The Plenary Session of the European Parliament has voted to approve the report by the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL Committee), which would see the budget of the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) increased by approximately 19%, compared to that initially proposed by the European Commission. As part of the negotiations over the Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2021-2027, the Commission had initially proposed a budget of EUR 89.6 Million; the amendment proposed in the report increases this to EUR 106.8 Billion. Of this total, EUR 105.7 Billion would be managed jointly by the EU and member states.
The ESF+ fund contributes to social inclusion, job opportunities, fighting poverty, education, skills and the employability of young people, as well as in better living conditions, health and fairer societies. It will merge a number of existing EU health programmes, including:
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The European Social Fund and the Youth Employment Initiative.
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The Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived.
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The EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation.
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The EU Health Programme.
The Parliament will now have to negotiate the regulation with the Council and the European Commission before it can enter into force. You can read more on the ESF+ and the amendments made by the European Parliament by following this link: https://bit.ly/2swD93Y
