Insuleur News

Integrated Relational Tourism and Mediterranean development

The 3rd IRT international scientific conference “Integrated Relational Tourism - Territories and Development in the Mediterranean Area” will take place in Cairo, Egypt, in October 2009, from Saturday 24th to Monday 26th. Promoted by the Helwan University the event is organized by ARCES University College, the Research Center CRUEC and the Embassy of Italy in Egypt, with the cooperation of the Palermo University. The main theme will be the development of the Mediterranean region in an Integrated Relational Tourism approach, while respecting the cultural and environmental sustainability. More information online at www.irtconference.org.

Executive Training Programme in Heraklion, Crete

The second edition of the Executive Training Programme promoted by Insuleur will take place in Heraklion, Crete, Greece on June 25th and 26th. This year's agenda will include tourism, sustainable agriculture, transportation and infrastructures, technology transfer to SMEs, environmental management and energy. Deadline to return the application form (doc format - pdf format): June 8th. Also available in pdf format some flight and accomodation information.

Juan Gual de Torrella new President of Insuleur

Insuleur's General Assembly met in Brussels and elected the new Board of Directors. The president of the Chamber of Commerce of Majorca, Juan Gual de Torrella, will lead the Network for the next three years. During his speech, Mr Gual de Torrella, who also presides the Commission of Tourism of the Consejo Superior de Cámaras (CSC), announced the main lines of action of his strategic program. Insuleur will develop and support projects of cooperation in tourism, transportation, energy and environmental management. The new president will ask for a coordinated action among the Chambers in order to give a greater visibility to the Insuleur and to its efforts to promote the development of the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and the growth of the economy of the insular regions in general.

Innovation and diversification of insular economies

The 8th Forum of the INSULEUR Network was held from October 29th to November 1st, in La Réunion. Dealing with «Innovation and Competitiveness of insular enterprises», this event labelled “French Presidency of the EU” was the opportunity to hear from speakers coming from different backgrounds. If you want to know more about the 2008 Forum, you can read the proceedings and the common declaration adopted at the end of this conference. Do not hesitate to contact us for any further information you may require.

International training based in Sicily

A new university center of excellence, to provide higher training to students of the Mediterranean basin. This is the Polytechnic of the Mediterranean, established in Sicily by the Regional Government together with the Universities of Palermo, Catania, Messina and Enna. Its main goal will be to train scholars and professionals who can support the economic growth of the territories facing the Mare nostrum. Courses will be funded with grants, classes delivered in English, French and Italian. The Polytechnic will attract researchers from various areas in the Mediterranean and will create special relationships with other Universities, public and private entities. [read more]

Executive Training Programme in Malta

Insuleur presents the first edition of the Executive Training Programme, designated for executives of insular member Chambers and other organizations (CRPM, EOAEN, ESIF, etc.), and for experts of competent Ministries of member Countries. The programme aims to promote the sustainable development of the islands. It will be given in English, in collaboration with the Gozo Business Chamber and the Islands and Small States Institute (University of Malta). The Executive Training Programme 2008 will take place at the University of Gozo Centre (Malta), June 12th - 13th, 2008 (see the speakers list). Deadline to return the application form: May 30th.

2008 Insuleur Forum in La Réunion

The La Réunion Chamber of Commerce and Industry will host the 8th Insuleur Forum in La Rèunion Island from October 29th to November 1st, 2008. Both the Insuleur Board of Directors meeting and the General Assembly meeting are scheduled for the same days in La Réunion. “Innovation and competitiveness of insular SME's” is the topic for the 2008 Forum. European Commissioners, together with European and French Ministers and Ambassadors from European insular countries are expected to attend the event.

Sustainable development on the Islands - an integrated approach

During its 7th Forum in Gozo, Malta, the Insuleur Network debated the latest developments of the European work on future EU maritime policy. European Islands Chambers of Commerce share two feelings towards the Commission's “Blue Paper”: questioning and disappointment. [read more]

2007 Insuleur Forum in Gozo

The Gozo Business Chamber will host the 7th Insuleur Forum in Gozo, Malta from October 31st to November 2nd, 2007. “The Future EU maritime policy and the European Islands - Which integrated approach for a sustainable development in the Islands?” is the topic for the 2007 Forum. The European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Joe Borg, is expected to be in Gozo for the Insuleur Forum, together with European and Maltese Ministers and Ambassadors from European insular countries. Both the Insuleur Board of Directors meeting and the General Assembly meeting are scheduled for the same days in Gozo.

