Today, the European Commission, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Portugal, the Kingdom of Spain and Sweden signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to secure the future of the EU's Clean Energy for Islands Initiative.
Read the memorandum of understanding
The memorandum was announced today during a press conference by the Croatian presidency, which has worked with all the signatories in the past few months to finalize this document.
What does this mean for the EU's Clean Energy for Islands initiative? The MoU ensures the establishment of a long-term structure to support the EU islands in their energy transition. Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson stressed in her statement that this memorandum is an example of great cooperation between EU member states.
During the press conference, Croatian Environment Minister Tomislav ĆORIĆ outlined the objectives of the initiative going forward, namely to support the islands in their transition programs; promote citizen participation, engagement and empowerment facilitate the creation of renewable energy communities to promote projects promote the exchange of best practices.
Why the Split memorandum? The Split Memorandum is a continuation of many years of efforts by the EU island community to advance the energy transition in their territories. In May 2017, the European Commission, together with 14 Member States, signed the "Political Declaration on Clean Energy for the EU Islands" under the Maltese presidency. This Declaration arose from the recognition that islands and island regions face a particular set of energy challenges and opportunities due to their specific geographic and climatic conditions. The opportunities have the potential to make Europe's island communities innovation leaders in the clean energy transition for Europe and beyond - a fact that the European Commission explicitly recognized in its Communication Clean Energy for All Europeans, reassuring its commitment to ensure that energy concerns the islanders are at the forefront of the energy transition and related political developments. In collaboration with the European Parliament, the Commission set up a secretariat in 2018 to achieve the objectives of the EU's Clean Energy for Islands initiative.
Over the past two years, the EU Secretariat for Clean Energy Islands has supported islands across the EU in developing clean energy transition programs, providing online in-person training and strengthening of capacity, as well as specific project support to island communities, and support community building from the local to the pan-European level.
The Split memorandum therefore represents a continuation of the work done jointly by all members of the EU island communities in recent years, which is now also enshrined in the EU's Green Deal.
