The Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) are constitutionally dependent on three European Union Member States: France (St Bartholomew), the Netherlands (Bonaire, St Eustatius, Saba, Aruba, Curacao, St Maarten) and the United Kingdom (Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands).

OCT nationals are European citizens. However, these countries are not part of the EU territory. They are therefore not directly subject to EU law, but enjoy the status of shareholders conferred on them by the Lisbon Treaty. The main objective of this association is to contribute to their economic and social development. Unite Caribbean was mandated by Expertise France in mid-September 2017 to promote the positioning of the French agency among 10 other accredited European agencies in competition, for the implementation of the European regional programme dedicated to the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs), with a budget of €40M. This service was formalized by a contract signed on 29 September 2017.

Unite Caribbean has favoured a targeted, intensive approach towards certain direct decision-making actors (the governments or authorities of the most important OCTs, as well as the European Union delegation in Guyana), as well as several direct centres of influence (Natural Parks, research organisation, DEVCO Brussels, regional organisation). Thus, in order to win the accession vote of a majority of the twelve OCTs at the Bonaire meeting on 23 and 24 November 2017, with the principle of one OCT = one vote = one track, COOP-ID targeted the six highly federated Dutch OCTs, representing 66% of the total population of the OCTs, as well as the regional organisation of which three British OCTs are members (‘Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States’, OECS). Direct contacts were made according to these different decision-making and influence circles in order to present and promote Expertise France’s approach and its brands of differentiation from European and international competitors.

During the various contacts, Unite Caribbean presented the Expertise France agency, its general mandate, its knowledge and experience in managing major European delegated management programmes, as well as its positioning in the Caribbean, in particular its action in Haiti and in the major regional programmes in Latin America.