Schuman Associates has created an overview of some key events and announcements for the coming year. Whether you are interested in the Future of the EU after Brexit, Artificial Intelligence or the progress of Member States in terms of economic, fiscal and social policies, there is something for everyone.
Schuman Associates is delighted to be part of the ‘Winning Business in Africa’ initiative supported by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs. Together with Ibec we have built a portal of opportunities totalling 8.5 BEUR of EU funding projects in Africa. The web portal provides information on the opportunities available. Accompanying advice and networking opportunities will allow Irish companies to form clusters and get involved in projects.
The Commission adopted today a Strategy for 'A credible enlargement perspective for and enhanced EU engagement with the Western Balkans', reaffirming the European perspective for countries in the region and encouraging them to continue with comprehensive reforms needed to fulfill the technical condition of EU membership. In addition, it announced 6 flagship initiatives in areas of rule of law, security and migration, transport and energy, digital agenda, socio-economic development and good neighbourly relations. The initiatives will be supported by providing additional resources and funding under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA).
OpenPM² is a project management methodology designed by the European Commission. Its purpose is to enable project teams to manage their projects effectively, and to deliver solutions and benefits to their organisations and stakeholders. While OpenPM² is suitable for any type of project, it is ideal for projects related to the public sector, or EU programmes and grants.
Our colleagues Ruth Estrada and Isane Aparicio attended the two days conference on #OpenPM2 organised by the European Commission in Brussels the 1st and 2nd of February. If you want to know more about this open methodology, do not hesitate to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Schuman Associates attended the European Parliament Research Service (EPRS) ‘Ten issues to watch in 2018’. These issues are likely to be featured on this year’s EU political agenda and the future of the EU budget:
The Winning Business in Africa project is a joint initiative between Ibec, Schuman Associates and the Irish Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade. It aims to provide Irish companies with relevant information on EDF contracts in Africa in order to facilitate and increase their participation in the tendering process. The portal contains more than 460 projects worth in excess of €8.5 billion in opportunities. For more information on WBIA click here. Schuman Associates will be delighted to showcase the WBIA portal together with some success stories from its user community on 13 February in Dublin.
European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC) also known as the “Open Days” is an annual four-day event held in Brussels during which cities and regions showcase their best practices in relation to their capacity to implement the European Union cohesion policy on various levels.
Each year the Committee of Regions as main institutional organizer selects different themes for the events that are attended by approximately 6,000 participants.
Schuman Associates held the latest in a series of events for Anti-Money Laundering Europe for which it acts as a secretariat.
The event discussed how the EU can continue its fight against money laundering and terrorist financing, and how cooperation amongst institutions, as well as public private cooperation can be improve.
Speakers included Europol, the European Commission's DG HOME, the ECON secretariat of the European Parliament and the FFIS, the event was moderated by Laura Heuvinck, manager of the AME Secretariat on behalf of Schuman Associates.
In 2018, the Commission will make comprehensive proposals for the next generation of financial programmes for the post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework, which is the EU's long–term budget. This consultation is an integral part of the process and its objective is to collect the views of all interested parties on how to make the most of every euro of the EU budget.
Lunch event in the European Parliament hosted by MEP Julie Girling on "Fact Checking Science - shaping the governance of scientific advice in the EU" in cooperation with the Nickel Institute and the European Risk Forum. For more information click here
The Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund are financial tools set up to implement the regional policy of the European Union. They aim to reduce regional disparities in income, wealth and opportunities. Europe's poorer regions receive most of the support, but all European regions are eligible for funding under the policy's various funds and programmes.
Image Source: European Commission
The EU External Investment Plan (EIP) will leverage up to EUR 44 bn in private investments across Africa and the EU Neighbourhood until 2020. The key financial instrument of the EIP is the European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSD) – an EU guarantee worth EUR 4.1 bn designed to back up risky investments that otherwise will not happen.
At the end of October, the European Commission published the final Work Programmes for Horizon 2020, covering the budgetary years 2018, 2019 and 2020 and representing an investment of around €30 billion.
Current and future initiatives supporting the development of sustainable energy in third countries through EU external aid funding instruments were presented in Brussels on 21 November in the context of a Sector Seminar organized by the Czech Permanent Representation to the EU and CEBRE, the Czech Business Representation to the EU. The event gathered over 100 companies from 14 different Member States as well as representatives from the EU Commission, the EIB, AFD, the Electrifi imitative and the Africa-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Programme.
The European Commission’s DG Connect has launched the Digital Opportunity pilot project to provide digital internships to students across Europe.
What do you need to know?
On 10th October, in the framework of the European Week of Regions and Cities, Schuman Associates organised a workshop with Philips on the topic ¨Improving EU citizens’ lives through meaningful innovation in healthcare¨ . The objective was to raise awareness among EU decision makers about current challenges in using structural and investment funds by private large companies, and about the potential benefits of public-private partnerships for the healthcare sector was among our main objectives.
Brussels Invest & Export invited Schuman Associates to present at their event on 18th October in Belgrade. The aim of the event is to present the Brussels' economic environment and a wide range of opportunities it offers. Not only is Brussels the capital and the largest city in Belgium, but it also hosts a number of European and International Organizations. It is a place where policies are decided that impact businesses both in and beyond the European Union.
On 11 October, in the framework of the European Week of Regions and Cities, the BCO Support Facility organized a workshop to showcase good practices for broadband deployment from three European Regions.
Following the adoption of the European Fund for Sustainable Development (EFSD), members of the EFSD Strategic Board convened for the first time in Brussels on the 28th of September to discuss overall strategy and investment areas, the so-called ‘investment windows’ that will define the Fund’s priority sectors.
Schuman Associates is a Brussels-based, independent, consultancy with more than 30 years’ experience in European funding and public affairs.
