The University of the Aegean is dynamically intervening in shaping the new policy of the European Commission on islands, presenting a comprehensive framework of proposals that aspires to radically change the way in which insularity is treated in Europe.

With a key message that islands are not just areas of disadvantage but potential nuclei for growth and innovation, the Foundation seeks to shift the public debate from defence to perspective.

The intervention is part of both the Commission’s recently launched public consultation on the new European Strategy for Islands, and the process initiated by the General Secretariat for the Aegean and Island Policy for the development of a national strategy for Integrated Maritime Policy in the Island Region.

The University’s memorandum attempts to lay the foundations for a coherent, long-term and adapted policy that takes into account the specificities of island regions, treating them as a field of significant development opportunities, innovation and institutional upgrading.

It is clear that insularity is a permanent and specific spatial, social, economic and environmental condition.

The main challenges of islands

At the core of the University of the Aegean’s analysis is the assumption that insularity constitutes a constant and complex reality – spatial, social, economic and environmental.

It is not a transient difficulty, but a structural characteristic that requires specific policies.

As noted by the University, island regions face cumulative challenges: increased costs of living and transport, limited access to infrastructure and services, demographic pressures and population shrinkage, and the need for multi-layered and effective governance.

At the same time, it highlights a critical but often underestimated dimension, which is none other than knowledge as a key infrastructure for islands.

More simply, investment in education and research is not seen as a complementary policy, but as a foundation for sustainable development.

The strategic role of the University of the Aegean

The central position of the Foundation is that the University of the Aegean is a strategic public institution for the development of the Aegean and its presence in six islands with eighteen departments, with dozens of active research laboratories and with a strong international research footprint, make it a natural and stable scientific partner of the State, local government and local communities for the design and implementation of sustainable island development policies.

Its strengthening does not only concern its academic function, but translates into wider benefits for social cohesion, economy and innovation on the islands.

Islands as “living laboratories” for development

The University of the Aegean stresses that, with the necessary political will and generous public support, insularity can be transformed into a substantial comparative advantage.

The central idea of the proposals submitted by the University is the transformation of the Aegean islands into “living laboratories” for the implementation of policies and technologies.

In this context, the islands can act as pilot fields of action in critical areas such as sustainable transport, energy transition, water resources management, climate change adaptation, digital innovation or tourism and the blue economy.

In this transition, the University of the Aegean can play a key role.

This approach directly links scientific research with the real economy and the everyday life of the inhabitants, creating a new model of development adapted to the specificities of the island area.

The proposals

As the Foundation underlines, its further development constitutes a strategic investment of national importance.

The strengthening of infrastructure, student and scientific accommodation, administrative and technical services, research and internationalisation does not only concern the University itself, but brings multiple benefits to local communities, social cohesion, innovation and the development prospects of the islands.

The set of targeted interventions included in the memorandum, according to the University, can substantially change the landscape.

These proposals move beyond piecemeal solutions, seeking to establish a coherent and enduring policy framework.

More specifically, it recommends the introduction of a full and binding “insularity clause”. The creation of specific financial instruments for knowledge infrastructure.

The long-term and stable support of the University of the Aegean. The strengthening of student and scientific accommodation. The development of a mechanism for monitoring islandhood and the promotion of the internationalization of island universities.

Youth in the spotlight: the “right of residence”

Particular emphasis is placed on the young generation and the so-called “right of residence” on islands.

The focus is on the special attention of the young people in the EU and the “island of residence”
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The University underlines that the ability of young people to live, study, innovate and work in their own place is a crucial factor in reversing the demographic decline.

Therefore, building their future in the island region is directly linked to the existence of strong public university institutions that produce knowledge, human capital, culture and development prospects.

The University of the Aegean believes that the European Strategy for Islands and the corresponding National Strategy constitute a historic opportunity for a substantial shift: from fragmentary and defensive interventions to an integrated island policy, with strong institutions, knowledge, data, human capital and resilient infrastructure.

In this context, the proposals of the University of the Aegean express the firm strategic understanding that a strong, caring and extroverted University of the Aegean can bring enormous added value both to the islands where it is located and to the whole Aegean.