Improving policies to boost SME competitiveness and extraversion in EU coastal and rural areas where aquaculture is a driver of the regional economy

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IMPROVING SMEs COMPETITIVENESS IN REGIONS WITH AN AQUACULTURE BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM: More than 90% of businesses in EXTRA-SMEs regions are inland and coastal SMEs operating across and around the aquaculture value chain, contributing to growth and creation of jobs. Along the chain, these economic operators are characterized by systematic weaknesses in reaching international markets and exporting their products. To this end, EXTRA-SMEs will support public authorities to join forces and exchange experiences in a) administrative simplification, b) expansion in new markets, c) innovative value-added product solutions, d) personnel up skilling, and e) resolution of stakeholders’ conflicts of interests. OBJECTIVE: EXTRA-SMEs brings together 8 regions from 7 countries, to achieve expansion of rural and coastal SMEs in wider markets for the promotion of their products, through simpler and improved administrative processes, and innovative technologies. EXPECTED IMPACT: - Increased capacity of 200 staff of public administrations to effectively support SME competitiveness . - 14 million euros unlocked to support projects on the modernisation of the wider network of aquaculture SMEs. - Increased awareness and consensus building among the wider aquaculture sector, the workforce, and citizens, to support measures for SMEs internationalisation operating locally (over 1000 individuals). MAIN OUTPUTS & BENEFICIARIES: - 8 action plans to improve the addressed policy instruments, benefiting managing authorities and beneficiaries. - 4 interregional workshops, 2 site visits and 1 EU-wide policy learning symposium to promote capacity building among partners and stakeholders. - 13 policy briefs to transfer lessons learnt to EU public authorities. - 1 benchmarking online toolkit for the assessment of the extraversion performance of SMEs. - 4 joint thematic studies and analyses reports on territorial needs and pathways for the improvement of SMEs internationalisation.

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