The European Ombudsman, Mr Jacob Söderman, has asked the European Commission's statistical office to reconsider the classification given to the Isle of Wight. According to Mr Söderman, the decision by Eurostat not to give the island a separate classification in the NUTS assessment (Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics), fails to respect the special consideration that should be given to islands according to the EC Treaty and the European Parliament.
The decision by the Ombudsman follows a complaint that he received from the Isle of Wight Council in December 1998. According to the complaint, the Isle of Wight is disadvantaged when being considered for European funding, as Eurostat treats it as being part of the Hampshire region. Given this, the Isle of Wight receives less aid from the structural funds than it would do if it were treated separately.
The Ombudsman believes that Eurostat's classification does not duly consider both the EC Treaty and the European Parliament's Viola Report. Article 158 of the Treaty states that "the Community shall aim at reducing disparities between the levels of development of the various regions and the backwardness of the least favoured regions or islands…". The Viola Report recommends that the NUTS assessment system be revised to ensure that the true situation of islands is recognised and that islands are not joined with mainland regions which are not at all similar in terms of GDP, employment or structures.
If the Isle of Wight were recognised as a separate NUTS level 2 region, then it would be eligible for Objective 1 funding from the European Commission. By being treated together with Hampshire, the island is not entitled to aid that is earmarked for regions that are lagging behind.
The European Commission has until 31 June 2000 to respond to the Ombudsman's recommendation.
For further information, please call Mr Olivier Verheecke, Legal Officer, tel. + 32 (0) 2 284 2003.