Gary makes gradual progress in EU

ANOTHER small step on the road to recognising Shetland as a fragile community in need of greater financial support from Europe was made on Friday.

Shetland Islands Council leader Gary Robinson helped persuade an influential European Union committee to support a change in the way small communities are assessed.

The move follows a campaign two years ago to stop Shetland being segregated from the rest of the Scottish highlands and islands when it came to using public funds to support local businesses.

Back in 2013 the European Commission said Shetland should put it in the same funding bracket as cities like Paris and London.

They were persuaded to change their minds after a visit to the isles that year by European Commissioner Johannes Hahn.

Robinson said the problem is that Europe assesses economic health by looking at unemployment rates and gross domestic product, both of which are artificially inflated in the isles thanks to oil and gas.

He and others are pushing for “a third indicator” that takes into account social wellbeing, the extra cost of doing business and providing services in remote places like Shetland.

The majority of his proposals were approved by the committee, but it will take months, if not years, for such changes to percolate up the bureaucracy to become EU law.

That said, it could mean that when Europe decides on the next round of regional funding criteria beyond 2020, Shetland could well find itself in a better position to claim more in the way of public funding for things like transport infrastructure.

“We have started this conversation early enough and we have strong enough arguments that I am hopeful we will make a difference this time,” he said.