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    Omø is the Danish island of the year

    May 6, 2023 by

    From The Mayor.eu The annual award was established as a way to support small local communities living on fairly isolated isles Ø is that most Danish of letters, which we have no idea how to pronounce. It is also the Danish word for “island”. And the Nordic country surely has heaps of them – something… Read more

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    Habitability – A Way Forward

    April 8, 2023 by

    from Tonino Picula, MEP Tonino Picula visiting Kökar on the Åland islands in 2018. Picture by Ivan Matić. The best and the most important experts on islands are the islanders themselves. It was precisely this principle that trusted me to strongly support the idea of Habitability, EU-parliamentarian Tonino Picula, says. He has actively worked to… Read more

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    The first GTI Observatory Summit kicks off in Gran Canaria to consolidate leading committees and outline action-oriented agenda towards COP28

    February 3, 2023 by

    Island representatives, global industry associations, international institutions and authorities from all sectors of the circular economy from the GTI network gathered to strengthen cooperation and support the launch of the first Observatory Report Greening the Islands (GTI) is glad to announce that the first GTI Observatory Summit went live in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. The… Read more

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    Preserving Finland’s Archepelago

    February 3, 2023 by

    Photo by Lauri Santavuori It is obvious that an update of the 41-year-old Archipelago Law is necessary, although its spirit is still particularly relevant. A living archipelago and the preservation of its completely unique nature is a matter of honor for all of Finland. The archipelago types are unique in the world! Finland’s islands, which… Read more

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    Snowy woollies on Eigg

    January 19, 2023 by

    This photo is from Camille Dressler of Eigg, Scotland. These guys aren’t feeling the cold! Please feel free to send in your own favourite snaps from your island!

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    Dursey Island Cable Car: lights out for another Irish Island?

    January 9, 2023 by

    From Christian Pleijel Taking a boat out to Dursey Island on the outermost southwest corner of Ireland is extremely dangerous in winter, since Dursey Sound is notoriously treacherous. The safest way to access the island is by the cable car – which was opened in 1969. The aerial link has been shut for maintenance since March Photograph: Johannes Rigg/Alamy I… Read more

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    Association of Estonian islands in Åland

    January 5, 2023 by

    From Riina Kaljulaid & Svea Aavik Association of Estonian islands in Åland In cooperation with Åland Island’s Archipelago Association a marvelous program was put together including trips to smaller islands Vårdö and Sottunga visiting the municipality, schoolhouses, Christmas market, sightseeing and making friendship. We enjoyed the luxurious meals at Kallas farm and Stallhagen running brewery.… Read more

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    INVITATION PRESSE

    October 21, 2022 by

    Les îles du Ponant vous invite pour l’inauguration de la micro-folie itinérante « Les îles du Ponant » Le 24 septembre la première micro-folie itinérante à bord d’un bateau classé Monument historique : la Micro-folie des îles du Ponant sera inaugurée au port de l’île aux Moines en présence de M Emmanuel Berthier Préfet de la Région Bretagne… Read more

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    Report from Kihnu Island: ESIN AGM & Conference 2022

    September 28, 2022 by

    from Riina Kaljulaid On September 6th – 9th the Conference and Annual Meeting of European Small IslandsFederation was held on Kihnu Island in Estonia. There were 50 participants at the Conference.Representative countries and areas at the Conference: Sweden, Scotland, Ireland, Finland,Denmark, Croatia, Åland and Estonia. In addition, Brussels. There were foreign guests from16 islands and… Read more

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    ESIN AGM and Conference 2022

    September 26, 2022 by

    Kihnu Island, Estonia 6-9 September Excitement grew among ESIN representatives to the 5-day 2022 AGM event as they travelled by plane, train, bus and ferry from eight European member countries to the island of Kihnu, off the southwestern coast of Estonia in the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The island has an area… Read more

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    Habitability: A House with 45 Windows

    September 22, 2022 by

    by Christian Pleijel Habitability is like a house with 45 windows. Whatever window you choose to open, you peek into the same house. If you are curious enough to open all the windows, you will get a clear view of what is going on inside. The house of habitability stands on four cornerstones: The first… Read more

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    Sailing the Baltic!

