The global economic landscape is uncertain, complex and fast changing. Governments, businesses and societies are endeavouring to better understand and, ultimately, govern the ongoing reorganisation of global trade with a view to optimising international exchanges, preserving openness and inclusiveness, while achieving an environmental and sustainable transition.
Since 2013, the OECD Development Centre has hosted the OECD Initiative for Policy Dialogue on Global Value Chains, Production Transformation and Development. As of 2017, the Development Centre has implemented a series of Production Transformation Policy Reviews (PTPRs). The PTPRs are a policy assessment and guidance tool to support policy makers in the creation and implementation of better strategies for transforming their economies. They benefit from international peer dialogue and discussions under the aegis of the OECD Initiative for Policy Dialogue on Global Value Chains, Production Transformation and Development. The PTPRs enrich the OECD Development Pathways Series with their perspective on economic transformation and governance for change.
This Production Transformation Policy Review (PTPR): Spotlight on Guadeloupe’s Internationalisation is one of the key outcomes of the EU-OECD Project on Transforming Economies in EU ORs: fostering learning, making the most of interconnectedness. Over more than two years, this project has supported a process of dialogue and knowledge sharing between the European Outermost Regions (EU ORs) and international partners to identify opportunities for sustainable value creation and enhanced participation in global and regional value chains.
The EU ORs are EU member states’ territories located in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean basin, South America and the Indian Ocean and they are an integral part of the Union. They include Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion, Saint Martin and Mayotte (France), the Azores and Madeira (Portugal), and the Canary Islands (Spain). Due to their remoteness, insularity, small size, difficult topography and climate they benefit from targeted support measures. Thanks to their distinctive characteristics and assets, including a rich biodiversity and strategic location, the EU ORs can play an important role in the overarching EU internationalisation and co-operation strategy and policy.
The Spotlight on Guadeloupe involved a nine-month peer review process carried out by the OECD Development Centre with the support and collaboration of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy and the Regional Council of Guadeloupe. The review process included a wide range of consultations and activities with local and foreign stakeholders including the OECD, the European Commission and public and private stakeholders from the nine EU ORs and other countries facing the Caribbean basin and Colombia. The Spotlight provides an analysis of the potential internationalisation opportunities and challenges, with perspectives on key emerging value chains in the bio and circular economy, creative sectors, and renewable energies. It also clarifies future opportunities for increasing internationalisation and co-operation with partners beyond the EU, including Caribbean countries and other developing and emerging economies like Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Furthermore, the report identifies opportunities for future reforms to make the most of the multi-annual planning and resources of the EU, including the Communication on “Putting people first, securing sustainable and inclusive growth, unlocking the potential of the EU’s outermost regions” adopted in 2022.