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Funding: some solutions for matching policy commitments with resourcesThe European Social Fund

Dominique BéSecond meeting of the National Roma Contact Points7 March 2013, Brussels

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European Social Fund 2007-13 Key principles

• Europe 2020 financial instrument

• 7 year financial framework

• +/- €10 bn / year

• +/- 10% EU budget

• co-financing 85%

• tripartite governance

• shared management

ESF

ERDF + Cohesion

Fundother EU spending

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ESF allocations by priority (2007-13)

adaptability of workers & enter-

prises18%

access to em-ployment

28%human capital33%

social inclusion13%

institutional capacity3%

partnerships1%

Other4%

Chart Title

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Countries with large Roma populations did not allocate “proportionate” ESF in 2007

FR IE AT UK BE DE MT FI RO CY PL SK CZ LU EL HU IT NL LV ES PT SI LT SW BG EE DK0%

10%

20%

30%

% ESF allocated to fight poverty (2007-2013)

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ESF reality turned out worst than planned in countries with large Roma populations

ROCZMTBGSKHUDKELCYNLFRSW

ITSILUBEDE ESPLLTUKFIPTEEATIELV0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

% ESF 2007-2013 envelopes actually paid to coun-tries

(at end 2012)

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Why ?

lack of political will

reluctance of majority population to invest in fighting poverty

lack of capacity

central administration

potential beneficiaries (NGOs, local authorities)

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What impact on the ground ?

lack of reliable data but empirical evidence of

little impact on unemployment & poverty among Roma

limited “soft” outcomes (basic employability skills, self confidence, interpersonal skills, etc.)

lack of sustainability when EU funding stops

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How to do it better next time

no one-approach fits all situations … integrated approaches do

education + employment + health + housing + services

national + EU funds

job-seekers + families

in a desegregated way

in cooperation with local authorities & NGOs (small grants)

vocational training (construction, care, etc.)

personalised support rather than one-off measures

job placements [but challenge of transition to “real” jobs]

self-employment schemes

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How to design & implement funding

aim at mainstreaming (beyond pilot projects) explicit but not exclusive (not to alienate majority population)

consistency between funding & policies