    August 8, 2022 by

    From John Wrede, Åland “A picture from the Baltic: my cousin and me sailing with sy Ofelia from the Island of Korpo to my home island of Brändö. “ Makes you wish you were with them! 

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    ISISA:s 18th world conference on islands held in Zadar

    July 17, 2022 by

    Report from Christian Pleijel In the middle of June, some ESINers took part in ISISAs 18th, semi-annual conference on the islands of the world. ISISA – the International Small Islands Studies Association – is a voluntary, non-profit and independent organisation, founded back in 1986. Its objectives are to study islands on their own terms, and to encourage free scholarly discussion… Read more

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    18th “Islands of the World” Conference

    July 5, 2022 by

    Contact ISISA Conference | Islands: Nature and Culture 18th “Islands of the World” Conference 13th to 17th June 2022 in Zadar and surrounding islands Ugljan, Pag and Dugi otok Scientific Committee: PhD Godfrey BALDACCHINO, Department of Sociology, University of Malta, Malta PhD Laurie BRINKLOW, Institute of Island Studies, University of Prince Edward Island, Canada PhD Anica… Read more

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    EU Climate Action: News

    June 9, 2022 by

    Latest news on climate action from the EC 118 regions and local authorities join the EU Mission for Adaptation to Climate Change On 7 June, the European Commission announced the first 118 regions and local authorities that will participate in the EU Mission for Adaptation to Climate Change, the so-called Mission Adaptation, which will support… Read more

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    Discover Habitability

    June 8, 2022 by

    Bottom-up habitability analysis of 3 Island Municipalities Report from Christian Pleijel Agneta Wackström from Åland Island’s Archipelago Association, RoseMarie Hellén from Vinön in Sweden and Christian Pleijel, after starting up bottom-up habitability analyses on three island municipalities on Åland. The project is financed by LEADER. Christian comments that they work with very interesting islands: Sottunga,… Read more

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    Bere Island, Cork welcomes Samsø Energy Academy and CE4EU Islands

    February 4, 2022 by

    Report from John Walsh, Chair of ESIN Bere Island Energy Group with the support of Bere Island Projects Group (BIPG) hosted a visit of Soren Hermansen and Alexis Chatzimpiros from the Samsø Energy Academy and the Clean Energy for EU Islands (CE4EU Islands) secretariat over a few days in late January. Both Soren and Alexis… Read more

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    Finnish Islands embrace Habitability

    February 3, 2022 by

    report from Christian Pleijel On February 2nd , a project called “Habitability” started in Finland. The purpose is to analyse and develop the islands’ attractiveness, service level and population numbers, with the help of Kökar’s habitability tool. The project is funded by the Finnish Ministry of Employment and Economy. It also aims at strengthening the… Read more

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    #CE4EUIsland Webinar: Policy and regulation for the island’s energy transition

    January 12, 2022 by

    20.01.2022 11:00–12:00 Take part in our sneak preview webinar where we would like to present the publicly available Regulatory Inventory on policy and regulations specifically developed for EU islands. The Clean energy for EU islands Regulatory Inventory will be a publicly accessible online database that includes the national legislation, regulation, and policy framework for the… Read more

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    Huge win for Habitability Program & Kökar from

    December 5, 2021 by

    Winner governance & inclusion 2021 – Kökar 26 October 2021 Habitability Plan Winner GTI Awards 2021 – Governance & inclusion General information: Island (Region, Province, Country):Kökar – The ALAND islands Population:up to 10.000 inhabitants Budget / cost of the project:€ 105.000 Project partners:ÅBO ACADEMY Partner type of involvement: Learning/teaching/resaerch partner Other partners:The EU Interreg Central… Read more

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    Pericles Program

    October 8, 2021 by

    Skip to content PERICLES Home About PERICLES Look what we have done! Case Regions Map your heritage! Get in contact with us! Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube User-lock PERICLES – PRESERVING AND SUSTAINABLY GOVERNING CULTURAL HERITAGE AND LANDSCAPES IN EUROPEAN COASTAL AND MARITIME REGIONS PERICLES enables sustainable usage of maritime and coastal cultural heritage​ Looking across… Read more

