Funding criteria for EU islands that face permanent handicaps
MEPs will ask the European Commission to provide a clear definition of the kind of permanent natural or demographic handicaps that EU islands face and to state its view on the idea of taking account of other indicators, besides GDP, when deciding on the funding criteria for such areas. They will debate and vote on a resolution on Thursday.
MEPs will table an oral question to the Commission asking whether it would consider "other indicators besides GDP which go beyond measuring economic production and take into account islands’ specificities, such as the regional competitiveness index, with a view to better reflecting the economic and social vulnerability arising from the natural permanent handicaps faced by such regions.”
In a separate debate and vote on Thursday MEPs will ask the Commission on what specific support it is planning to give to regional and local authorities in order to strengthen their role and impact on the management of the European Structural and Investment Funds in the 2014-2020 programming period.
Note to editors
Island regions, classified as NUTS-2 and NUTS-3 (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics) have common and specific permanent characteristics and features that clearly distinguish them from mainland regions. Article 174 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) recognises that island regions as a whole face permanent handicaps that require particular attention.
However, in the preparation of the 2014-2020 financial programming period, EU island regions at NUTS-2 and NUTS-3 levels did not receive any dedicated funding, but only the possibility of adjusting EU/national co-financing rates for certain types of island under Article 121 of EU Regulation No 1303/2013.
Procedure: Oral question to Commission (with resolution)
Debate: Thursday 4 February
Vote: Thursday 4 February
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