1. The European Social Fund Plus ESF+

2. ESF+ POLICY CHALLENGES
Evolving technology, productivity and globalisation call for adapted education and training systems
Improved employment situation in the EU but still important long-term and youth unemployment
People in/at risk of poverty and social exclusion still high
Demographic trends (ageing population, migration) affecting society and world of work
Constantly evolving technology, productivity and globalisation paradigms
 upskilling and reskilling of the workforce to face the new digital and automation challenges and low-carbon and climate resilient transition.
2. The latest employment and social trends - encouraging ; labour market participation has been increasing steadily.
disparities and divergence across Member States: significant with unemployment rates and indicators pointing to substantial slack in some labour markets while tightening is evident in others.
Unemployment (18 million people in January 2018) and long-term unemployment
Despite decrease (from a peak of 24% in January 2013 to 15.6% in March 2018) the youth unemployment rate is still high in the EU - more than double the overall unemployment rate (15.6% compared with 7.1% in March 2018).
The NEET rate (age group 15-29) also still very high, at 13.4% in 2017.
3. Number of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion fell by 4.8 million between 2012 and 2015.
118 million people at risk in social inequalities remain an important concern.
the risk of monetary poverty five times greater for the unemployed than for those in employment.
considerable variations across countries: poverty and social exclusion are growing in some areas, such as EU15 cities while in EU13 34% of rural population is at risk of poverty (higher in rural areas than in urban areas). The risk of poverty and social exclusion also affects certain minority groups disproportionately.
4. Long-term demographic trends (less working-age population, more senior workers and changing family structures) - limiting the resources available for distribution across generations
increased number of third-country nationals migrating to the EU since 2014, in particular refugees (1.7 million third-country nationals have been granted international or subsidiary protection between 2014 and 2017)
need for tailor made labour market integration policies addressing a diversified workforce, including measures to promote gender equality, equal opportunities and combat discrimination.

3. ESF + The ESF+ components
The ESF+ is the result of the merging of 5 EU funds: the ESF, YEI, FEAD, EaSI and EU Health programme.
The ESF+ Regulation will replace the current ESF, FEAD, EaSI and EU Health programme regulations and will have multiple legal bases.
The ESF+ will include different components, ensuring the continuity of the policy priorities of the previous programmes.
Beside general provisions applicable to all components of the ESF+, the regulation will establish:
common rules for all shared management components
rules for (in)direct management (ex-EaSI and EU Health programme and specific ex-ESF parts, e.g. transnationality actions).
Under the (in)direct management strand, the ESF+ will operate a series of improvements, including a sharper focus on disadvantaged groups and gender equality, greater budgetary flexibility and better integration between the current activities. The complementarities between social experimentation, analytical work, capacity-building, transnational activities and greater upscaling/deployment at national level will become clearer within the simplified ESF+ structure.

4. ESF+ SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
A more social Europe (European Pillar of Social Rights)
EMPLOYMENT
Access to employment
Modernising labour market
Women’s labour market participation, work/life balance, childcare, working environment, adaptation of workers, active and healthy ageing
EDUCATION
TRAINING
Quality and inclusive education and training
Labour market relevance of Education and training systems
Lifelong learning, upskilling, anticipating change and new skills requirements
SOCIAL INCLUSION
Active inclusion
Integration of migrants and marginalised such as Roma
Access to services; social protection healthcare systems and long term care
Social integration of people at risk of poverty;
Addressing material deprivation
Invention logic: CPR > 5 policy objectives (smarter/greener/connected/social/closer to citizens
> PO4: social Europe > 11 specific objectives
Horizontal principles:
The Member States and the Commission should ensure that ESF+ contributes to the promotion of equality between women and men in accordance with Article 8 TFEU to foster equality of treatment and opportunities between women and men in all policy areas. Therefore all programmes implemented under the ESF+ strand under shared management and the operations supported by EaSI and Health should ensure equality between men and women throughout the preparation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
The ESF+ should also promote the transition from residential/institutional care to family and community-based care, in particular for those who face multiple discrimination. The ESF+ should not support any action that contributes to segregation or to social exclusion.
Horizontal principles: Gender, Equal opps. Non-discrimination
Health
Contribution to Smarter Europe; Greener, low-carbon Europe

