eurealist.co.uk

The Press:

A proposal from Brussels would modify the traditional dictionary definition of a piece of land surrounded by water, meaning that many of Europe’s islands would become legally land-locked. Under the EU plan, an island is not an island if it has fewer than 50 permanent residents, is attached to the mainland by a rigid structure, is less than 1 km from the mainland, or is home to the capital of an EU state.
(The Guardian, 21st January 2003)

The Facts:

Not even EU law can change dictionary definitions that have existed for centuries! This article refers to an EU-commissioned study to examine the general handicaps faced by island communities. It would be impossible to look at each of the thousands of islands within the EU, so researchers used these guidelines to narrow down the field of their research. It would be ludicrous to suggest that the islands not included in the study were therefore no longer ‘islands’. Neither does the study have any implications on the regional funding to any of these islands.

Notes:

The fact remains that the EU has defined what it will consider an island.

The trick is in the last paragraph well in fact the lie is in the last paragraph:  

http://assembly.coe.int/Documents/WorkingDocs/Doc05/EDOC10465.htm

iii. EU financial aid

45.       Islands belonging to the EU can be said to be relatively privileged in the sense that, in addition to national funds, many of them (representing about 90% of island populations) are entitled to receive supplementary aid under the EU’s regional policy. Thus, over the period from 1994 to 1999, about €12 billion in structural funds were allocated to EU insular regions (or close to 8% of the total). Provisions for the use of structural funds in the 2000-2006 period exclude some of the islands that have managed to boost their economies beyond the eligibility threshold, while adding new ones along with EU enlargement. In fact, only about 8-9 island regions⁴ out of twenty-four may qualify for structural funds following the enlargement. Thus, even if overall Community assistance has contributed to spectacular improvement in the level of infrastructures on many islands so far, numerous ‘permanent structural handicaps’ may require continued assistance.

46.        At the time when this report is being finalised, the European Union is considering the adjustments in the size and attribution criteria for the post-enlargement use of structural funds. This is therefore the right moment to ponder the allocation of specific financing for boosting investment in island regions, in line with Community legislation recognising “permanent structural handicaps” of these regions and in order to enable them to compete with mainland regions on an equal footing. A special investment fund could be created to finance selected infrastructure projects that form part of integrated territorial planning objectives (including waste treatment, renewable energy and heritage protection facilities) and measures destined to enhance diversification and offset the disadvantages of isolation of insular economies.