The meeting was also attended by Marie-Antoinette Maupertuis, rapporteur to the Committee of the Regions on Entrepreneurship in the Islands, and Stefano Mallia, rapporteur to the European Economic and Social Committee for Islands.
Picula presented the European Parliament's initiatives regarding islands, following the adoption of the European Parliament resolution on a special situation of islands in February 2016. He called for a fairer treatment of European islands and the preservation of the cohesion policy as the main investment instrument in the EU, as well as on islands. Picula stressed that a new law on islands was underway in Croatia, adding that good examples from other countries were welcome.
"We cannot correct the past, but we want to influence the future of European policies on islands. We welcome the latest initiatives which include islands, such as the establishment of the European Energy Island Forum, but we cannot be satisfied with pressures on the cohesion policy which would undo everything that has been done so far," Picula said at the meeting.
Commissioner Cretu welcome the European Energy Island Forum, set up last week on Crete, agreeing with Picula's statement about the importance of the cohesion policy.
The participants in the meeting agreed to hold a joint forum on the future of European islands with representatives of all European institutions and EU member states attending. The forum will be held in early 2018.