Ex-Post Evaluation (2000-2006) Social Inclusion Equal Opportunities Evaluation Partnership Meeting Sevilla, 16 March 2010 Jeannette Monier – Unit 03 Evaluation and Impact Assessment, DG EMPL

Financial weight of social inclusion and equal opportunities ESF devoted 8,763 M€ (14% of ESF expenditure claimed) explicitly to social inclusion EQUAL amounted to 2,717 €

Key findings – Purpose of SI SI mainly used to facilitate access to employment and to provide training to disadvantaged groups Access to employment Training but also contributing to wider OMC objective of fighting against poverty

Key findings – Change over time Focus on social inclusion in the framework of active labour policies increased… …since the 2004 mid-term review of programmes

Key findings – Type of intervention SI mainly consists of assistance to persons, but proper balance with assistance to systems and structures more effective Assistance to persons Support to structures and systems A balance is more effective ►ESF recognised as financial instrument able to cope with the multidimensionality of social inclusion -notably through its ability to implement complex projects (even more so in the case of EQUAL)

Key findings – Target groups SI interventions reaching results for young people and long term unemployed Mainly: young unemployed people and long-term unemployed persons Less: disadvantaged women, socially disadvantaged persons and/or with low educational attainments and people with disabilities Not very effective for other categories

Key findings – Stakeholders Uneven involvement of stakeholders in social inclusion Different level of involvement during programming and implementation

Key findings – Indicators Indicators in SI are slowly aligning with the social OMC system Different indicators Difficult to align

Key findings – Impact SI brings disadvantaged persons closer to the labour market and empowers them At macro-level no significant impact At meso-level, some impact At final recipient level, evidence of “soft” results

Key findings – related areas Other Areas complement SI interventions ESF provides some support to other two strands of the social OMC Social Protection: longer working lives and active ageing Health and Long-Term Care: training in health/LTC and to support the reform of health systems

Recommendations proposed Maintain appropriate consideration of SI within the ESF Further improve the governance of the ESF Change the regulatory framework of the ESF and the policy framework of the social OMC

Recommendations proposed Improve the monitoring system More and better transnational learning and sharing

Recommendations proposed More emphasis and guidance on social innovation More emphasis and guidance on mainstreaming