More on the Åland Islands

Hunters feel hunted.

To put it bluntly: Aland is not some ex-Soviet nest of corruption, southern European hell-hole of toxic pollution, or French region addicted to state subsidies and crafty protectionist rules.

It is a Scandinavian model community, that runs its affairs well and
responsibly. It is rich, self-sufficient (well, the islanders say they are,
Helsinki disputes some of their calculations), responsible and achingly
environmental.

It is firmly committed to free trade, making most of its money from
international shipping - and still its government has found itself in
conflict with the European Commission rules on state aid.

The reason? Aland has as a central political objective, a policy of
preserving permanent, year-round communities on as many of its far-flung
islands as possible. That means the central authorities in the tiny
capital, Mariehamn, spend their own money, each year, to preserve
inter-island ferries, and keep open at least one shop, one school and a
post office in the tiny villages that survive on at least 30 outlying
islands. Without subsidies, those islands would be swiftly deserted, and
ancient communities would die.

But in the words of the head of the local government, Roger Nordlund: "The
EU thinks our support for the small communities in the archipelago is
illegal. Our system does not fit well with EU rules on state aid. So far we
have managed to maintain it, but we have to fight."

Comments

[kieth nissen]

That account sounds like some little towns in the Midwest, fighting to keep a post office, a school, keep the local store(s) open.
It's sad. The bus not only doesn't stop there anymore, there is no bus line, passenger trains long, long gone. The nearest town with a working service station and repair garage may be 50 miles away. Don't even ask about a plumber.

The web is a Godsend. Probably keeps some people sane.