Programma voor werkgelegenheid en sociale innovatie door de Raad bekrachtigd (en)
COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
Brussels, 5 December 2013 (OR. en) PRESSE 543
Programme for employment and social innovation (EaSI)
The Council adopted today a regulation on the new EU programme for employment and social innovation (EaSI) (80/13)
EaSI, with a budget of €815 million for the 2014-20 period, is to support member states to carry out employment and social policy activities at European, national as well as regional and local levels by means of policy coordination, the identification, analysis and sharing of best practices
The Programme will take account of the territorial dimension of unemployment, poverty and social exclusion, and especially of the increasing inequalities that exist within and between regions, between rural areas and cities and within cities
EaSI integrates and extends three existing programmes: i.e Progress (programme for employment and social solidarity), EURES (European employment services) and the European progress microfinance facility. These will receive 61%, 18% and 21% of the total allocation respectively
The Programme contributes to achieving the Europe 2020 targets, especially its poverty reduction and employment objectives. To that end, it supports the implementation of the flagship initiatives, with special regard to the European platform against poverty and social exclusion, an agenda for new skills and jobs, and youth on the move, as well as the Youth employment package
The Programme helps to identify and to analyse innovative solutions through social policy experimentation which allows the gathering of evidence on the feasibility of social innovations. Social policy experimentation is to assist member states to further improve their labour markets and their social protection and inclusion policies
EaSI will devote around €100 million to launch experiments in the most critical policy areas such as youth employment or inclusion of disadvantaged groups
Together with the ESF, the Fund for the European aid for the most deprived and the European globalisation adjustment Fund, EaSI forms the fourth pillar of the EU initiative for employment and social inclusion 2014-2020