European Social Fund: EUR 2.9 billion for growth and employment in metropolitan France
European Commission
Press release
Brussels, 10 October 2014
European Social Fund: EUR 2.9 billion for growth and employment in metropolitan France
The European Commission has today adopted the French national Operational Programme for the implementation of the European Social Fund (ESF) in mainland France in the period 2014-2020.
Under this programme France will receive EUR 2.893 billion from the ESF to support employment, vocational training and social inclusion and reduce early school-leaving. This national programme will be supplemented by 22 regional programmes in metropolitan France and eight in the overseas departments and regions, to which the ESF will contribute EUR 2.883 billion.
ESF funding for France comes to a total of EUR 6.027 billion, including the EUR 620 million from the ESF to cofinance the Youth Employment Initiative ( IP/14/622 ) programme and the national technical assistance programme. The ESF accounts for 41.7 % of the total cohesion policy funding awarded to France.
"I warmly congratulate the French authorities for their work and their excellent cooperation, allowing the speedy adoption of this ESF Operational Programme for the period 2014-2020. The ESF will thus help to correct the structural imbalances in the labour market and provide support for measures to reduce poverty", said László Andor, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion.
The ESF allocation for metropolitan France will be distributed among the following three priorities (excluding technical assistance):
EUR 454 million will be spent on unemployed and inactive persons, including young people in unemployment and those young people who are most disconnected from the labour market ('NEETs'), and also on supporting professional mobility, developing entrepreneurship and preventing early school-leaving.
EUR 707 million will be spent on anticipating change and securing career pathways by means of forward planning of jobs and skills, training for low-skilled workers, women and older people, training for workers made redundant, and encouraging businesses to commit to equal pay and opportunities.
EUR 1.634 million, or more than half of the ESF's allocation under the Operational Programme, will be spent on reducing poverty and promoting inclusion. These funds will be used mainly by local authorities, in particular departments and inter-municipality structures.
Background
On 8 August the European Commission adopted a "partnership agreement" with France setting out the strategy for optimum use of European Structural and Investment Funds in the country's regions and cities for 2014-2020 ( IP/14/906 ).
The European Social Fund (ESF) plays a fundamental role in supporting Member States' investment in human capital and thereby in strengthening the competitiveness of the European economy as it emerges from the crisis. Every year the ESF assists more than 15 million people by helping them to upgrade their skills, facilitating their integration into the labour market, combating social exclusion and poverty and increasing the effectiveness of public administrations.
In 2014-2020, for the first time in the history of EU cohesion policy, a minimum ESF share of 23.1 % (at EU level) of cohesion policy funding has been set out — see MEMO/14/84 .
For more information
Follow László Andor on Twitter
Subscribe to the European Commission's free e-mail newsletter on employment, social affairs and inclusion
Contacts :
Jonathan Todd (+32 2 299 41 07)
Cécile Dubois (+32 2 295 18 83)