— The Regional Minister for Finance and Public Administration, Miguel Corgos, inaugurated the launch of the Fund’s programme for the coming years

— Of the more than 1,000 million euros allocated to Galicia, the Galician government will manage around 449 millions

— The event was closed by the Regional Minister for Employment Promotion and Equality, María Jesús Lorenzana

Santiago de Compostela, March 16th 2023. The Regional Minister of Finance and Public Administration, Miguel Corgos, advanced today that the ESF+ Galicia 21-27 Programme will aim to make a more social and inclusive community, with employment as the key axis of action.

During the presentation act, which was also attended by the acting director of the Directorate-General for Working Conditions and Social Dialogue of the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion of the European Commission, María Iglesia, and the Deputy Director General of the Administrative Unit of the European Social Fund (AUESF) of the Ministry of Labour, Ángel García, the Regional Minister explained that, of the 1.017 million euros allocated to Galicia, the Galician Administration will manage just over 449 million euros. The rest of the resources will be provided by the State Administration through the multiregional programmes.

Of these 449 million euros, more than 116 million will be allocated to employment, adaptability, entrepreneurship and social economy policies and some 56 million euros to youth employment. Among the objectives pursued are the promotion of training for the employed and unemployed, through short-term training actions; the improvement of the capacities of the public employment system and the creation of innovative companies linked to the Entrepreneurship Poles. Progress will also continue to be made in promoting self-employment, with specific actions for female entrepreneurship and measures to promote joint responsibility and improve the employability of young people.

More than 113 million euros will be allocated to social inclusion and the fight against poverty, with the aim of programming, for the first time, actions in the field of health, focused on the care of people with disabilities resulting from a mental disorder – in order to reduce their vulnerability and with specific and personalised support services -, employing the new professional figure of the therapeutic companion; e en prevención do suicidio en adolescentes, implementando accións para mellorar as contornas para a saúde mental, a través de programas de aprendizaxe social e emocional.

In the area of social innovation, more than 15 million euros will be earmarked for, among other measures, participation in the European initiative ALMA, whose objective is to help young people to enter the labour market, especially those who are not studying or working.

More than 112 M€ will also be invested in the field of education and training to continue promoting curricular diversification programmes to combat school dropout, new cycles of intermediate and higher vocational training and pre-vocational training; as well as initiatives to address diversity and guarantee educational equity, and training for training and digital inclusion.

More than €35 million will be allocated to child protection, with actions in family preservation and support programmes and the therapeutic treatment of children and adolescents who are in the protection system. Actions to combat child poverty and guarantee youth have special attention and consideration within the objectives of the new programme.

Thanks to the ESF+ Galicia is providing support for the inclusion of vulnerable women

The Regional Minister for Employment Promotion and Equality, María Jesús Lorenzana, highlighted that with the European Social Fund Plus (ESF) Galicia can support job creation, improve employment and guarantee fairer job opportunities. She underlined the regional boost to entrepreneurship as a formula for success, especially for women, with initiatives such as the historic Emega programme, which has been classified by the European Union as a good practice and which will be financed in 2023 with €4 million from the ESF. She also highlighted the region’s commitment to co-responsibility and work-life balance, with measures that will benefit from this funding this year (€2M).

Thanks to these funds, Lorenzana stressed, support is being provided for the socio-occupational inclusion of women in particularly vulnerable situations, such as victims of gender-based violence, and Galicia can contribute to promoting youth employment and supporting self-employed workers. A total of 1.5 M€ will help the Regional Ministry of Employment Promotion & Equality to launch this year two new programmes based on the European approach to micro-credentials, called Business Talent Bonus (for the training of employed workers) and Formation Bonus (for unemployed people), a further sign, said the head of Employment Promotion, that Galicia “shares objectives and walks along the same lines as Europe”.

The European Social Fund

The European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) is the main financial instrument for the promotion of investments in line with Policy Objective 4: “A more social Europe in application of the European Pillar of Social Rights”. ESF+ brings together four funding instruments that were separate in the previous programming period: the European Social Fund (ESF), the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD), the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI), and the EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI).

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