The Structural Funds are the principal tool used by the European Union, in partnership with the Member States, to support the less-favoured areas in order to reduce the socio-economic gap between the various member states and between its different territorial areas. They aim to boost economic and social cohesion, competitiveness and employment, in the context of a sustainable development model, which are the Union's most important political priorities.

The funds involved are:

• The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which is used to fund productive investments, infrastructures and initiatives designed to reduce economic and social disparities among the Union's different territorial areas.
• The European Social Fund (ESF) which is focused on employment, on human resources' development and the promotion of social integration.
• The Cohesion Fund, focused on environmental policies and on trans-European transport infrastructure, is the only Fund which applies to the entire territory of Member States whose per capita gross national income (GNI) is less than 90% of the Community average.

These funds together contribute to the pursuit of three priority objectives defined in a Community plan for the period 2007-2013:

Objective "Convergence": aims at speeding up the convergence of the least-developed Member States and regions, by improving conditions for growth and employment through increasing and improving the quality of investment in human and physical capital, development of innovation and of the knowledge society, adaptability to economic and social changes, protection and improvement of the environment and administrative efficiency. The regions targeted by this Objective are those where per capita gross domestic product (GDP) is less than 75% of the Community average.

Objective "Regional competitiveness and employment": aims at strengthening competitiveness and employment, by anticipating economic and social changes through increasing and improvement of the quality of investment in human capital, innovation and the promotion of the knowledge society, entrepreneurship, protection and improvement of the environment, improvement of accessibility and of the adaptability of workers and businesses, and development of inclusive job markets. The regions targeted by this Objective are those not covered by the Objective "Convergence".

Objective "European territorial cooperation": aims at: strengthening cross-border cooperation through joint local and regional initiatives in the border regions; strengthening trans-national cooperation, based on a list of eligible regions adopted by the European Commission, by means of actions conducive to integrated territorial development linked to the Community priorities; strengthening interregional cooperation and exchange of experience throughout the whole territory of the Community.

It is important to point out that from 2007 onwards the Structural Funds will apply to all 25 European Member States.

Procedure

EU Funding

The European Social Fund
Given the emphasis on employment and training that characterises the ESF, it is worth looking in more detail at the tasks which the Community Regulations for 2007-2013 assign to this fund:

1. increasing adaptability of workers, enterprises and entrepreneurs, in order to anticipate and better manage economic change, in particular promoting:
   • lifelong learning and increased investment in human resources (in particular low-skilled and older workers) by enterprises, especially SMEs, developing qualifications and competences, including through new technologies;
   • the design and dissemination of innovative and more productive forms of work organisation, including better health and safety at work, and the development of employment, training and support services for workers in the context of company and sector restructuring;
2. enhancing access to employment, preventing unemployment, in particular long-term and youth unemployment, encouraging active ageing, by promoting:
   • the strengthening of employment services;
   • the implementation of active and preventive measures ensuring the early identification of workers' needs and facilitation of job seeking;
   • specific action to increase the sustainable participation and progress of women in employment and to reduce gender-based segregation in the labour market, including by addressing the root causes of gender pay gaps;
   • specific action to increase the participation of migrants in employment, strengthening their social integration, including through guidance, language training and validation of competences and acquired skills;
3. reinforcing the social inclusion of disadvantaged people, by promoting:
   • pathways to integration and re-entry into employment for people experiencing social exclusion, early school leavers and people with disabilities;
   • acceptance of diversity in the workplace, combating discrimination in accessing the labour market;
4. enhancing human capital, by promoting:
   • reforms in education and training systems, in order to develop employability and the continual updating of the skills of trainees;
   • networking activities between higher education institutions, research centres and enterprises;
   • partnerships between social partners and non-governmental organisations, in order to mobilise for reforms in the field of employment and labour market inclusiveness.

Within the framework of these objectives, the ESF will support each Operational Programme prepared by Member States at a national or regional level. ESF resources are one of the main tools for promoting the European Employment Strategy, launched by the Luxembourg European Council in 1997 and updated by the Brussels European Council on 12 July 2005. This strategy, from 2003 on, has set up relevant quantitative objectives to be achieved by 2010:

• that employment services should offer information service to every unemployed person on job opportunities throughout the Community;
• an increase by five years, at EU level, of the effective average exit age from the labour market;
• the provision of childcare by 2010 to at least 90% of children between three years old and the mandatory school age and at least 33% of children under three years of age;
• an EU average rate of no more than 10% early school leavers;
• at least 85% of 22-year olds in the EU should have completed upper secondary education;
• the EU average level of participation in lifelong learning should be at least 12.5% of the adult working-age population (25 to 64 age group);

The ESF will also finance transnational and interregional actions, in order to promote the dissemination of good practices and the development of appropriate strategies. The ESF will also support actions that integrate lessons learnt from the former Community Initiative Equal, in 2000-2006, which will not be re-launched in 2007-2013. These actions will pay particular attention to the integration of migrants, including those seeking asylum, and of groups marginalized in relation to the labour market, through the development of a methodology which strengthens trans-national cooperation.

Trade Unions and the Structural Funds

• training,
• networking measures,
• strengthening social dialogue,
• joint activities undertaken by the social partners, with particular regard to the adaptability of workers and enterprises, as indicated in Objective 1 of the ESF.

The best opportunities will arise in connection with projects aimed at training or re-training workers, or aiming to provide support on careers guidance for young people and the unemployed. Most of these are likely to be vocational training projects, a field in which not all European trade union organisations are currently involved.

• in prior analysis of training needs
• in drafting of curricula and the implementation of training pathways
• in drafting of guidelines, innovative material and IT aids.

In terms of opportunities for realising transnational actions, through the ESF and also through the new Objective "European Territorial Cooperation", we need to make the best possible use of the network of organisations within the ETUC and ETUI-REHS Education to identify the key elements present in each country and proceed to define successful transnational activity. This will include using the results and the networks provided by projects realised in the last few years by ETUI-REHS, with support from its affiliates and other partners, in particular DIALOG-ON, with its 16 partner organisations, which explored the use of Information Society tools in the context of Social Dialogue, and TRACE, which worked on building capacity within European trade unions to anticipate and manage change.

For further information:

http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/esf2000/2007-2013_en.html

http://education.etui-rehs.org/etuco/en/eu_information/

http://education.etui-rehs.org//en/projects/Dialog_on/default.cfm

http://www.traceproject.org/