This conference was organised as part of the project "For a better mobilisation of EU direct and indirect management programmes (PGDI) in the French Outermost Regions (ORs)", carried out by the OECD at the request of the French Ministry for Overseas Territories and supported by the European Commission's Task Force on Reforms and Investments (SG REFORM). This project aims to increase the participation of the six French ORs in PGDI: Guadeloupe, Guiana, Martinique, Mayotte, La Réunion and Saint Martin.
The diagnostic report prepared by the OECD identified a series of challenges in the French ORs concerning the mobilisation of these programmes, particularly in terms of information, co-ordination and capacities. Recommendations and an action plan have been drawn up at the national and regional levels to address these challenges. Their implementation has begun with the creation of networks between regional, national and European stakeholders.
A Toolbox has also been developed and tested in a pilot region, Martinique, to support institutional actors and project leaders in ORs in mobilising these programmes. These tools have been shared with the other French ORs so that they can be adapted to the territories, disseminated to local actors and published on regional websites. The Toolbox includes fact sheets on the ten selected programmes (e.g., Horizon Europe, LIFE, Erasmus+, Creative Europe), a guide to support project leaders at each stage, a directory of national contact points, a needs analysis guide to identify the relevance of PGDI in each territory, and more.
The final conference aimed to share the project's results and gather feedback from the regions. It also highlighted the importance of co-ordination between regional, national and European stakeholders to maximise the use of the tools and promote better access to PGDI in the ORs.
This conference was aimed at stakeholders in French ORs, national and European stakeholders working on these programmes, and all regions facing these challenges or interested in establishing partnerships with French ORs.
