ESIN
European Small Islands FederationArchive for Tonino Picula
World Water Day
Vice-President of the European Parliament Intergroup for the islands, Tonino Picula, organized a panel discussion on the islands and hosted representatives of eight small European islands from Croatia, France, Greece and Ireland, in the European Parliament in Brussels yesterday.
The panel, which was held on the occasion of World Water Day, marks the beginning of the project “Water saving challenge” that aims to save water and money on the islands. The project gathers 8 islands from 4 EU Member States (see the map attached). They will use their experience and knowledge for development of mindsets and technologies for saving water and communicate it to the 1,640 islands of ESIN – and others.
“The lack of drinking water affects both islands and coastal communities, and the Water Saving Challenge taps into possibilities of using technology and adjusting human behaviour to save both water and money”, said MEP Tonino Picula.
The project will carry out through the whole year, during which two key events will be held. Meeting of the working group after the field research is set for September on Komiža, island Vis and results will be presented in November, again in the European Parliament in Brussels.
Christian Pleijel with the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, said that “the aim of this project is to prove that we can, as people, islanders, industry, entrepreneurs, teenagers … reduce water consumption and build a project together, by listening to the islander’s solutions. For example, to establish a hotel that would motivate guests to stay in, because it successfully saves water.”
Dr. Christoforos Perakis from the Greek Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving emphasized that they plan to make the island Agios Efstratios the first Greek “green island” which will get almost all the energy from renewable sources. As an excellent example of combining the power of wind and water towards energy independence, he announced a new project on the construction of a hybrid power plant on the island of Ikaria.
Mairtin O’Mealoid from the European Federation of small islands (ESIN) with Irish Cape Clear Island announced a major investment of the Irish Government in pipeline, because it turned out that 60 percent of water (11 million liters yearly = 30,000 liters/day) is lost on the way from pumping station to the consumers on the island.
“This project is a result of islanders and politicians working together and therefore I am extremely grateful to MEP Picula for his support and dedication to the project.”
The core team of the “Water saving challenge” project is : MEP Picula, Christian Pleijel and Mairtin O’Mealoid, Anders Nordstrom of the University of Stockholm and Maxime Bredin, representative of the University of Brest. Eight islands included are : Vis and Lastovo, Sein, Houat, Ithaca, Cape Clear, Inisheer and Tilos.
The panel on the islands presented a lot of useful and positive examples of efficient management of water as the most important resource. Discussion pointed that the island’s water resources were often, and for too long, badly ruled and that the islanders were often imposed ineffective solutions, coming from mainland.
Although much still has to be done for efficient and sustainable resolution of the island’s water management, the panelists concluded that the opening of this dialogue between European islands is a significant step forward that will enable better and more effective action for improving life on the islands around the Old continent.
The 11th Nation
At the EESC Public Hearing 7th of February, Croatian MEP Tonino Picula mentioned that the islands of Europe, if grouped together, would rank as Europe’s ninth nation. I double-checked him, making a table based on Wikipedia, from which I excluded islands that are nations (Great Britain, Ireland, Cyprus and Malta) but included all the remaining 2.136 ones, summing up their areas and their populations.
The result is a complex, widespread, divided, illusive island nation with an area of 454,753 km2 and with 18,889,077 inhabitants. Were it a nation, it would population-wise place itself after Romania but before Kazakstan[1]. Counting by area, it would rank as the 4th nation of Europe, just after Norway[2]. Assuming humans are more important than land, the islands of Europe grouped together would rank as the number 11 among the 50 sovereign states of Europe. Were it a nation, it might be called ISLANDIA.
Is this 11th nation of Europe different from the other 28 nations of Europe? Yes: it has some very valuable assets: (1) shores, that attract hundreds of millions of tourists every year; (2) seas, that contain tides, waves, oil, gas, fish, motorways of the seas as well as more ordinary waterways; (3) unrivalled natural and cultural heritages.
