European Social Fund

European Social Fund

The European Social Fund (ESF) is the oldest of four European Structural Funds that provide grants to support economic development within the European Union. It was created by the Treaty of Rome in 1957 and became operational in 1960.

Its purpose is to increase employment, especially through funding vocational training. Over the period 2007 to 2013, the intention is to use the ESF to support the Lisbon Strategy.

History

Following a review in the early 1980s, the ESF concentrated on combating youth unemployment. Later, a stronger focus was given to employment development in regions with low incomes and weak economies.

The ESF also funds the EQUAL Community Initiative.

Eligible costs

The ESF provides grants for running costs, and there are detailed regulations about what expenditure may be used to claim grant. Unlike the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), it does not provide capital grants for infrastructure. If there is a need for a new vocational training centre, the ERDF would be able to provide a capital grant to assist with construction costs and the ESF could provide a grant towards the running costs.

The programme period 2007-2013 will now be coming into use. The new Convergence/Cohesion programme will constitute about 1/3 of the EU budget. Priority will be given to less developed nations. The priority will be given to work which will enhance economic growth in the region however there is a strong environmental and biodiversity element within the funding stream.

References

* Donal McElwee: " [http://stuwww.uvt.nl/tflr/Articles/Donal%20McElwee.PDF The European Social Fund: Monitoring and Compliance in the UK] ", Tilburg Foreign Law Review 10 (2002) pp 218-236.

External links

* [http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/esf2000/index_en.html Detailed information about the European Social Fund from the European Commission]
* [http://www.welcomeurope.com News on European Funds such as European Social Fund]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • European Social Fund — (ESF)   Established in 1960, as one of the structural funds, to provide financial assistance for the development of employment opportunities. Since 1973 it has focused primarily upon retraining, redeployment and the provision of vocational… …   Glossary of the European Union and European Communities

  • Social fund — A Social Fund (sometimes also called Social Investment Fund , Social Fund for Development , Social Action Fund , National Solidarity Fund or Social Development Agency ) is an institution, typically in a developing country, that provides financing …   Wikipedia

  • Social Fund — an instrument of the social policy of the European Communities. The Social Fund assists in the task of promoting working conditions and aspirations towards an improved standard of living. Collins dictionary of law. W. J. Stewart. 2001 …   Law dictionary

  • Social Fund for Development (Egypt) — was established in 1991 by a Presidential decree # 189. SFD was created with a capital of 1.1 Billion Egyptian Pounds to alleviate the hardship created by the returning Egyptian workers from the Gulf area as a result of the First Gulf War. SFD… …   Wikipedia

  • European Union — 1. an association of European nations formed in 1993 for the purpose of achieving political and economic integration. Formerly known as the European Economic Community, the European Union s member states are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland,… …   Universalium

  • European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion — The Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion is the member of the European Commission. The current commissioner is László Andor. The portfolio is responsible for matters including those relating to employment, discrimination and… …   Wikipedia

  • European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs & Equal Opportunities — The Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Equal Opportunities is the member of the European Commission. The current commissioner is Vladimír Špidla (PES).The portfolio is responsible for matters including those relating to employment,… …   Wikipedia

  • European Commissioner for Regional Policy — The Commissioner for Regional Policy is a portfolio within the European Commission. The current Commissioner is Johannes Hahn. The portfolio is responsible for managing the regional policy of the European Union, such as the European Regional… …   Wikipedia

  • European Union acronyms, jargon and working practices — European Union (EU) acronyms and jargon is a terminology set that has developed as a form of shorthand, to quickly express a (formal) EU process, an (informal) institutional working practice, or an EU body, function or decision, and which is… …   Wikipedia

  • Social democracy — Social democracy …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”