Raymond Ceccaldi new President of Insuleur

Mr. Raymond Ceccaldi is the new President of the Network of the Insular Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the European Union. The current President of Ajaccio & Corse du Sud CCI was elected by the General Assembly held in Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe on September 22nd, 2006. A new Board of Director was also elected. Vice Presidents are now Mr. Juan Gual de Torrella (Palma de Mallorca CCI), Mr. Andreas Pantelios (Kephalonia CCI), Mr. Giancarlo Deidda (Cagliari CCI), Mr. Gérard Théobald (Basse-Terre CCI). Mr. Chiriacos Dirakis was confirmed as Treasurer and Mr. Michael Caruana is the new General Secretary.

2006 Insuleur Forum in Guadeloupe

The Basse-Terre Chamber of Commerce and Industry will host the 6th Insuleur Forum in Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe, France) from September 20th, 2006. "The Island and Their Micro-enterprises: How to Ensure the Future?" is the chosen topic for the 2006 Forum. The emphasis will be on the practical and political tools which could be used to promote economic development. Both the Board of Directors meeting and the 9th General Assembly meeting are scheduled for the same week in Guadeloupe.

Sustainable Tourism at the 2005 Insuleur Forum

The 5th Forum of the Network of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the European Union was held in Palermo, Italy, on Friday, October 7th 2005 with the following theme: "Tourism on the European Islands: Towards Sustainability and Quality". Insuleur has selected tourism as one of its key themes for 2005 and the Forum offered a chance to provide an overview of the current situation of this sector on the European Islands, to review solutions for fostering sustainable tourism, while meeting the needs of competitiveness. [read more]

A 'Manifesto' for the European Islands

On 31 May 2005, an Insuleur delegation presented to the European Commission and the European Parliament the "Manifesto of the Island Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the European Union". The Network's request had a precise aim: to obtain effective recognition of the environmental factors hindering the full development of the Island Regions and ensure that this recognition is followed up by concrete political and legislative commitment, so as to ensure a level playing field for island-based businesses. This policy document of the Island Chamber Network formally called for a review of the Cohesion Policy and for support to the development of island-based businesses through the introduction of specific, permanent measures. [read more]

Insuleur at the 25th Commission of the Islands in Martinique

Insuleur Vice President Mr Juan Gual de Torrella participated as guest speaker at the meeting of the Commission of the Islands of the CRPM, held in Martinique, France, on April 14th and 15th. Mr. Gual represented the Insuleur Network by delegation of President Romano Mambrini. His presentation ("The Islands - a single market or peculiar markets?") reiterated that islands markets have different characteristics from the continental ones and competition rules cannot be strictly the same. European policies and regulations, and especially the rules about state aid, should take into consideration this context and help to counterbalance the islands disadvantages. After analysing the extra costs that businesses face due to insularity, Mr. Gual offered several proposals. Among these, the introduction of additional criteria in the distribution of the European funds, based on the GDP; increased limits to regional and state aid for the islands; actions to support the development of maritime traffic; reduction of transportation costs; improved infrastructures; liberalization of harbour services; fiscal measures for the islands. In general terms, insularity as a limiting factor should be added in all the legislative procedures, possibly with the creation of an interdepartmental structure within the services of the European Commission to guarantee that both legislation and European policies will take into consideration the needs of the islands.

Insuleur Presidence activity and meetings

Insuleur President Mr Romano Mambrini had different european meetings during the last week of January 2005, after the diffusion of Insuleur's position paper on the proposal of the new structural funds regulations for 2007-2013. Insuleur wanted to draw the attention of the European, national, regional and local institutions on the weaknesses of the proposals on the situation of insularity. [read more]

Some ideas about structural funds

The Insuleur Network is working to draw the attention of European, national, regional and local Institutions to some weaknesses found in the Proposals for the new structural funds regulations (2007-2013). While the European Commission takes into account some specific territorial characteristics, it has not fully implemented its territorial approach. Insularity, which on most islands is combined with other handicaps (mountains, sparsely populated areas, archipelagoes), is a very aggravating factor for the development of island SMEs. INSULEUR suggests that two changes are required: first, the conceptual approach of insularity adopted in the Proposals for the new structural funds regulations should be more in line with the one contained in the draft Constitutional Treaty; second, the differentiated approach for the islands should be strengthened. These two points are better detailed in a recently approved position paper.

