CPMR Islands Commission

The Islands Commission is one of the six geographical of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions, counting for 19 islands regional authorities’ members from 5 sea basins: Mediterranean and Baltic sea, the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. More than expertise on island issues, the IC works for European institutions to pay special attention to the islands and their specificities as per Art. 174 TFUE. It also aims at fostering interregional cooperation between islands on priority thematic such as energy transition, circular economy, blue growth, transport & accessibility, and sustainable tourism.

Clean Hydrogen has become one of the Islands Commission priority topics in the field of energy transition as a necessary solution for storage and efficiency to move towards neutral energy systems on islands. Following up on the publication of the European Hydrogen Strategy, the Islands Commission has started a close collaboration with the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking. A joint webinar was co-organized on opportunities and challenges of hydrogen to boost growth and jobs in EU islands in September 2020, giving concrete solutions for hydrogen implementation in their territories. The Islands Commission continues to monitor the deployment of hydrogen in islands, communicates opportunities for funding and works for a continued exchange of best practices from hydrogen pilot islands for greater replicability. The CPMR-IC also puts forward the importance of the role of islands as laboratories to test innovative energy technologies, especially for hydrogen, in order to fulfil the objectives of the European Green Deal.