Brussels, 21/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - The social change and innovation programme should begin on 1 January 2014. This follows a meeting of the European Parliament at its plenary session in Strasbourg on Thursday 21 November. The plenary gave the go-ahead for the programme, by voting in its favour by 527 votes for, 31 against, with 48 abstentions. No amendments were made to amend the text.
This programme brings together three separate programmes from the previous multiannual financial framework. This will now include the European micro-financing instrument, the Progress programme for employment and social solidarity and EURES, a kind of European virtual employment service, which will be used to provide funding for intra-European transport projects. This new programme will have a budget of €815 million, €4 97.15 of which will go to Progress, 171.15 million to the micro-financing instruments and 146.7 million for EURES. (JK/trans.fl)