5. ESF + €101,2 Billion ESF+ Shared management €100 billion
Concentration requirements
CSR implementation
at least 25% Social inclusion
at least 2% material deprivation (4% EU-level target)
at least 10% in Member States with high NEET rate
Outermost Regions/NSPA €400 million
Transnationality €200 million
ESF+
(in)direct management €1,2 billion
Employment and Social €761 million
Innovation strand
Health strand €413 million
Overall budget:
Positive signal compared to period (post-2020 EU27)
Around 27% of Cohesion policy budget
Concrete amount of billion (current prices)
Commitment to investing in people & implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights
MFF proposal with an ambitious social dimension
Thematic concentration:
Link to the Semester:
The ESF+ Regulation ensures that resources are concentrated on the key challenges identified in the NRP and European semester and take into account the Pillar.
5+2. mid-term review. the programmes would be adjusted (and the remainder of the budget allocated) for the second phase of the programming period.
Social inclusion: 25%. 2% to basic material assistance. This also involves supporting the long-term integration of third country nationals, inter alia through social inclusion measures and basic material assistance. As it in the period, the Commission is aware that not all MS have the same level of poverty, therefore in duly justified cases MS can decide to allocate their 2% to the social integration of the most deprived, rather than the basic material assistance.
Youth employment: Member States with a NEET rate above a given threshold will be required to dedicate a set proportion of their resources under the shared management strand of ESF+ to targeted action

6. Overview of Key Changes compared to 2014 – 2020
New:
The new specific objectives are more streamlined.
They are aligned with the principles of the Pillar
No specific objectives linked to former TO 11
New specific objectives due to the integration of the FEAD
Not New:
They focus on investments in people, but also in systems
Reflect current social challenges (e.g integration of TNC, anticipating change and new skills)
Compared to the current investment priorities there are key differences which we have made when drafting the proposal in order to simplify the programming for MS and to make sure that all relevant areas are covered.
The key changes include:
The new specific objectives are more streamlined and simplified.
They are aligned with the principles of the Pillar
The specific objectives still fall into the three key areas of education, employment and social inclusion – all these areas are now covered by the policy objective a more social europe.
No specific objectives linked to TO 11
New specific objectives due to the integration of the FEAD into the ESF+
The specific objectives reflect the changing reality of the current times, such as references to:
basic digital skills,
work-life balance,
migrants and
upskilling and reskilling.
However, in essence the core scope of support of the ESF remains the same
The ESF will continue to focus on not only improving the situation of people, but also of systems so that real progress and change can be made.

7. Community-based services and the ESF+ : an overview
Common provisions regulations
Policy objective 4: a more social Europe
Enabling conditions (Art. 11) (2):
Charter of Fundamental Rights
UNCRPD
Partnership principle (art. 6)
ESF+ regulation
Support to the transition from residential/institutional care to family and community-based care (recital 18)
Specific objective on access to quality, sustainable and affordable services (art.4)
Equal opportunities and non-discrimination, incl. transition from residential to family and community-based care (art.6 – general provisions)
Effective application and implementation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights
Effective mechanisms are in place to ensure compliance with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights which include:
- Arrangements to ensure verification of compliance of operations supported by the Funds with the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
- Reporting arrangements to the monitoring committee on the compliance with the Charter of the operations supported by the Funds
Implementation and application of the United Nations Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (UNCRPD) in accordance with Council Decision 2010/48/EC
A national framework for implementing the UNCRPD is in place that includes:
- Objectives with measurable goals, data collection and monitoring mechanism.
- Arrangements to ensure that the accessibility policy, legislation and standards are properly reflected in the preparation and implementation of the programmes.
6 thematic enabling conditions for the ESF+ compared to 14 thematic ExAC for the ESF.
Article 6 CPR - Partnership and multi-level governance
1. Each Member State shall organise a partnership with the competent regional and local authorities. That partnership shall include at least the following partners:
urban and other public authorities;
economic and social partners;
relevant bodies representing civil society, environmental partners, and bodies responsible for promoting social inclusion, fundamental rights, rights of persons with disabilities, gender equality and non-discrimination.
2. In accordance with the multi-level governance principle, the Member State shall involve those partners in the preparation of Partnership Agreements and throughout the preparation and implementation of programmes including through participation in monitoring committees in accordance with Article 34.
3. The organisation and implementation of partnership shall be carried out in accordance with Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 240/2014 (ECCP)
4. At least once a year, the Commission shall consult the organisations which represent the partners at Union level on the implementation of programmes.

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