Main challenges faced by EU islands, and mountainous and sparsely populated areas

Background:

In an own-initiative opinion, the EESC's Section for Economic and Monetary Union and Economic and Social Cohesion (ECO) addresses challenges faced by EU regions like islands, mountainous areas, and sparsely populated regions, emphasizing the need for EU support within the framework of EU cohesion policy. This proposal for a comprehensive strategy underscores the legal basis and urges coordinated efforts involving EU bodies, Member States, and stakeholders to translate policies into action. ECO calls for cohesive EU action to ensure territorial solidarity, recognizing regional uniqueness and aiming to prevent any area from being marginalized in terms of development and opportunities.

Key points:

In the opinion, the EESC's ECO section

• stresses the need for tailored approaches and proposes specific recommendations for economic, social, and environmental issues, emphasizing the importance of sustainable development, resource management, and capacity building;
• underlines the necessity for reliable data to facilitate informed decision-making and the lack of sufficient statistical information regarding these regions;
• suggests developing dedicated mechanisms, such as pacts for each type of region, to comprehensively address their challenges;

…

Additional information:

- EESC section: Economic and Monetary Union and Economic and Social Cohesion (ECO)
- opinion type: Own-initiative Opinion
- rapporteur: Ioannis VARDAKASTANIS (Diversity Europe - GR III / Greece)
- reference: ECO/612-EESC-2023
- referral: N/A
- date of adoption by section: 15/11/2023
- date of adoption in plenary: 13-14/12/2023

Contact:

Thomas Kersten
Press Officer
Tel.: +32 (0) 473 49 49 93
Email: thomas.kersten@eesc.europa.eu
Georgios Meleas
Policy Officer
Tel.: +32 2 546 9795
Email: eco@eesc.europa.eu