On 12 May, the CoR plenary session adopted the opinion "Entrepreneurship on islands", prepared by Ms Marie Antoinette Maupertuis from Corsica Regional authority upon a referral by the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Island regions in the EU are facing structural and permanent difficulties which are specific to them and which result in additional costs for their companies, thus impacting on their prospects for development. Island markets are often small and remote and mainland businesses are rather reluctant to supply goods or services there, which constitutes a real obstacle to island consumers' and businesses' access to the competitive benefits of the single market.

For this reason, Ms Maupertuis recommends that island regions and in particular companies based there benefit from specific measures and more relevant eligibility criteria in future European Cohesion Policy. More attention needs to be put on island regions and insularity clauses have to be foreseen to offset the negative economic impacts deriving from their natural and geographic constraints.

In the same vein, Ms Maupertuis also asked that transport connections and energy supply, key sectors for the competitiveness of island businesses, be able to benefit from exemptions regarding state aid.