Atlas of the Islands
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The ESPON 2013 Programme The Development of the Islands – European Islands and Cohesion Policy (EUROISLANDS) Targeted Analysis 2013/2/2 Atlas of the Islands EUROPEAN UNION Part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund INVESTING IN YOUR FUTURE ESPON EUROISLANDS Project - Atlas of the Islands List of authors Lead Partner - University of Aegean, Mytilini, Greece Ioannis SPILANIS Department of Environment, Laboratory of Local and Insular Development Contents Thanasis KIZOS, Department of Geography Foreword ______________________________________________________ 3 Michalis VAITIS, Department of Geography, Laboratory of Geo-informatics Introduction ___________________________________________________ 4 Nikoletta KOUKOUROUVLI, Laboratory of Geo-informatics 1. A Typology of European Islands __________________________________ 5 2. A note on methodology: indexes for the state of islands, changes and their attractiveness __________________________________________________ 6 3. The Atlas ____________________________________________________ 8 3.1. The State of European Islands _________________________________________ 9 3.1.1. Efficiency of Islands’ economy __________________________________________________________ 9 3.1.2. Social equity_______________________________________________________________________ 12 3.1.3. Environmental conservation ___________________________________________________________ 18 3.1.4. Synthesis on the State of Islands ______________________________________________________ 20 3.2. Analysis of Attractiveness parameters __________________________________ 24 3.2.1. Measurement of attractiveness parameters _______________________________________________ 24 3.2.2. Classification of Attractiveness factors by islanders _________________________________________ 33 3.2.3. The results of the Delphi workshop _____________________________________________________ 34 3.2.4. Attractiveness indexes _______________________________________________________________ 35 References ___________________________________________________ 38 ESPON and University of the Aegean 2/39 ESPON EUROISLANDS Project - Atlas of the Islands quality expressing the various symbols Atlas of the Islands that islands are connected to. With this Atlas, we want to illustrate that the problems of islands are not circumstantial, but at the same time This publication presents part of the results of a Targeted they are also not ‘permanent’. The Analysis conducted within the framework of the ESPON goal is to use the given geographical 2013 Programme, partly financed by the European Regional Development Fund. and natural characteristics of islands as advantages and not as The partnership behind the ESPON Programme consists of Foreword the EU Commission and the Member States of the EU27, disadvantages. plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Each partner is represented in the ESPON Monitoring This Atlas represents an effort to Committee. We hope that you will find it useful, scientifically document the state of This report does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Islands and assist all parties members of the Monitoring Committee. involved (the EU, the Commission, Information on the ESPON Programme and projects can be Member States, Regional Autrhorities, found on www.espon.eu stakeholders, etc.) to visualize and The web site provides the possibility to download and understand the problems and the examine the most recent documents produced by finalised Ioannis Spilanis, and ongoing ESPON projects. issues that islands face today. Assist. Professor © ESPON & University of the Aegean, 2010 Project Leader and Scientific Insularity is the connecting link, the Responsible Printing, reproduction or quotation is authorised provided common characteristic of all islands the source is acknowledged and a copy is forwarded to the regardless of their size, population and ESPON Coordination Unit in Luxembourg. development level. Insularity This report should be quoted: expresses ‘objective’ and measurable ESPON (2010) Islands’ Atlas, The Development of the Islands – European Islands and Cohesion characteristics, including small areal Policy (EUROISLANDS), ESPON 2013 Program size, small population (small market), ESPON & University of the Aegean isolation and remoteness, as well as unique natural and cultural Communication: environments. However, it also Ioannis Spilanis, Thanasis Kizos involves a distinctive ‘experiential University of the Aegean, University Hill Tel: 22510 36290, 22510 36447, identity’, which is a non-measurable e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] ESPON and University of the Aegean 3/39 ESPON EUROISLANDS Project - Atlas of the Islands to face attractiveness