The European Commission has adopted two dedicated strategies, one for EU islands and one for EU coastal communities, setting out for the first time a coordinated European approach to support both types of territories and unlock their long-term potential. The two initiatives introduce a targeted approach, dedicated to the specific needs and unique challenges of: 17m people living on more than 4,000 islands across 16 EU Member States; and 95m people living along the 70,000km of EU coastlines and in coastal areas across 22 EU Member States.
