Providing advisory services to stakeholders in the EU Outermost Regions 

Within the context of the Framework contract 2020CE160AT013, the objective of the Request for Service 4 was to set up and implement an Advisory Tool dedicated exclusively to relevant stakeholders in the EU outermost regions, the remotest parts of the EU. The regions that were part of the contract are: French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin, Reunion Island and Mayotte (in France); Azores and Madeira (in Portugal), and the Canary Islands (in Spain). The project lasted 20 months, from March 2023 to November 2024. 

The roll-out of the Outermost Regions (OR) Advisory Tool finds its base in the European Commission’s 2022 Communication: ‘Putting people first, securing sustainable and inclusive growth, unlocking the potential of the EU’s Outermost regions’ and aimed at helping the OR to ‘undertake the necessary reforms and investments, seize opportunities and synergies in EU programmes, and improve administrative capacity’.  

The activities of this project to set up and implement the OR Advisory Tool included four tasks described below. 

Task 1: Mapping of existing advisory services  

The first task focused on mapping, analysing, and summarising EU, international, and national funds, programmes, and advisory tools relevant to the EU Outermost Regions. The project team identified 130 relevant advisory and funding instruments, compiling details into a database on the OR Advisory Tool website. Additionally, summaries of the 40 most relevant instruments were translated into French, Portuguese, and Spanish and published on the website. Both the extended mapping and summary of tools are available here on the Tool’s website: Inforegio – Other Advisory And Support Tools. 

Task 2: Package for applicants 

This task focused on creating supporting documents for the OR Advisory Tool’s application process. Key achievements included developing a comprehensive applicant package – containing a call for expressions of interest, service catalogue, application guidelines, and more – available in multiple languages on the OR Advisory Tool website. The project team also established a structured framework for assessing applications.  

Task 3: Setting up the web portal   

This task involved designing and launching the dedicated OR Advisory Tool web portal in four languages (English, French, Portuguese and Spanish). The portal, consisting of five main pages (Homepage, Information for Applicants, Other Advisory Tools, FAQs, and Contact), was designed, coded, and prepared for launch of the call for applications.  

Task 4: Delivery of services  

This task aimed to deliver tailored advisory services to selected beneficiaries in the OR to shape their regional development plans, to enable them to seize the opportunities offered by EU funds and programmes, and to support project development and build technical administrative capacity. The main activities included:  

• Launching the call for Expression of Interest (EoI) 

• Receiving and assessing the applications submitted until the closure date of the call. 

• Selecting the beneficiaries of the Eol, in agreement with DG REGIO, and matching them with the right experts.  

• Setting up and implementing a clear process for delivering advisory services to selected beneficiaries and monitoring the delivery.  

• Collecting the final reports and deliverables of each advisory services and collecting feedback from beneficiaries.  

Key Findings 

The OR Advisory Tool provided a wide array of advisory services to address the unique challenges of stakeholders in the EU Outermost Regions.  

Beneficiaries of the OR Advisory Tool have been highly satisfied with the OR Advisory Tool – with 100% of the survey respondents either very satisfied or satisfied – and with the services received and expertise provided by the experts. Moreover, the survey showed that the OR Advisory Tool has delivered clear and positive impacts for its beneficiary organisations and their projects. 

More than 50 applications were submitted to the OR Advisory Tool, out of which more than 20 were selected to receive the following advisory services:  

• Strategic Advice Support  

• Support for Building Technical and Administrative Capacity  

• Project Pipeline Support  

• Matching Needs with Assistance Support  

Beneficiaries included both public and private organisations, mainly regional and local authorities, but also public agencies, SMEs and research organisations.  

Between March and October 2024, beneficiaries of the OR Advisory Tool received different types of support from the experts from Ecorys as well as from external experts, to address their specific needs. The main type of support delivered was: capacity building for accessing opportunities from EU programmes and funds. Other types of support included administrative capacity building, project prioritisation, improving regional/economic development strategies, etc.