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    ESIN AGM 2021

    September 25, 2021 by

    Press release and History of ESIN Presentation Île-Aux-Moines Morbihan, Brittany Press Release AGM 2021 16 Sept 2021 Camille Dressler ESIN is delighted to celebrate its 20th anniversary at the same time as the 50 th anniversary of the Association of the Isles du Ponant, France. What these anniversaries show is that the vision that underpins… Read more

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    Invitation for Quotation for a suitable experienced External Advisor for project coordination

    August 12, 2021 by

    Request for Quotation:                                Request Issued                                                   – 12 August 2021                                Closing date for receipt of quotation         – 26 August 2021                                Contracting Organisation                               – European Small Islands Federation                                Queries by email to                                          – rhoda@esin.ngo Background and framework European Small Islands Federation (ESIN) ESIN is a not- for -profit organisation… Read more

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    Invitation for Quotations for Suitable, Experienced External Advisors to deliver:

    August 6, 2021 by

    Study and specifications of a community shared electric vehicles system on Iles aux Moines, France Study to set up a community renewable energy production scheme on Inishbofin, County Galway, Ireland Request for Quotation:                                Request Issued                                                   – 6 August 2021                                Closing date for receipt of quotation         – 20 August 2021                                Contracting… Read more

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    Invitation for Quotation for a suitable experienced External Advisor to deliver:

    July 25, 2021 by

    Clean Energy Transition Agenda (CETA) Request for Quotation:                                Request Issued                                        – 22 July 2021                                Closing date for receipt of quotation         – 16 August 2021 by Midnight UTC                                Contracting Organisation                          – European Small Islands Federation                                Queries by email to                                   – rhodatwombly@gmail.com Background and framework 1 European Small Islands Federation… Read more

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    Cast your Vote for Kökar

    June 5, 2021 by

    from Christian Pleijel The Aland Islands in the Baltic Sea has a network for sustainability, deeply rooted in society, with a high level of confidence and engagement from citizens and businesses. Information in English here https://www.barkraft.ax/barkraftax. The backbone of the network is the Development and Sustainability Agenda for Åland, agreed upon by Ålands regional parliament… Read more

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    Åland Islands Energy: The Webinar

    May 1, 2021 by

    Webinar: Åland Islands’ Energy Story The results of the webinar held on the 29th April See below for introduction, recordings and slides Illustration : The energy transition requires a place where to pilot and demonstrate a fully renewable energy system which is sustainable both technically and economically. The energy company Flexens has identified the opportunity… Read more

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    Clean Energy for EU Islands

    April 19, 2021 by

    Webinar on the Call for Technical Assistance 20.04.2021 11:00 – 12:00OnlineClean energy for EU islands secretariat Are you working on an island to advance its energy transition? Do you need technical support for an energy project or energy strategy? In our webinar we will explain how to apply for the new call for technical assistance… Read more

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    2021 People & the Sea Conference

    March 27, 2021 by

    The Centre for Maritime Research invites you … This is the final event of the PERICLES maritime heritage programme. From their website: https://marecentre.nl/2021-conference/ The 11th MARE People and the Sea Conference will take place from the 28th of June to 2nd of July, 2021. This year, the conference will be held virtually. Our online conference… Read more

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    ENRD Rural Vision week

    March 20, 2021 by

    https://www.rural-vision-week.eu/ 22 March 2021 – 26 March 2021 Rural Vision Week – Imagining the future of Europe’s rural areas Welcome How it works Registration Marketplace Fringe events Contact Welcome  Welcome to Rural Vision Week: Imagining the future of Europe’s rural areas! This interactive event, organised by the European Network for Rural Development (ENRD) in close… Read more

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    Water Saving Seeps from Isle to Isle

    March 18, 2021 by

    By Christian Pleijel The island of Oaxen in Himmerfjärden has been a testing ground for low-flushing taps during the year 2020. Without experiencing any deterioration in water flow, each household saved 25 cubic meters of water (20%), which is SEK 270 / year in reduced fee. 3 cranes cost SEK 480, the repayment period is… Read more

