In a letter to the Presidents of the European Commission, the European Council and the EU Presidency co-signed by other MEPs across the political spectrum, Labour MEP Alfred Sant called for solidarity to populations that will be most affected by the Covid-19 health crisis particularly island economies where foreseeable impacts are very significant. 

On the initiative of Alfred Sant, the letter included a section calling for a solution to migration concerns to be factored in the policies that must be devised to provide meaningful support to islands in the Mediterranean.

In addition to the problems posed by the coronavirus pandemic, certain islands in the Mediterranean have been coping with an influx of migration that affects the normal development of their welfare systems.

According to the most recent Eurostat statistics, island economies are experiencing an economic decline in comparison with other regions and the current Covid-19 pandemic will exacerbate this trend heavily, and may even cause the economic collapse of island areas if they are not sufficiently supported.

The letter highlights tourism as a fundamental activity for all islands, particularly in the Mediterranean, that will be most affected by the consequences of the pandemic due to dependency on air and maritime transport. These are totally at a standstill and will remain so for months. As a result, tourism will be the last economic activity that can be revived, and it is not certain that this will happen before the end of the summer.

The letter also refers to the potential fragility of economic activities in island territories and calls for specific emergency measures and a reinforced and adapted solidarity mechanism to prevent, and limit, the major economic crisis looming in EU Islands.

The letter, proposed by the Vice-President responsible for islands within the Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas Intergroup of the European Parliament, was also communicated to the President of the European Parliament, to all MEPs, to various European Commissioners as well as members of the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee.