Proceedings Report

European Commission Directorate-General For Employment Social Affairs And Inclusion

Description

The European Social Fund: Investing in people: ESF Congress, Birmingham, 26 to 28 May 1998
European Social Fund
Employment policy

Informations

• Publié par: EUROPEAN-COMMISSION-DIRECTORATE-GENERAL-FOR-EMPLOYMENT_SOCIAL-AFFAIRS-AND-INCLUS
• Nombre de lectures: 11
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 32 Mo

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I
Proceedings Report
The European Social Fund: investing in
■
ESP irmingham, 26-28 May 1998
MBWM^BUI
Employment & social affairs
* * * * *
European Commission Key
© Round Table
Θ Workshop
Participants
© Speakers
O Moderator
O Rapporteur
® Project presenters
© European Communities, 1999. Proceedings Report
The European Social Fund: investing in
ESF Congress, Birmingham, 26-28 May 1998
European Commission A great deal of information on the European Union is available on the Internet. It can be accessed through the Europa server
(http://europa.eu.int).
Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication.
Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 1999.
© European Communities, 1999.
ISBN: 92-828-6824-9
Reproduction is authorized, provided the source is acknowledged.
The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of the European Commission, Directorate-General for
Employment, Industrial Relations and Social Affairs.
Printed in Belgium. ESF Congress proceedings report
FOREWORD
PÁDRAIG FLYNN
COMMISSIONER WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR
EMPLOYMENT, INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS
The ESF Congress was the first-ever event which aimed to bring together all the key players from the ESF from across Europe,
for them to share their experience of the ESF in action at a critical point in its development.
I myself, and my staff in DG V, found the Congress a great opportunity to learn more about what the ESF is doing on the ground,
and what delegates felt ought to be the priorities for the way it is to work in the future. We shall keep
these ideas firmly in mind when planning with our partners the next programming period, and the way the ESF is to work
with the European Employment Strategy in future years.
If there was one clear message which came out of the Congress, it was the view of the overwhelming majority of
delegates that they needed to know more about what the ESF is doing in other Member States - what have been
the successful approaches, where have problems arisen. In this way, by learning from each other, you and we can go a long way
towards pooling our resources, and making the most of ESF funding.
This publication takes a step towards doing that. It is a record of the speeches, and a summary of the workshop debates
during those three days in Birmingham in May 1998. It forms part of a much wider range of publications and other
information which aims to get the ESF better-known, and provide examples of what it is doing.
If you attended the Congress, thank you for taking part, and sharing your views; we hope that you came away with
a clearer idea of what the Fund is doing now, and what its potential is for the future. If you were not able to attend,
we hope that you will find this publication a useful guide to the way the ESF invests in people. CONTENTS
Introduction 5
5 The context
5 The objectives
26 May Opening plenary session 7
Pádraig Flynn, European Commission 7
Andrew Smith, United Kingdom I I
Javier Arenas, Spain 15
Nicole Péry, France 18
Christos Protopapas, Greece 22
Round tables 25
The speakers 25
Round Table I 27
Round table 2 39
NGO session 51
27 May Workshops I & 7 Long-term unemployment 61 s 2 & 8 Young people : the ESF in action 89
Workshops 3 & 9 Exclusion from the labour market 103 s 4 & 10 : Equal opportunities 127
Workshops 5 & I I: Adaptation to industrial change 149 s 6 & 12: The ESF in objective I regions 163
28 May Congress conclusions 185
Closing Session 199
Exhibition 205 In 1997, the decision was taken to stage the first-ever European- should work and be shaped. Agenda 2000 had set as
level conference devoted to the European Social Fund. While objectives for reform the principles of concentration,
there had been numerous conferences in the forty years since the simplification and clarification of responsibilities.
ESF was set up under the Treaty of Rome in 1957, these The Jobs Summit had set as a key task for the Structural
had either focused on the ESF's contribution to specific areas of Funds the need to "underpin the reform of labour
action, or had looked at the ESF from a particular Member State's market policies and practices, in line with the Employment
or region's point of view. Strategy and the annual employment guidelines for
Member States."
The context The Commission tabled its proposals for the new ESF
The timing - as President Santer commented in his clos­ and other Structural Funds on 18 March.
ing speech at the Congress - could not have been better. The Congress of the European Social Fund took place
1997 proved a key year not only for European integration on 26 - 28 May.This was a key time in three senses
as a whole, but also for the EU's joint coordinated
approach to the issue of jobs, which became firmly estab­ • the proposal for the new ESF had been issued by
lished at the centre stage of European policy. the Commission two months before;
A new Employment title for the EU Treaty was agreed • the first discussion by Heads of State and Government
at the Amsterdam summit in June 1997; this political will on the first round of national action plans for
... — was translated into^ctumwith the agreement to-set - employments under the process started at
these provisions in motion without waiting for the Treaty Luxembourg - would take place in Cardiff in mid-June;
itself to be ratified.This momentum led to the extraordi­ • early May would see the announcement of the first wave
nary European Council, or'Jobs Summit' which brought of countries which were to form the single currency
European Heads of State and Government to
Luxembourg in November, to agree on the guidelines The objectives
which should shape Member States' employment policies. As the first-ever event dedicated to the European Social
Agenda 2000, the Commission's new vision for the shape Fund - what it is, what is does - the Congress aimed to
and financing of the EU for the first years of the next enhance the visibility of the ESF, and to bring together
century was unveiled in July 1997. Within this key docu­ key ESF players from around the EU to discuss the Fund,
ment were the Commission's views on how to reform its objectives and achievements primarily during the cur­
existing policies, to start the enlargement process to rent programming period, and to look to its future in the
the applicant countries of Central and Eastern Europe, next period - a future which will be marked by its close
and to set the financial framework for the years 2000 - association with the European Employment Strategy.
2006. Reform of the Structural Funds, and proposals for The event - and the exhibition - would enable ESF
their operation after the end of the current programming players to view, compare and discuss policy and program­
period in 1999, were important elements within ming approaches undertaken in all IS Member States,
this package. with a view to sharing experience and expertise, and also
It was in this context - a new impetus for employment to raise common difficulties which might be solved by
introducing approaches tested elsewhere. policy, and preparations for a new period - that
Discussion during the Congress programme, and, more the Commission prepared its proposals for the new
informally, on the sidelines, provided an opportunity Structural Funds, including the European Social Fund,
for the Commission and Member States to assess during late 1997 and early 1998. Besides building
the range of views on the reform of the Fund, and its on experience of previous programming periods,
the Commission had clear signals for how the new funds links with the European Employment Strategy. Opening plenary session
Pádraig Flynn
EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR c
o
EMPLOYMENT, INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS
Mr Flynn reminded delegates that the ESF was all about people, and
c
for people.The Congress was taking place at an important moment, ω
as the last year of the current period approached, and the new pro­
DO
posals for the Structural Funds from 2000­2006 had been tabled. He
underlined the important link between the ESF and the European
Ol
CL
Employment Strategy, and stressed the compatibility between the
o
four pillars of the EES and the priorities for the new ESF. He encour­
aged delegates to reflect on the way the ESF should be steered to
Pádraig Flynn
tackle discrimination, to anticipate better economic change and to European Commissioner for Employment,
equip individuals better with the skills they require. Industrial relations and Social Affairs
Ministers, ladies and gentlemen, I should first of ail like to
which is of course all about people, and for people. welcome you all here to this international conference
centre in Birmingham for our very important Congress. Less than four weeks ago the European Union heads
I would like straight away to introduce to you the other of State and Government gathered in Brussels to
members of the stage party. I would like to introduce you provide th