Newsroom

ESF and Europe 2020 conference - June 2010

On 23-24 June 2010 EURoma Network attended the “Shaping the future of the ESF - ESF and Europe 2020” conference in Brussels. The conference was organised by the European Commission and brought together experts on ESF from public authorities, social partners, NGOs and academics.

480 delegates from European Union, Member States and outside the EU attended this conference with the aim of acknowledging past achievements of the ESF in supporting EU objectives, in particular the previous Growth and Jobs Strategy, but also to explore how the ESF could contribute in the most effective manner to the new Europe 2020 strategy. EURoma Network attended this event since part of its aims is to follow and shape the debate about the future of EU funding after the 2007-2013 programming period.

In the plenary session - ESF Contribution to the 2020 strategy - the panellists explored the links the future ESF should have to the overarching EU policy objectives to Europe 2020. The rest of the day was split between a choice of four workshops:

“Learning” (monitoring, evaluation, mutual learning, etc.): this workshop was about how to maximize learning in formulating and implementing ESF actions. The workshop also looked at the Commission’s role in this.
Complementarity and coordination with other EU policy instruments: the session explored how the ESF should relate to other EU policy instruments in order to avoid overlaps.
More effective ESF: the workshop looked more specifically at the delivery systems and proportionality.
Priorities and added value of ESF workshop: this workshop looked into possible priorities and scope of ESF and linked to that the question of added value.

The main points from the conference include, among others, that the ESF should be fully aligned with the objectives and priorities of Europe 2020: smart growth, sustainable growth and inclusive growth. ESF is the only EU fund targeting people and there was broad consensus that it should be an instrument open to all Member States and regions since the fight against unemployment or social exclusion or the need for a skilled and adaptable workforce are not issues for poor countries or regions only. Quality of employment after ESF interventions was also a major focus, where ESF should not focus getting people into just any job, but a job which is paid well and is sustainable and provides "flex-security" in people's careers. The development of a limited set of core indicators for ESF funding was advocated, this would enhance the visibility at EU level of the actions supported by the Union and would facilitate aggregation of data. The need to simplify and streamline the strategic frameworks which ensure the coherence with the EU policy strategy and between the different funds was identified.

For further information on the event and links to web streaming of the event please visit:
ESF and Europe 2020 conference information