Schuman Associates was founded at a time of great optimism for a new Europe, reunified and with great purpose
Building on the momentum of European integration, we launched our consultancy to help align business, enterprise and civil society with the European Project, through our specialisation in EU funding and public affairs, as well as national public funding.
Leading new solutions in emerging markets
Our first clients were those who were the first to engage in the new Europe. By leveraging the opportunities of the new Single Market, we enabled our clients to lead in bringing new solutions to Eastern Europe.
It was a time when everything seemed possible, and businesses wanted to be part of rebuilding Eastern Europe. We mapped the wave of opportunities for our clients to explore in these emerging markets, and so our business saw its first big expansion.
One of our key strengths has always been understanding the needs of the market and translating them into solutions that our clients can provide. The conversion of the region from centrally planned to market economies created a great need for new services and infrastructure. In these early days, we were particularly successful in bringing engineering and energy solutions to Poland and Hungary.
At the forefront of the new Single Energy Market
We positioned ourselves and our clients at the forefront of the transition to a Single Energy Market.
As reforms that started in Eastern Europe spread, we secured new opportunities for our clients in Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Moldova, particularly in engineering and aviation projects, and agricultural policies and reform.
Through our understanding of the rules and regulations of cross-border business, we facilitated investors' entry to new markets and future-proof access. Leveraging our networks and access, we set up technical briefings in the EU Parliament and Commission to build relationships and understanding.
In-country experts
We established our first in-country teams to deepen our knowledge and connections beyond Brussels, setting us on the trajectory to our EU-wide presence of today.
A trusted advisor to the EU institutions
We began working very closely with the EU institutions as a trusted advisor, a relationship of confidence which we have deepened over two decades. Starting with the revision of the European Structural Funds, many of the policies we worked on remain the model today, helping shape European funding programmes.
A bridge to EU funding
Our advisory role grew alongside the expansion of EU funding programmes for Member States, drawing a large number of clients with ambitious and wide-ranging programmes, from academia and education to civil infrastructure.
Building international partnerships
Our strength in building partnerships became critical for our clients as the EU began making projects bigger.
We came to the fore in building multidisciplinary global consortia to win and implement large-scale complex projects across all territories, including Europe, Africa and Asia.
We established enduring partnerships with global firms around the world.
Anti-Money Laundering Europe
In 2004, to support the EU's banking reform initiatives and efforts to tackle financial crime, we increased our activities in the financial services domain and established the Anti-Money Laundering Europe Platform (AME); now Europe's longest-running AML platform.
Working with the European Parliament and Commission, we facilitated dynamic and constructive exchanges between the EU and AME members, ensuring clarity and completeness of emerging policies.
To this day, we keep our members at the forefront of the debate.
European expansion
As the EU expanded, so did we. To capture the best opportunities for our clients, we grew our European presence, launching new offices in several waves across Europe. We deepened our expertise in decentralised public funding, and worked increasingly with our clients' in-country teams.
Strategic Financing
Europe's new Investment Plan led to a shift in the market. Aimed at promoting growth and competitiveness, EU interventions were no longer purely grant funding, instead encompassing financing and blending of funds. Public-Private Partnerships became a key mechanism to delivering projects.
Our strategic financing expertise was essential to optimising our clients' participation in EU funding, combined with our in-country presence, technical expertise, early insight into EU programming, the trust of our clients and partners, and our well-established multidisciplinary network of partners and advisors.
EU Project Management: a mission to connect Europe
In 2017, the European Commission tasked us with establishing and supporting an EU-wide network of contacts within Member States' national and regional governments, to accelerate progress towards the EU's digital transformation targets as well as regional cohesion and rural development objectives.
Through managing the 'European Broadband Competence Offices Network' (BCO Network), we have built a very close, on-going and valued collaboration with colleagues at all levels of the Commission, working together on a daily basis.
UN Global Compact
In 2022, we joined the UN Global Compact, committing to acting on our core values as global citizens.
EU Project Management
As our relationship of trust and confidence with the EU institutions continues to grow, we have had the honour of being awarded the management of a number of EU projects in the areas of green transition, sustainability, skills, digitalisation and more, funded under a variety of programmes, from Erasmus+ to Horizon Europe:
- Cloud Camp Programme
- Femme Forward
- BCO Cyprus partnership
- CloudCamp4SMEs
- Digital4Business
- Green Skills
- Digital Skills Platform
- The European Broadband Competence Offices Network (since 2017; re-awarded in 2022)
We are constantly evolving and growing to embrace new opportunities
When we founded Schuman Associates in 1989, we could not have imagined how far we would come, how much we would grow, and the far-reaching relationships we would build.
Creativity and responsiveness have been the key: post-pandemic, recession and war, we continue to adapt, navigate and lead our clients to market opportunities, steering them towards the best outcomes for their business and the EU.
We are proud of what we have achieved with our clients, our partners and our team. We look forward to the successes ahead of us all.
