The global economic landscape is uncertain, complex and fast changing. Governments, businesses and societies are engaged in better understanding and governing the ongoing reorganisation of global trade to make the most of it, 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 GVCs, 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 the Azores’ 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 EU ORs and international partners to identify opportunities for sustainable value creation and enhanced participation in global and regional value chains.
The European Outermost Regions (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, Reunion, 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 overreaching EU internationalisation and co-operation strategy and policy.
The Spotlight on the Azores 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 Government of the Azores. 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 ORs and other countries including Brazil, the United States and Iceland. It provides an analysis of the potential internationalisation opportunities and challenges, with perspectives on agro-food, innovative oceans and renewable energies. It also clarifies future opportunities for increasing internationalisation and co-operation with partners beyond the EU, including Macaronesia 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.