are to expensive and there is difficulties with spreading on the islands. The traditional outcomes disappears, there is no fish It is a problem for young families to get housing on the islands, the taxis and prices increases, rich people buys the houses but don t live in them. Scotland High costs for the welfare system Even if there is a program for building new houses in Scotland there is a few builded on islands because of the high prices Strategies for marketing the high quality in the breeding of the cattle is under discussion Sustainable new energy could be a possibility for the islands The islands have an fantastic marine nature and could build up an ecological tourism Denmark Agriculture is in decline Education maintaining small island schools Bringing islanders together to promote co-operation Danish islands have access to Objective 2 money and have used Leader funds for an education development programme. There are also Island Olympic Games that promote friendly competition between islands. Ecological tourism and tourism-agency owned by the island organization Much hope during a long time that IT could give new jobs, but as fare little has happened

5 Ireland 5 Sustaining population on islands: education is crucial. Interested to find good examples how to organize the health-system on the islands. IT has not yet delivered promised benefits Some Irish islands are in Obj I areas; others are in Obj I transition Programme. Exploring ICZM as a concept Seek to use Leader Funds to co-ordinate island activities and influence Irish government Irish speaking islands have access to greater funds that non-irish speaking islands. Strategies for getting local control over the tourism France Social housing on islands receives special support from Regional Government. The houses on the islands very expensive, a problem for young families Environmental management including waste disposal, hard problems with water Maintaining traditional ways of life under changing circumstances, 2 milj of tourists every years how to take local control? Sweden Housing and cost of living varies according to location. Near Stockholm the cost of housing is very high, but in lower in more remote areas Association attempts to stimulate discussion on new issues renewables, European Funding, Joint Projects. All ferries are sponsored by the government and some are free to residents. A problem with lack of communications to small islands. IT has not yet delivered promised benefits. Even when there are a cable to the island it is to expensive to have it spread on the island The schools on the islands very important Callcenters a new outcome, in the Archipelago of Stockholm there is 10 callcenters. INITIATIVES A number of initiatives of common interest were discussed. Examples include the following. Presentation of The Swedish National Rural Development Agency, NRDA The director General, Pia Enochsson reported on the function for the Agency, to inspect other governmental agencies how they fulfil their task to support rural living people. The archipelagos are specially mentioned as an important field for NRDA. The Agency is doing a lot of analysing work, f ex moving patterns and the existence of social and commercial service.

6 6 CPMR and ICZM CPMR is developing a report on ICZM with three themes. Coastal housing development Communications (including IT) Traditional v new sources of employment The aim is to produce a lobbying document on ICZM Will the document be appropriate for remote island communities and how will it relate to European Commission s proposals? It is very important that the document includes the small islands situation also. Island Call Centres Stockholm Police operate 3 call centres in the islands: all phone calls to the police are answered in these call centres and re-routed to local stations as appropriate. There are also 7 other callcenters together they have about 100 employees. The delegates appreciated the visit at the call centers, one from the police and one owned by Folksam insurance company. Island Conferences An economic development project identified island hotels near Stockholm suitable for conference facilities and published a brochure to advertise them to potential clients. Venues were provided with training to help them develop their role as conference hosts. Study visits The delegates visited the school, museum, church, postoffice, the rescue-boat, the health-serviceboat and Ingmarsö boat-building-school.

7 7 TAKING THE INITIATIVE FORWARD Discussion There was agreement that a European small island network was desirable not necessarily a formal body but a continuing association of conference participants. Is an Intereg project possible? Two outcomes are possible a network or project work. There is a need to research possible sources of EU Funding. If there is to be another conference it could rotate between areas. The idea is innovative and could attract interest in the Commission. The Swedish Association is prepared to take a lead in creating a network and to research sources of funding. The Irish Islands Network is prepared to look at the creation of a web-site. Informal Island twinning was discussed as an option. Definitions of small islands could be difficult it was agreed that, at the outset, individual countries or national networks should define small themselves. Relationship with CPMR needs to be clarified. The re should be no conflict but lines of communication must be clear. Provisionally the Danish Association will explore whether they can hold a small islands conference in summer Summary the next steps The Swedish Archipelago Association will co-ordinate the work until next conference. Ireland create a web-site for the network Denmark will explore whether they can hold a small islands conference in summer The short statement will be spread to EU, governments, regions, communes and other organizations The name of the cooperation will be European Small Islands Network E-SIN. Dalarö, Sweden Carin Flemström (with help from Adrian Shaws and Terese Sveijers conference notes) carin.flemstrom@kista.stockholm.se carin.flemstrom@telia.com