Regulation on the European Social Fund

The European Social Fund (ESF) contributes to the economic and social cohesion objective set in article 158 of the EC Treaty, by supporting policies and priorities aiming to achieve full employment, improve quality and productivity at work, and promote social inclusion and cohesion, in line with the guidelines and recommendations of the European Employment Strategy (EES).

In order to achieve this objective, the ESF needs to address three major challenges: employment disparities, social inequalities, skills gaps and labour shortages in an enlarged Union; economic and social restructuring due to globalisation and the development of the knowledge-based economy; and demographic changes which have resulted in a shrinking and ageing workforce.

The Commission has proposed a simplified delivery mechanism for cohesion policy while maintaining the key principles of programming, partnership, co-financing and evaluation. A fundamental element of this reform is to encourage a more strategic approach to programming, aiming to enhance concentration and focus of European Social Fund interventions in the context of the Lisbon agenda and the European Employment Strategy.