Operational Programme co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Convergence objective
Programme description
On 20 December 2007 the European Commission approved an Operational Programme for the region of Guadeloupe (France) for 2007-2013.
This Operational Programme comes under the Convergence objective and has a total budget of about 986 million euros. The financing provided by the European Union under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) amounts to some 543 million euros, representing about 3.8% of Community aid to France as part of the cohesion policy for 2007-2013.
1. Purpose and aim of the programme
Guadeloupe is an archipelago consisting of eight main islands, with a total area of 1 705 km², located 7 000 km from Paris. It has to cope with a dual handicap: its island situation and its distance from mainland France.
The population, estimated at 453 028 on 1 January 2005, is growing. The annual increase of 1% is aggravated by immigration which is hard to control and by the number of young people. These factors pose a real problem with regard to the aim of full employment.
The distance from Europe, the island situation, the potential natural risks (earthquakes, hurricanes, etc) and the region's small size, together with its physical fragmentation, result in added costs and a relatively weak production system. Hitherto, they have proved factors which are hardly conducive to rapid economic development.
The local economic situation nevertheless shows encouraging results. Guadeloupe is experiencing vigorous growth, which is reflected in an average increase of 4.8% in GDP per capita since 1993, with service and trade activities accounting for 80%. This economic vigour is held back by endemic unemployment (26% at the end of 2005), the extent of which can however be contained.
The strategy of the Operational Programme is based primarily on:
- regional issues highlighted by identifying and analysing the region's potential;
- the Community and national strategic framework establishing the principles for the allocation of Community funds.
2. Expected impact of the investment
The Community funding should in particular make possible:
- an increase of 20% in the number of tourists and a clear improvement in the region's tourism product;
- 400 directly supported projects;
- 300 directly created jobs;
- 5 000 jobs created in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector;
- 30 projects in the ICT field;
- 1 700 firms benefiting from financial engineering;
- investment of 250 million euros;
- an increase of 30% in the number of research posts in research institutes;
- 500 firms helped as part of a collective action;
- 35% of waste recycled for materials and energy;
- 45 000 more people benefiting from a waste water treatment facility;
- 1 500 renewable energy projects;
- 210 000 more people served by an improved urban transport system;
- 31 projects to upgrade primary schools to anti-earthquake standards.
3. Priorities
The overall aim of the Operational Programme strategy is to ensure that Guadeloupe is competitive within the EU and within its regional context by focusing on sectors with future potential while continuing with necessary modernisation and respecting and exploiting the region's outstanding natural heritage.
The Operational Programme is centred on three priorities:
- speeding up economic development with an emphasis on competitiveness, especially threough tourism, business support, research, development and innovation;
- improving the quality of the environment in order to support the strategy of competitiveness by dealing, in particular, with the problems of water, waste treatment and biodiversity;
- strenghtening social and regional cohesion by means of a better public transport policy, urban regeneration and better educational facilities.
The primary aims of the competitiveness priority are to:
- increase the number of researchers and cooperation projects between institutes and firms, as well as the number of patents;
- boost tourism in the region;
- provide broadband coverage at lower cost throughout the region's areas of economic activity.
The main aims of the environment priority are to:
- increase the percentage of recycled waste;
- improve the yield of drinking water supply systems;
- provide more people with waste water treatment facilities;
- increase the share of renewable energy sources in power production;
The aims of the social and regional cohesion priority are to:
- increase the number of people served by an improved urban and interurban transport network;
- contribute to the creation of economic activities in depressed areas;
- restore the balance of population growth in the region's towns.
The Operational Programme covers seven areas:
- competitiveness and appeal (about 24.5% of total investment);
- environment (about 28% of total investment);
- social and regio0nal cohesion (about 17% of total investment);
- St Martin and St Barthélemy (about 4.5% pf total investment);
- additional operating costs (about 12% of total investment);
- additional investment costs (about 12% of total investment);
- technical assistance (about 2% of total investment).
4. Managing Authority
Financial information
Breakdown of finances by priority axis
| Priority Axis | EU Investment | National Public Contribution | Total Public Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Competitiveness and appeal | 140.371.441,00 | 102.404.900,00 | 242.776.341,00 |
| Environment | 144.361.366,00 | 129.750.055,00 | 274.111.421,00 |
| Social and regional cohesion | 93.551.338,00 | 74.979.179,00 | 168.530.517,00 |
| St Martin and St Barthélemy | 30.118.174,00 | 13.122.183,00 | 43.240.357,00 |
| Additional operating costs | 60.149.608,00 | 60.149.608,00 | 120.299.216,00 |
| Additional investment costs | 60.149.607,00 | 60.150.000,00 | 120.299.607,00 |
| Technical assistance | 14.000.000,00 | 3.073.170,00 | 17.073.170,00 |
| Total | 542.701.534,00 | 443.629.095,00 | 986.330.629,00 |