Council convener appointed president of Islands Commission

Orkney Islands Council convener Steven Heddle has been elected as president of the Islands Commission of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR).

The Commission represents 23 island regions across 12 European countries and more than 15 million people.

Its aims are to:

• To urge European institutions and Member States to pay special attention to islands and acknowledge permanent handicaps.
• To foster inter-regional co-operation between islands.

Councillor Heddle said: “While this is an honour for the council and for myself, the main thing is that this puts our small island group – representing all of Europe’s islands – at the centre of the CPMR’s political decision making.

“Early in the Our Islands Our Future campaign we sought the support of the Islands Commission and this was unanimously endorsed. A key aim of the campaign is better representation for our islands in Europe and I feel this appointment is a welcome step in that direction.”

He added: “The many island groups represented by the commission are distinctive and special in their own ways, but the issues and challenges we face are remarkably similar.

“Our islands make a huge economic, cultural and environmental contribution to our member states. It is crucial that this message is heard, understood and acted upon in ways that enhance our future prosperity. The Islands Commission has an important role to play in achieving this.”