The General Assembly of the CPMR Islands Commission was held in Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy, at Sa Manifattura, focusing on the future of Europe’s island territories.
During the roundtable on competitiveness and connectivity, Gaetano Nastasi, Vice President of INSULEUR and member of the Chamber of Commerce of Cagliari-Oristano, contributed to the discussion by bringing the perspective of island businesses.
In his intervention, he highlighted the structural challenges faced by European islands—high costs, fragmented markets, and limited access to finance—and presented two key proposals: an Island SME Competitiveness Window within EU programmes, and an Island Open Data Space to improve data availability and better measure the cost of insularity for more effective policymaking.
These proposals have been included in an INSULEUR position paper submitted to the European Commission’s consultation on the forthcoming EU Strategy for Islands, which closed on 1 April.
On connectivity, Nastasi also called for strengthening Public Service Obligations (PSOs) for maritime and air transport, with EU-wide minimum standards on frequency, affordability, continuity, and service reliability.
The meeting highlighted the importance of INSULEUR in representing the interests and needs of island enterprises at European level, ensuring that their specific challenges are effectively reflected in EU policy development.