This 11th imaginary nation also has an invisible obstacle surrounding it: remoteness – a permanent handicap causing extra costs for its small-scale societies, enterprises and inhabitants. There are 671 ro-pax ferries connecting the islands with the mainland. On the one thousand smaller islands, 38% of the total energy spent is used for sea transports, larger islands somewhat less[3]. To reengineer these sea transport systems would be an economical, ecological and social revolution.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_European_countries_by_population
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_European_countries_by_area
Public Hearing on the Future for Islands
On a short visit to Malta, ESIN tries to be the voice of Europe’s two thousand small islands in a ‘Public Hearing’ arranged by EESC on the subject ‘What future for islands in the European Union”
I am sad to find Vasilis Margaras much detested study here, where he states that the number of small islands in Europe is 228, but I do comment on it. I am puzzled when the EESC president asks ‘What is the really the difference between an island and the French countryside?”
Luckily, there are many smart persons here to answer such a question: Marie-Antoinette Maupertius from the Committee of Regions (who is working on an opinion on entrepreneurship on islands), George Assonitis from INSULEUR, Malta Minister for Economy Chris Cardona, professor Caroline Buts and Rapporteur Stefano Mallia stating: “This debate on islands is like Brexit: a wake-up call.”
We are some 40 people discussing during three hours. I get the opportunity to speak to Tonino Picula, Vice Chair of the Parliament Intergroup for Islands, and Nektarios Santorinios, Greek Vice Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, regarding the project on Water Saving on eight european islands that we are about to start.
Much is happening in our european union now, our European Union.
Denis Barić re-elected President of Croatian islands
Denis Barić and Tonino Picula
Fifteen years have passed since the Croatian Islands Parliament (Otočni Sabor) was founded. The last year has been focused on the fight for the preservation of small-scale fishing, the consequences of the implementation of the Ordnance on conditions and manner of exercising the right to preferential transport on the routes in the public maritime transport, the 63rd session of the Committee on Environment and Nature of the Croatian Parliament on the issue of research and exploitation of hydrocarbons in the Adriatic, participation in two petitions (for helicopter emergency medical assistance and “against cancer in two steps”), actions for fair island products, for island culture, and becoming a member of ESIN.
– ”Living on an island, by birth or choice, must not be an obstacle to the development aspirations of a modern man”, says Denis Barić.
At the Islands Parliament meeting, MEP Tonino Picula pointed out that all availabe data shows the average national income of an islander is much lower than that of a mainlander.
– We will try to meet a common desire to form an independent Croatian cluster for energy sustainability of the islands. We plan to strengthen the agricultural cooperatives on the islands in order to increase employability of young people. We are especially proud that our oldest member, 100-year-old Anti Dragić, just published his book “Life on the island – economic life on the islands between the two world wars,” says Denis Barić, who was re-elected as President of the Islands Parliament of Croatia on the 18th of May.
Small Island Survival Kit
Today I presented a “Small Islands Survival Kit” at a conference in Dubrovnik, being here as the vice president of ESIN on personal invitation of Tonino Picula, born on the small island Mali Losinj, member of the European Parliament, vice chair of the important Islands Intergroup and Croatia’s first foreign minister.
I used examples from the Aland archipelago and from the Irish Cork islands. Croatian newspapers report that “Christian Pleijel iz Európske federacije malih otoka (ESIN) pohvalio je Irce koji su napravili” atlas otoka “koji prikazuje koliko ljudi Zivi na otocima mare conditioned, kako su izvori svježe vode raspoređeni po otoku, koliko see energije in otpada Trosi svaki dan na jedan vrlo točan, faktički način. Strategija kp razvijena u tijesnoj suradnji otoka in općine, rekao kp Pleijel … ” … which, as you all understand, means: “Christian Pleijel of the European Small Islands Federation (ESIN) praised Ireland who have made an integrated strategy for its seven islands that identify population, water, energy and waste in a very accurate, objective way. The strategy was developed in close cooperation between the islands and the county said Pleijel. ”
I refer to the West Cork Islands Integrated Strategy, an ambitious work everybody should study. To make my references understandable I placed Åland and the West Cork islands in the Adriatic Sea. And yes, I opened the Survival Kit and showed them what’s inside.
