The new EU cohesion policy (2007-2013)

1. The new EU cohesion policy(2007-2013) EASPD Project Development Workshop May 10th – Sofia (BG) Jelle Reynaert – Policy Officer

2. BACKGROUND Background Priorities Legislative package Goals The ESF Reflections Next steps • Redistribution between richer and poorer regions is needed • 480 billion € since 1988 • Main beneficiaries before enlargement: Greece, Portugal, Ireland, East Germany, Italy and Spain • Since 2004, most beneficiaries are in central and eastern Europe

3. BACKGROUND Background Priorities Legislative package Goals The ESF Reflections Next steps • In the 2007-2013 financial perspectives, cohesion policy amounts up to 35,7% of the total EU budget (308 billion €) • Controversial reform in 2006: new policy to concentrate on the Lisbon (innovation, growth, jobs) and Gothenburg (sustainable development) goals

4. PRIORITIES Background Priorities Legislative package Goals The ESF Reflections Next steps • Convergence: support for growth and job creation (81,7% of budget) • Competiveness and employment: deal with economic and social change (15,8% of budget) • Territorial co-operation: stimulate cross-border co-operation (2,44%)

5. Legislative package Background Priorities Legislative package Goals The ESF Reflections Next steps Legislative package (2006) to support the priorities: • 1 general regulation • European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) • European Social Fund (ESF) • Cohesion Fund • European Grouping of Cross-border Co-operation (EGCC) Community Strategic Guidelines

6. GOALS Background Priorities Legislative package Goals The ESF Reflections Next steps • A more strategic approach to growth, socio-economic and territorial cohesion • Simplification • Decentralisation / “ownership”

7. European Social Fund Background Priorities Legislative package Goals The ESF Reflections Next steps What is the ESF? • Combat unemployment, prevent people from dropping out of the labour market and promote training to make Europe's workforce and companies better equipped to face new, global challenges • The ESF spends European money on the achievement of the goals agreed in the European Employment Strategy

8. European Social Fund Background Priorities Legislative package Goals The ESF Reflections Next steps The ESF 2007-2013 • From 1 januari 2007, new programme has started for EU 27 • New emphasis on 3 main objectives of the EES: • Full employment • Quality & productivity at work • Social cohesion & social inclusion • ESF provides support for anticipating and managing economic and social change

9. European Social Fund Background Priorities Legislative package Goals The ESF Reflections Next steps Four key areas for action • Increasing adaptability of workers and enterprises • Enhancing access to employment and participation in the labour market • Promoting partnership for reform in the fields of employment and inclusion • Reinforcing social inclusion by combating discrimination and facilitating access to the labour market for disadvantaged people

10. European Social Fund Background Priorities Legislative package Goals The ESF Reflections Next steps ESF support to people with disabilities in the new regulation: • specific requirement in general regulation with regard to accessibility • specific reference to people with disabilities as a target group • acceptance of diversity in the workplace and combating discrimination • annual implementation report should contain information on actions to strengthen integration in employment and social inclusion of disadvantaged groups, such as pwd.

11. European Social Fund Background Priorities Legislative package Goals The ESF Reflections Next steps Methods to address disability: • Specific actions • Mainstreaming actions

12. European Social Fund Background Priorities Legislative package Goals The ESF Reflections Background Priorities Legislative package Goals The ESF Reflections Next steps The role of the social partners • Reinforcing partnership between stakeholders in preparing, implementing and monitoring the strategy • Supporting the involvement of social partners (capacity building, joint activities)

13. European Social Fund Background Priorities Legislative package Goals The ESF Reflections Next steps Architecture and objectives • ESF will provide support under 2 new objectives: ‘Convergence’ and ‘Regional Competiveness & Employment’ • EQUAL will be mainstreamed and fully integrated in the scope of ESF • In each operational programme, attention will be paid to promoting and mainstreaming innovative activities • Priority will be given to fund transnational cooperation

14. European Social Fund Background Priorities Legislative package Goals The ESF Reflections Next steps • Money is allocated to the member states depending on their National Strategic Reference Frameworks and Operational Programmes.

15. European Social Fund Background Priorities Legislative package Goals The ESF Reflections Next steps Reinforcing gender equality • Specific measures to improve women’s access to the labour market • Elimination of inequalities between women and men

16. REFLECTIONS Background Priorities Legislative package Goals The ESF Reflections Next steps • Full support to include non-discrimination as a horizontal objective in the general regulation However: • Focus on Growth & Jobs may not jeopardize social value of the structural funds and ESF • Little attention seems to be given to social inclusion • Not only focus on “When will they start” but also on the content of the NSRF’s • Partnership chapter is to weak (“such as” , “where appropriate”) • Consultation of NGO’s appears to be very limited • Consulation also in monitoring!

17. REFLECTIONS Background Priorities Legislative package Goals The ESF Reflections Next steps • Financial contributions should be calculated in a way that it does not prevent not-for-profit NGO’s from delivering projects (% own contribution) • Mainstreaming of EQUAL seems not to be working

18. NEXT STEPS Background Priorities Legislative package Goals The ESF Reflections Next steps • Member states have submitted their National Strategic Reference Frameworks and Operational Programme beginning of March • 27 National Strategic Reference Frameworks and more than 327 operational programmes need to be approved by the Commission within a few months