ISSUE NO. 1638
24 - 30 November 2016
MALLORCA
YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
Empire of the Med
By Matthew Elliott Trading blocs and pacts may be falling apart or under threat all over the planet, but Mallorca is banding together with two other islands to form a west Mediterranean union to defend their common interests. On Monday President Francina Armengol officially lent her support to the idea of Mallorca and the Balearics banding together with Corsica of France and Italy’s Sardinia to promote their specific needs and desires as islands within the EU. President Gilles Simeoni of Corsica and President Francesco Pigliaru of Sardinia visited Mallorca to formally
sign the ‘Pact between the islands of the Mediterranean.’ All three leaders described it as an historic event and said the time had come to provide common solutions to common problems. The three territories are autonomous regions of their respective countries (though to varying degrees) and believe their residents get a raw deal compared to their compatriots on the mainland. They share lowering GDP, ageing populations and environments heavily influenced by intensive tourism, are rich in natural resources yet also uniquely threatened by climate change. These common concerns inspired the strategic pact, which will see the west
Mediterranean islands jointly lobby the EU for funding and legislation specific to their needs. Chief among their goals would be securing an advantageous tax regime, such as that seen in the Canaries, which would encourage foreign investment. The trio would also like to improve transport links between the islands, and promote ‘Mediterranean targets’ in EU policymaking, specifically on tourism and the refugee crisis. The move is also part of a long-term strategy to improve transport and logistics links between the three regions, which themselves comprise an economic area of some three million people.
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