Through this trip, the regional development agency of Mayotte was able to advance their work and objectives by being able to mobilise all the main political authorities of this French outermost region despite the restrictions of the coronavirus. This is the role that development agencies traditionally play― to bring together the interests of actors in a territory and with their flexibility, take risks that allow them to obtain results for their regions. 

The main purpose of the visit was to attract investments. Coming to Brussels brought the advantage of not only meeting potential investors, but also giving political representatives of the delegation the opportunity to meet experts and senior officials of the European Commission, the Committee of the Regions and the European Parliament.  

During ADIM's stay in Brussels, investment opportunities in the fisheries sector were analysed and meetings were held with DG MARE to analyse how this French overseas department is developing its blue growth strategy. They also studied the possibilities presented by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which plans to invest more than 200 million euros during the 2021-2027 period to the island. Mayotte experts insisted on the need to invest in infrastructure to alleviate traffic congestion and improve emissions. 

The European Association of Development Agencies offers this service to the delegations of RDAs. EURADA prepares an agenda of meetings with EU institutions for its members. The delegation of the ADIM Agency of Mayotte conducted all these meetings at EURADA’s headquarters, avoiding additional travels at a time when there are still restrictions due to the coronavirus. The needs of the outermost regions of Europe have been discussed and a public consultation is currently underway to define EU policy towards these regions. EURADA members from the outermost regions of Europe include the Canary Islands and Nexa, the development agency from La Réunion.