Insular Regions - a Common Strategy

A closer co-operation between the Insuleur Network and the Greek Government is extremely important for the Aegean islands. This opinion has been expressed by the minister of the Aegean and island policy, Mr Aristotelis Pavlidis in a recent meeting with Insuleur's president Mr Romano Mambrini in Athens. Mr Pavlidis has appreciated the many documents and studies presented by Insuleur in the last few years and has announced that the Greek Government will use them as a base for new insular development strategies, which currently under study. The results of this work will possibly used for the drafting of a common proposal for the "European Plan of development of the insular areas" to be submitted to the EU Commission. Mr Pavlidis invited Insuleur to take part in this study and he has also announced that there will be an international forum on the insular regions to be held in Rodi in the near future.

Kallys d'Or 2004 Awarded to Insuleur

The Network of the Insular Chambers of Commerce of the European Union and its president Romano Mambrini received the Kallys d'Or award for 2004. The Network was recognized for the effective lobbying effort with the EU about insularity and permanent economic handicaps. Kallys d'Or is promoted by the Anima+ Association together with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Bastia and of Haute-Corse, the City of Bastia and various regional authorities. Every year these awards go to individuals or organizations that contributed to promote the image of Corsica. In a letter addressed to Mr Mambrini, the president of the of Anima+ Association, Mr Bernard Mosca, wrote: "Your tenacity, your spirit of co-operation contributed very largely and in a decisive way to the inclusion [in the soon to be adopted European constitution] of specific provisions in favour of the islands".

Debating Territorial Cohesion in Galway

At the end of May in Galway, Ireland, Insuleur took part in the conference on territorial cohesion organized by the Irish Presidency of the EU. The debate was based on the Third Report on Economic and Social Cohesion, adopted in February 2004, and the Commission proposals for a significant reform of the cohesion policy for the 2007 to 2013 programming period. Many of the participants stressed that traditional indicators used for regional policy, like GDP and rate of unemployment, do not account for permanent handicaps of the islands, mountain areas, areas with a low population density and ultraperipheral regions. Other factors should be taken into consideration instead, such as demography and population density, level of available services, accessibility, quality of the infrastructure and quality of life in general.

Insuleur at the 24th Commission of the Islands

A delegation from Insuleur was in Aland, Finland, on May 6th and 7th, 2004 for the Commission of the Islands' 24th annual meeting. Much of the discussion was centered around current UE issues: the constitutional debate, the Third Report on Economic and Social Cohesion. The GEDERI Project (Management and Development of Island Areas) was also introduced during the meeting. Managed by Eurisles and funded for three years through INTERREG IIIC this project covers different areas of interest for insular regions and their Chambers of commerce like sustainable tourism and vocational training.

"Special Attention to the Island Regions"

Michel Barnier, the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, will soon present some new proposals to counteract the disadvantages of island regions. In a letter to Insuleur's president Romano Mambrini, Mr Barnier wrote that these new measures will be part of the Third Report on Economic and Social Cohesion, due at the beginning of February. Commissioner Barnier also wrote about the final document approved at the 4th Insuleur forum in Ajaccio: "I notice in particular the importance that you attach to a clearer recognition of the difficulties faced by the territories that present natural handicaps and demographic density disparities, as well as to the inclusion of the island regions in the article III-56, § 3 about the compatibility of certain types of state aide with the internal market. The Commission believes that there is balance to the proposed text for this article, since the EU structural support needs to be function of the relative prosperity of the territories. But the islands certainly deserve a very special attention". Also supportive of the Insuleur's efforts was Ms Noëlle Lenoir, French Minister delegated to European Affairs. In a letter addressed to President Mambrini, Ms Lenoir recalls that the EU "did not manage to officially close the issue of the disadvantaged regions" during the Italian Presidency, but the French Governement hopes to revive the consensus the appeared to be forming around the latest Presidency proposal. Both the EU Commission and the member state governments received Insuleur's amendment proposals for the new EU Constitution Treaty.

"Enterpreneur's Prize of the Year" to Gual de Torrella

Juan Gual de Torrella, vicepresident of the Chamber of Commerce of Majorca Ibiza and Formentera and vicepresident of Insuleur, was recently awarded the Enterpreneur´s Prize of the Year 2003 for the Balearic Islands and was also selected to compete for the national prize. This prestigious award instituted by Ernst & Young and by the IESE Business School selects every year the world's most successful and innovative entrepreneurs. Together with his brother Pedro, Mr Gual de Torrella is founder and general manager of the Menu catering company.

