The European Social Fund Plus
The European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) is the European Union’s (EU) most important financial instrument for improving employment and educational opportunities as well as economic and social cohesion in the European Union.
It aims to create equal opportunities for all people in the labour market and therefore promotes measures
- to prevent and combat unemployment
- to expand the range of training opportunities
- and to improve the functioning of the labour market
What does the Plus stand for?
The ESF+ brings together four funding instruments that were previously separate:
- the European Social Fund (ESF) was established in 1957 with the Treaty of Rome and is the EU’s oldest financial instrument for investing in people.
- the European Fund for Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD),
- the Youth Employment Initiative (not relevant for Austria)
- the EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI), which is managed by the European Commission.
The ESF+ has an EU-wide budget of 99.3 billion Euros for the period from 2021 to 2027 and thus makes an important contribution to strategies and reforms in the areas of employment, social affairs, education and skills. Further information on Europe-wide implementation can be found on the ESF+ page of the European Commission.
The ESF+ in Austria
In the 2021-2027 funding period, Austria will receive around 409 million euros from the ESF Plus programme. These funds are mainly implemented via the ESF+ programme, which was developed in cooperation with experts at federal and state level, with technical experts and other stakeholders and the European Commission. Funding from the ESF+ is always supplemented by a national budget. The so-called co-financing rate depends on the relative prosperity of a region, but also on the thematic focus.
The overarching goal is to enable all people in our country to participate equally in the labour market.
Priorities of the ESF+ 2021-2027
- Equality for women and men – incl. innovative childcare services
- Active ageing – incl. digitalisation topics
- Active inclusion and fighting poverty
- Support for young people at schools and in the transition from school to training and work
- Access to lifelong learning – incl. digital skills
- Social innovation
- Just Transition Fund in certain regions that are particularly affected by the impact of the greening of the economy
Combating material deprivation
In addition, 4.1% of Austrian funding from the ESF+ is available in a separate programme to combat material deprivation. The ‘Ready to start school!’ campaign is implemented as part of this programme. Vouchers are distributed to pupils in minimum income or social welfare households, which are used to buy school supplies. More information on the programme can be found on the Website of the Ministry of Social Affairs.