New European Social Fund+ approved by European Parliament

June 11, 2021

EU Parliament, EUD & the EU, Policy

On the 8th of June 2021, the European Parliament approved the European Social Fund+ (ESF+) 2021 – 2027. The ESF+ is the funding mechanism that will invest in people and will aim to promote and foster principle of social inclusion. Finally, the ESF+ will help further the integration of marginalised persons in the EU.

The ESF+ was approved with a total budget of €88 billion for 2021 – 2027. This fund will play an essential role in supporting the Action Plan on implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights and countering the socio-economic effects of the pandemic. During the negotiations, Members of the European Parliament secured more funding for investing in youth employment, tackling child poverty, and addressing the needs of those who were hit the hardest by the pandemic.

Within the agreed text, persons with disabilities are now explicitly mentioned in Annex II. It refers to the indicators used to analyse the actions funded by the ESF+. This means that the funding recipients must report on how many participants with disabilities are included in the action.

For more in depth information, please see the European Disability Forum’s (EDF) European Social Fund Plus 2021 – 2027 Analysis of the Final Agreement, here.