4th Insuleur Forum in Ajaccio - Conclusions

After two days of effective presentations and productive debate about "Enterprises, Insularity and Competitiveness" the 4th Insuleur Forum - "Corse 2003" was completed in Ajaccio on November 22nd. The main goals were to present the actual situation of island SMEs and to evaluate the impact of the EU cohesion policy on the islands' economic fabric. New policy proposals were put forward and discussed. The final document to be sent to the EU Commission and the member state governments contains some amendment proposals to the new Constitution Treaty. The Forum's conclusions also take into consideration the debate under way at the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC).

Maritime Public Service and Small Islands

The EU Commission adopted a communication on maritime cabotage which clarifies the rules applicable to maritime public services and provides for simplified arrangements for the small islands. The existing legislation applies the public service rules to all islands, irrespective of their size. However, the situation of the islands which attract a large number of operators is very different from the one of the small islands, where nobody is interested in providing a service. The Commission considers that public service contracts for maritime services to small islands should be awarded simply on the basis of a call for expressions of interest, rather than by the administratively cumbersome procedure of a formal invitation to tender. The contract duration may be twelve years, i.e. twice the normal duration. For the purposes of maritime public services, the Commission defines "small" islands as those for which the annual maritime traffic is less than 100,000 passengers. This threshold will enable 40% of Community islands to benefit from simplified rules.

Tourism and Contracts - a Glossary

The Mallorca, Ibiza and Formentera Chamber of Commerce and Industry produced a study about frequently used terms in commercial contracts for tourism. These contracts contain concepts, terms and expressions that are common and widely accepted within the sector, but their scope and meaning are not always well defined. The glossary will assist the contracting parties that may need to resolve a conflict by legal or by extrajudicial means. Lawyers, attorneys, legal advisers and judges may also find it useful. The study, 317 pages long, is only available in Spanish, either as pdf file or in doc format, compressed.

CRPM Turns Thirty

The Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe (CRPM) celebrated its 30th anniversary and held its General Assembly in Saint-Malo, France from September 10th to 12th. President Romano Mambrini represented Insuleur and contributed to CRPM's Islands Commission works. Mr Jean Baggioni, president of the Executive Council in Corsica, completed his term as the Commission's president. Mr Efisio Serrenti, president of the Regional Assembly of Sardinia, was elected as the new president.

Insuleur at CCI's Université d'été in Corsica

President Romano Mambrini was invited as a guest speaker at the 7th French Chambers of Commerce Université d'été on September 4-5 in Ajaccio, Corsica. More than 400 people were present: presidents and directors of CCI, members of the European Parliament, three French junior ministers, historians, sociologists, and politicians. The focus of the assembly was "New Europe - A Time for Solidarity or Unrestrained Competition?". Mr. Mambrini discussed the consequences of Eastern European countries joining the EU, especially those for island regions.

Insuleur Delegation in Brussels and Strasbourg

Meetings were held on July 1st in Brussels and on July 2nd in Strasbourg between the European Commission's Regional Policy Directorate-General, the Island Intergroup at the European Parliament and a delegation from Insuleur. Romano Mambrini, Insuleur's president, Giuseppe Usai, professor of Economics from the University of Cagliari, and Giorgio Asuni, member of the Council of the CCI of Cagliari were among those present. Since the European Commission is studying the "Analysis of the Island Regions and Outermost Regions of the European Union", Insuleur presented the report "Negative Management Differential as Perceived by Entrepreneurs of the Province of Cagliari". This research, as explained by President Mambrini and Professor Usai, demonstrates 20-24% higher costs for Sardinian companies when compared to competitors on the mainland. With these findings it is hoped that the European Union will find a solution to compensate for such handicaps. At the end of the two days the study was well taken by the participants and, as a result, this should encourage Insuleur to continue its efforts in this area.

EC Study on EU Islands and Outermost Regions

The Planistat-Bradley Dunbar Associates Ltd. Consortium recently completed a study requested by the European Commission about the islands and the ultraperipheric regions of the EU. The French version of the study can be downloaded from Inforegio; an English summary in two parts is also available, while waiting for a complete translation.

Insular SMEs and Extra Costs

Cagliari Chamber of Commerce has released a report on negative management differential for island-based enterprises (abstract). The research project, coordinated by prof. Giuseppe Usai from the University of Cagliari, estimated that the overall NMD varies between 17 and 20% for Sardinian SMEs. The negative management differential due to insularity is at least 14-17%.