Experts: European Social Fund should support young people in different risk groups even more

Met dank overgenomen van Lets voorzitterschap Europese Unie 1e helft 2015 (Lets voorzitterschap) i, gepubliceerd op donderdag 4 juni 2015.

On 1-3 June, under the Latvian Presidency, an away day for the Committee of the European Social Fund (ESF) organised by the European Commission (EC) took place in Riga. At the meeting, state administration bodies from the EU Member States together with social partners discussed topical issues related to ESF implementation in each Member State.

During the meeting, the participants paid attention to the best examples of the implemented Youth Guarantee projects in the Member States. They also discussed the positive features and problem solutions, and the difficulties that the representatives of different sectors face during the implementation of the ESF programmes and projects.

Particular emphasis was placed on the need to provide adequate support to the social groups that needs it the most - young people who have been unemployed and not attending any educational institutions for a longer period of time, the long-term unemployed, people with disabilities, etc. Experts also discussed the promotion of social dialogue and inclusive education for people with special needs.

The EC also informed about the latest developments in the legislation - delegated and implementing acts, different types of guidelines and conditions, including audit requirements for ESF projects. One of the discussed topics was the storage for project documents, traceability of the use of funding and its correlation with the results achieved in the project. The issue about proper accumulation of the project participants’ data, including, inter alia, a variety of sensitive data, led to a discussion about proportionality of the EC requirements.

During the ESF project visit to the group housing of the Jūrmala social care centre and the specialised workshop for people with mental disabilities, Latvia had a chance to introduce experts of the EU Member States with examples of best practice on how the ESF has helped people with special needs to integrate into society.

Meer over ...