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    Imagining the Small Islands

    January 28, 2021 by

    Compiled and written by: Lise Thillemann Sørensen, Head of Secretariat, Association of Small Danish Islands / Sammenslutningen af Danske Småøer Virtual workshop for the small European Islands January 19, 2021 Imagining the small islands – 2040 How will the islands look in twenty years’ time? What will life on the islands be like? What do… Read more

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    December 19, 2020 by
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    Animation work of Island School children featured at major festival

    December 6, 2020 by

    This year’s 23th Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Youth and the 20th European Camera Zizanio Youth Audiovisual Creation Meeting, featured the films of the children of Tilos Primary School: the documentary film ′′ Tilos, a small ark “, lasting 10 minutes the animation movie ′′ The dwarfs of Tilos ′′ lasting 3 minutes… Read more

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    Pargas Chamber Orchestra: Music for ESIN

    November 30, 2020 by

    Performance of “Maja from the Storm Skerries” for ESIN AGM 2020 culture mash-up The talented amateur chamber orchestra of Pargas,  played Stormskärs Maja, “Maja from the Storm Skerries”, as part of the Culture Mash-up section of the ESIN AGM 2020. Finnish representative to ESIN, Pia Prost, adds: “Author Anni Blomqvist (1909–1990) wrote the Stormskärs-Maja series of… Read more

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    Habitability: Planning the Future of Islands

    November 22, 2020 by

    by Christian Pleijel Habitability is a concept to define, measure and develop the attractiveness of an island. The definition includes 40 indicators arranged in seven areas. Measuring is made in two steps: first, you measure how well your island matches the 40 indicators on scale 1 to 4. Secondly, you decide which of the indicators are most important, and easy, to… Read more

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    ESIN AGM 2020

    November 22, 2020 by

    ESIN holds online AGM & Webinar The European Small Islands Federation (ESIN) held its first online conference, Members’ Day and AGM from 16 November-18 November. At a time when ESIN members are not able to travel due to Covid-19, they managed to finalise their work plans through a day of zoom groups, learning about the… Read more

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    Island culture zoom mash-up

    November 14, 2020 by

    Island culture is important to us, whether traditional or contemporary! Follow Compere Mairtin from Cape Clear Island, Ireland to explore what is happening on the small islands of Europe! ESIN Culture event for registration 17 Nov Tuesday Programme : 18.30 -21.00 CET 18.30: Mairtin is launching the zoom island culture mash-up with fellow islander and… Read more

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    ESIN Online AGM & Online Conference 2020

    November 11, 2020 by

            Online AGM and Conference 2020             16-17-18 November 2020   Programme Monday 16 November: ESIN members day – 9.30- 17.00 CET (Brussels time) This is a chance for participants of ESIN member federations to find out more about the work of ESIN and get involved in shaping its future. REGISTER for  ESIN Reports… Read more

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    ESIN Conference: Re-Imagining our Future

    November 9, 2020 by

    European Small Islands Federation presents Island and EU Speakers To Register for this event see ESIN Webinar     “ Re-imagining our future: the small islands of Europe “ Challenges and Opportunities- John Walsh, ESIN chair Island Habitability planning – Christian Pleijel, Åaland IslandsCovid recovery partnership working – Thomas Fisher, CoDel, Western Isles, ScotlandSmart islands… Read more

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    EGTC Platform meeting and Borders Forum

    October 29, 2020 by

    Cross-border territories on the front line EGTC Platform meeting and Borders Forum: Join us online! Under the high patronage of the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron, the 1st Borders Forum and the 10th EGTC Platform, organised by the Mission Opérationnelle Transfrontalière (MOT), in partnership with the European Commission and the European Committee of the… Read more

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    29 European islands publish new energy transition agendas

    October 28, 2020 by

    from Myriam Castanié, Clean Energy for EU Islands Secretariat Taking stock after the first two years of the Clean Energy for EU Islands Initiative, these islands form part of a growing community of islands working towards the energy transition in the European Union. 22 European islands have today published their clean energy transition agendas, making… Read more

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