problems and information consist a particular improve the state of the islands problem: although vital for the special eventually. features of islands (limited area, isolation and remoteness), the existing Different sets of indicators are quantitative information is extremely developed for sustainable development limited even at the NUTS II level. and attractiveness. The most important of them make up this Atlas. In the next section, a typology of the The complete list of the indicators is European islands is presented to meet analysed in detail in the Scientific the reader with the diversity of the Report of the study. islands, from the very big to the very small. Next is a note on the The analysis is based on information methodology of composite indexes and from 31 Island regions that are the indicators of the Atlas follow. European statistical units (Member Introduction States, NUTS II or NUTS III). Additional information has been used The purpose of this Atlas is to present from other European islands, some basic and essential facts for especially smaller ones that are not European Islands. covered within this analysis. We have tried to refer to islands and not The facts will be presented under two regions, but, this was not possible due broad headings: (a) the state of the to the lack of consistent and reliable islands (sustainability indicators) and data for all islands as a lot of (b) the attractiveness of the islands. information does not exist on the The former heading deals with the island level (especially for coastal situation of Europe’s islands within the islands). Therefore, data for Regions context of sustainable development are used in most cases. Qualitative compared to the European mainland. information and results from previous The later heading refers to the causes studies, reports, work documents etc. of this situation and how insularity are extensively used. affects attractiveness. The data used come from available This framework can provide useful data that have been used already in information and highlight spatial previous ESPON studies and the differences on the problems that ESPON databases for the 24 NUTS II islands face today in Europe and the and III island areas. Other sources causes of these problems classified to include quantitative and qualitative internal and external factors. This data from European Institutions and approach can lead to conceptualization sources (the EC, Eurostat, the Corine and implementation of policy measures database, the EEA). Environmental ESPON and University of the Aegean 4/39 ESPON EUROISLANDS Project - Atlas of the Islands 4. The development status of the island, with the use of 4 levels, 1. A Typology of European according to the EU-objectives that Table A1: Number of Islands in Each Category determine the European financial aid: Islands NUTS III ISLANDS SIZE DEVELOPMENT STATUS STATE (0) NUTS II (1) − Convergence Regions: (NUTS 2 (6) (224) The typology of the islands is based Convergence (0) on: regions with GDP per capita of less LARGE Phasing-out (0) than 75% of EU average); (2) Phasing-in (0) 1. The resident population, with three Comp. & Empl. (2) 2 − Phasing-out Regions: (Regions Convergence (2) 2 categories: MEDIU NORTH Phasing-out (6) 3 3 which would still be eligible as M (a) Large islands: >50,000 (231) Phasing-in (0) Convergence regions if the threshold (14) permanent inhabitants Comp. & Empl. (6) 1 1 4 was estimated for EU15 and not Convergence (16) 16 (b) Medium-sized islands: between SMALL Phasing-out (56) 56 5,000-50,000 permanent EU25); (215) Phasing-in (11) 11 − Phasing-in Regions: (Regions Comp. & Empl. (132) 132 inhabitants NUTS III ISLANDS SIZE DEVELOPMENT STATUS STATE (1) NUTS II (5) (c) Small islands: <5,000 formerly Objective I, but presently (8) (117) with GDP per capita over 75% of Convergence (6) 1 2 3 (2) 1 permanent inhabitants. LARGE Phasing-out (0) 2. The administrative status (or EU15); and (13) Phasing-in (3) 1 1 1 − Competitiveness and Employment Comp. & Empl. (4) 2 2 jurisdiction) as an indication of Convergence (14) 5 9 autonomy and power for the Regions: (All remaining regions not SOUTH MEDIU Phasing-out (1) 1 covered by the three types above). (131) M (30) Phasing-in (13) 13 promotion of policies tailored to the Comp. & Empl. (2) 2 islands’ characteristics. At the levels of Convergence (34) 34 Coastal and Nuts III islands are SMALL Phasing-out (8) 8 the independent state, NUTS II and (88) Phasing-in (34) 34 NUTS III regions, data is readily classified with the mainland region Comp. & Empl. (12) 12 available and thus an analysis is within which they are administratively LEGEND: possible, as already mentioned. The attached (for example, Orkney with Convergence: Convergence Regions the Highlands and Islands Region of Phasing-out: Phasing-out Regions problem rests