Activities of Stéphane BIJOUX related to 2021/2079(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
EU islands and cohesion policy (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on EU islands and cohesion policy: current situation and future challenges
Amendments (52)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 14 September 2021 entitled 'Towards a stronger partnership with the EU outermost regions'1 a, _________________ 1 a Text adopted, P9_TA(2021)0368
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)
Citation 12 a (new)
— having regard to the opinion of the European Committee of the Regions on the European Commission report on the implementation of the renewed strategic partnership with the EU’s outermost regions (2021/C 37/10) of 10 December 2020,
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 b (new)
Citation 12 b (new)
— having regard to the final declaration of the XXVI Conference of Presidents of the Outermost Regions of the European Union adopted in the Azores on 18 and 19 November 2021,
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas insularity is recognised as a serious and permanent natural handicap in Article 174 TFEU, and whereas Article 349 TFEU states that the fragile structural social and economic situation of the nine outermost regions is compounded by insularity;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas islands often suffer from a combination of multiple and permanent strucnatural handicaps, such as small size, low population density, small market, double insularity (island and archipelago), difficult topography very similar to mountainous regions, a dependence on maritime and air transport or a dependence on a small number of products;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the specific characteristics of islands areparticular situation of island regions is recognised by Article 174 TFEU and whereas ithey should be taken into account in EU policies, in particular by drawing up a dedicated strategy and a Europeann Island Policy Agenda with clearly defined priorities for action plan;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the islands’ physical disconnection from the mainland acts as a permanent impedimenand their remoteness from the mainland creates additional constraints, including for the labour market, transport lin many areas, including the labour marketks and mobility, the importing of raw materials and consumer products, access for island products to neighbouring external markets, education, health care, business, water andaccess to water and sanitation, energy supply and waste management facilities;
Amendment 20 #
G. whereas the long-term social, economic, environmental and cultural consequences of the COVID-19 crisis on the island territories of the Union are of particular concern, and whereas Europe’s recovery must include the islands and must not create further regional disparities;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas islands are on the front line of climate change, affected by rising sea levels and coastal erosion and, the warming and acidification of seas and oceans and the increased frequency and violence of natural disasters; whereas they can be excellent testbeds for a range of ecological transition processes and seek to achieve energy autonomy based on renewables;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas islands, and especially the outermost regions, are particularly at risk from natural disasters such as cyclones, volcanic eruptions, forest fires and storms;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas islands’ marine and terrestrial biodiversity is largely endemic, and therefore more fragile; whereas marine and coastal pollution, as well as overfishing and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, can be a source of concern for islands;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that Articles 174 and 349 TFEU recognises insularity as a permanent strucnatural handicap and stipulate that the Union must pay particular attention to thesethat it calls for special attention to be paid to island regions;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Recalls that Article 349 TFEU provides for specific measures for the nine outermost regions (the Azores, the Canary Islands, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion, Madeira, Martinique, Mayotte and Saint Martin), and states that insularity compounds their fragile structural social and economic situation;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses that one of the islands’ major handicaps lies in their geomorphological and natural conditions; notes that islands generally have a double or triple natural handicap, i.e. insularity, mountainous terrain and being part of an archipelago;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls that insularity creates structural problems of dependence on maritime and air transport, with additional costs for importing and exporting goods, raw materials, including energy commodities, and consumer products, as well as for passenger transport; stresses that, in the case of archipelagos, these difficulties are multiplied by a double insularity;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Highlights the deficit in terms of population, raw materials and resources of all kinds, and notes that in many islands access to drinking water and sanitation is a central issue in people’s lives, the development of agriculture, energy production, the sustainability of the island and its tourism carrying capacity;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses that island economies are oriented towards the primary and tertiary sectors and that hyper-specialisation weakens the economic fabric by making it more vulnerable to economic slowdowns and crises; is concerned about long-term developments which in many EU islands can create an economy that is based solely on tourism;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes with concern the ongoing and long-term effects of the COVID-19 crisis, which is exacerbating an already precarious situation for EU islands in many areas;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Stresses that the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis are even starker in the outermost regions, as reflected in soaring maritime freight prices, and are exacerbating the structural social and economic difficulties that are characteristic of these regions;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Regrets the EU’s lack of vision for European islandsCalls for a European island vision to be developed and for the islands’ strengths to be exploited;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 3
Subheading 3
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses that many islands have a fragile environment and endemic marine and terrestrial biodiversity, and that the development of tourism, in particular on certain Mediterranean islands, is further increasing the pressure on biodiversity; calls for a strengthening of biodiversity protection capacities, the promotion of a blue economy focused on sustainable tourism, sustainable and fisheries and support for seabed research; calls on the Commission to assess the impact of climate change on islands;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Recalls that islands are on the front line of climate change, particularly with rising water levels and, the warming of seas and oceanand acidification of seas and oceans and the proliferation of natural disasters; notes with concern the risks associated with overfishing and marine and coastal pollution; calls, in the context of the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal, for specific support for islands to combat and adapt to climate change;
