Brussels, 03/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - Simplification of procedures relating to the functioning of the European Social Fund (ESF) was the watchword during debates at the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumers Council which met in Luxembourg on Monday 3 October. Consensus was particularly prevalent at the policy debate on the future of the European Social Fund except on one point: (ex ante and ex post) conditionality, the new flagship concept being promoted by the European Commission (see EUROPE 10460). According to Commissioner László Andor, responsible for employment, social affairs and integration, it is quite possible to develop a balanced conditionality concept that allows room for flexibility while also setting out clear conditions for effective use of EU funding, in order to ensure such funds are used for commonly agreed objectives.
Such a view is far from being fully shared by Germany and Belgium, even the commissioner admits, as these states are reticent regarding the ex ante criteria established by the Commission for being able to benefit from ESF.
Furthermore, member state delegations emphasised the need to restrict the negative impact of bureaucracy and to seek to close the gap between the way the ESF operates at regional level and the way it operates at local level, in order to make it more “elastic”' and more accessible, especially for the social partners, said Jolanta Fedak, Poland's Minister for Employment and Social Policy, speaking after the Council. During the debate, when the Luxembourg delegation underlined that the European Social Fund was essential if the objectives set by the EUROPE 2020 strategy were to be reached, it simply expressed the opinion of all member states.
The ESF should be implemented in close cooperation with the Structural Funds, and it may play a major role in economic and employment policies. The Council calls for the creation of specific instruments within the framework of the EUROPE 2020 strategy for using the ESF, for which the budget should soon increase by nearly 10% compared to the 2007-2013 financial framework. (JK/transl.jl)