Öland is no island!

What? Sweden's second largest island, Öland, is not considered an island by the European Union...  

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  The European Union doesn’t recognize Sweden’s second largest island Öland as an island, since it is connected to mainland by a bridge – the Ölandsbron, which runs from the city of Kalmar on the mainland to Färjestaden on Öland. Therefore Öland misses out of monetary aids that could help strengthen the infra structure.

• Not much to quibble about you say? On the contrary, try 25-50 million SEK ($3.7840- 7.5682 million) in lost subsidies. The definition of an island, according to the EU, is that it is surrounded by water, but if it is connected to mainland by a bridge, it is considered part of that mainland – that is, no longer an island. So no monetary aid to Öland.

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  Bruddesta, north of Borgholm and the bridge, on Öland. Photo: Länsstyrelsen Kalmar Län / Martin Borg

• But the problem with the bridge (which was built in 1972 and which was once the longest in Europe) is that since Öland is a long island, the northern parts of it don’t benefit much from it. And the northern parts are sparsely populated. “And those parts would greatly benefit from subsidies,” says Lisbeth Lennartsson, chairman of the Municipal Board in Borgholm, Öland. The monetary aids Öland is missing out on are of the kind that would help strengthen the infrastructure.