Amendment 84 #
Access to water and waste management
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Stresses the increasingly precarious condition of all islands in terms of their environmental assets, particularly water resources; calls, in this context, on the Commission to adopt a common water management policy for islandsmobilise additional funding to provide better support for island regions in access to and management of water; recalls also the challenges connected with waste management in island territories and the strategic role of the circular economy;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 3 b (new)
Subheading 3 b (new)
Green transitions
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Recalls that the green transition must leave no one behind and must not aggravate social difficulties; calls for instruments to compensate for the social impact of the Green Deal to be deployed in island regions;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 4
Subheading 4
Economic and social development: health, employment, youth and digital
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Points out that the COVID-19 crisis has exposed the health fault lines in many island regions; stresses, therefore, the importance of developing and improving health infrastructure, access to care and medical coverage in these regions;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls for urgent measures to counteraclimit the depopulation of islands and to improve quality of life, support local businesses and protect jobs; calls also for the development of education, professional training and employment establishments for island inhabitants to be promotednhabitants of island regions, so as to give these regions a boost and better tackle unemployment, particularly youth unemployment;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Points out that access to digital services is essential, particularly for young people in education or training; calls for equipping islands with digital infrastructure and technologies to be made a priority, in order, for example, to avoid 'black spots' and enhance the provision of education and training services; calls on the Commission to harness the potential that island regions offer for innovation and the development of future digital capacities;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Highlights the importance of supporting the local economic fabric of island regions, in particular SMEs and VSMEs as well as the craft industry, in order to promote local know-how;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Agriculture and fisheries
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Stresses the need for increased support for island agriculture, animal husbandry and aquaculture, sustainable fisheries, craftslocal production and the blue economy in island regions, including through European cooperation programmes; calls on the Commission to draw up a regulation laying down specific measures in the area of agriculture for all NUTS 2 and NUTS 3 level islands with a view to achieving food autonomy and increassupport food self- sufficiency, agricultural diversification and the competitiveness of island production, without prejudice to existing instruments, such as the regulation laying down specific measures in the area of agriculture in the outermost regions of the Union and the regulation laying down specific measures ing the competitiveness of their productarea of agriculture in favour of the smaller Aegean islands;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 4 a (new)
Subheading 4 a (new)
Tourism
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Notes that the tourism sector is the main contributor to the economic growth of island regions in terms of income and employment; calls, therefore, on the Commission to provide specific additional financial support fortailored to sustainable tourism in islands and to helping islands that are heavily dependent on tourism to diversify their economies; calls also on the Commission to establish a European sustainable tourism label that would champion the strengths and efforts of the island regions in this area;
Amendment 142 #
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 5
Subheading 5
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls for the development and improvement of island transport infrastructure, for support for the development of sustainable transport in island countries and regions to be fostered, and for support for the modernisation and greening of road, airport and port infrastructure;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 5 a (new)
Subheading 5 a (new)
Outreach: mobility and culture
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that the inhabitants of island regions, particularly those furthest from mainland Europe, can participate fully and equitably in European mobility programmes such as Erasmus+, the European Solidarity Corps, DiscoverEU and the future ALMA programme;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24b. Believes that culture and the development of the cultural sector on the islands are fundamental; considers that the cultural and linguistic identities of the islands should be protected and promoted as they help them to develop and improve their reach on all fronts;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Stresses that the lack of statistical data on islands is hindering the development of targeted policies; calls on the Commission to set up a European Institute for DisadvanCalls on the Commission to improve the collection of statistical data on island regions, since the lack of comprehensive data is hindering the development of targed Territories to collect data at all administrative levelted policies;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Calls on the Commission to take note of the studies already produced by island regions concerning the challenges and additional costs associated with insularity, and to establish interdisciplinary analyses covering the demographic, geographical and economic, economic, social and environmental characteristics of island territories;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Calls for an additional budget allocation to be established togeared towards helping the island regions overcome the challenges they face and covering the extra costs connected with European islands under the future 2028-2034 cohesion policy;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 9
Subheading 9
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Calls on the Commission to undertake a dynamic assessment of Article 174 TFEU and to build on that article to create a European strategy for islandsput forward a genuine European Island Agenda that takes into account the specific features of each of the EU’s sea basins; calls on the Commission to carry out a study on the situation of island territories and to consider a strategy for islands with tangiblregional sea basins via concrete proposals;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Calls for this European Islands PactAgenda to be drawn up and implements soon as possible and used, along the lines of the Urban Pact ands a basis for an island pact along the lines of the future Rural Pact;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Calls on the Commission to make 2024 the European Year of Islands and to set up a European competition for the islands, along the lines of the European capitals initiative, to showcase the assets and richness of the Union's insular regions;