Brussels, 28/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - Anna Diamantopoulou, Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs, signed, on 28 March in Brussels, a decision approving the new Community initiative programme, EQUAL, in French- and German-speaking Belgium for the period 2000-2006. It has a total budget of EUR 83.15 million, of which 41.58 comes from the public sector, and an identical amount from the European Social Fund (ESF). The programme, along the lines of the Belgian national action plan for employment (NAP), aims above all to improve professional insertion, develop the entrepreneurial spirit, promote lifelong learning and improve equal opportunities between men and women. The authorities of the French and German-speaking parts of Belgium have thus selected the following priorities:
1. Professional insertion capacity: improve access to the employment market by, for example, promoting innovative practices in combined theory/practice training, and making people aware of the positive discrimination approach. Budget: EUR 29 million, that is 35% of the total.
2. Entrepreneurship: Make the business-creation process open to all in urban and rural areas. Budget: EUR 16.35 million, or 19.5% of the total.
3. Adaptability: Promote lifelong learning and encourage the recruitment and job stability of people encountering discrimination or unequal treatment in the world of work. Measures include innovative approaches to tutoring, equal access to training, and job rotation systems. Budget: EUR 22.5 million, that is, 27% of the total.
4. Equal opportunities for men and women: Reconciling professional and family life and promoting reintegration of those who have left the labour market, thanks to more effective forms of work organisation and personal services. Budget: EUR 9.13 million, that is, 11% of the total.
In addition to these priorities, which are linked to the European Employment Strategy, there is a further theme which addresses awareness, back-up and training for asylum seekers (around EUR 2.5 million, or 2.5% of the total). Furthermore, technical assistance to implementation and evaluation of the programme represents 5% of the allocation, or EUR 4.16 million.
This decision, which makes the Brussels and Walloon territories eligible for EQUAL actions must be completed by another concerning the Flemish-speaking parts of Belgium.