COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Social investment through the European Social Fund Accompanying the document COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Towards Social Investment for Growth and Cohesion – including implementing the European Social Fund 2014-2020
Date: 2013-02-20
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, European Social Fund, economic growth, innovation, job creation, poverty, social integration, social services

EUROPEAN 
COMMISSION 

Brussels, 20.2.2013  
SWD(2013) 44 final 

Social Investment Package  

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

Social investment through the European Social Fund 

Accompanying the document 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Towards Social Investment for Growth and Cohesion – including implementing the 
European Social Fund 2014-2020 

{COM(2013) 83 final} 
{SWD(2013) 38 final} 
{SWD(2013) 39 final} 
{SWD(2013) 40 final} 
{SWD(2013) 41 final} 
{SWD(2013) 42 final} 
{SWD(2013) 43 final}

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COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

Social investment through the European Social Fund 

Accompanying the document 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Towards Social Investment for Growth and Cohesion – including implementing the 
European Social Fund 2014-2020 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

2. 

Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 2 

Implementation of the Social Investment Package to Deliver on the Europe 2020 
Strategy............................................................................................................................... 2 

3.  Examples and experiences of Social Investment supported by EU Funds ........................ 7 

3.1   Examples and experiences of the EU Funds supporting thematic areas relevant to the 

Social Investment Package................................................................................................. 7 

3.2  Experiences of social innovation supported by the ESF .................................................. 11 

3.3   Experiences of the social economy and social entrepreneurship supported by the ESF.. 13 

Annex 1: Implementing 2012 Country-Specific Recommendations through the ESF ............ 15 

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1. 

INTRODUCTION 

In the 2014-2020 financial framework, the European Social Fund (ESF) will be the European 
Union’s  main  financial  instrument  for  supporting  the  implementation  of  employment  and 
social policy reforms by Member States in line with the Europe 2020 strategy. The Member 
States' implementation of the strategy set out in the Social Investment Package will therefore 
be supported by the EU principally through the ESF, with significant support also available 
from  other  European  Structural  and  Investment  (ESI)  Funds,  in  particular  the  European 
Regional Development Fund (ERDF), as well as PROGRESS 2007-2013, the Programme for 
Social Change and Innovation (PSCI) 2014-2020 and the Fund for European Aid to the Most 
Deprived (FEAD).  

This  Staff  Working  Document  (SWD)  analyses  the  role  of  the  ESF  in  supporting  the 
implementation of the Social Investment Package (SIP). The SIP will feed into the European 
Semester  and  the  development  of  the  appropriate  Country-Specific  Recommendations 
(CSRs). This will affect the direction of ESF programmes, as Member States are expected to 
use the ESF to implement the relevant CSRs. 

The ESF has promoted employment and social inclusion throughout the period 2007-2013 by 
providing financial support in a wide range of areas1. Building on a stocktaking of examples 
of current ESF programmes in areas relevant to the SIP, this SWD further describes how, in 
cooperation  with  other  EU  funds  including  PROGRESS  and  the  ERDF,  the  Commission 
proposal for the ESF from 2014 to 2020 will strengthen support for the implementation of the 
SIP,  increasing  the  efficiency  and  impact  of  funding  through  changes  to  the  ESF  funding 
framework (such as greater results orientation, simplification of administrative processes, ex-
ante conditionality, etc.). The SWD also examines the potential of social innovation and the 
social economy as two effective means of delivering on the SIP agenda across its full range of 
policy areas with the support of  the ESF. 

The Commission will develop by mid-2013 operational guidance on how Member States can 
best  use  the  EU  structural  and  investment  funds  to  achieve  the  agreed  thematic  objectives. 
This will include clear orientations on how the funds can best support the implementation of 
the policy orientations set out in the SIP.  

IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  SOCIAL  INVESTMENT  PACKAGE  TO  DELIVER  ON  THE 

2. 
EUROPE 2020 STRATEGY 

The role of the European Union’s budget in implementing the SIP must also be considered. 
The  budget  should  be  ‘a  catalyst  for  growth  and  jobs  across  Europe,  in  particular  by 
leveraging  productive  and  human  capital  investments’2.  This  section  therefore  outlines  the 
supportive  framework  of  the  ESF  and  other  EU  funds  for  the  implementation  of  the  Social 

1  

2 

Regulation  (EC)  No  1081/2006  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  5  July  2006,  ‘by 
providing financial support aimed at increasing the adaptability of workers and enterprises; enhancing 
access to employment and sustainable inclusion in the labour market of jobseekers and inactive people; 
reinforcing social inclusion of disadvantaged people by combating discrimination and facilitating access 
to the labour market; and enhancing human capital’. 
Draft Conclusions of the European Council (22-23 November 2012). 

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Investment Package. Social innovation and the social economy will both play an important 
role in helping to achieve the policy objectives of the SIP. The document therefore goes on to 
outline the importance of these two approaches to Social Investment and the ESF provisions 
to support them. 

European Social Fund 2014-2020 

The ESF supports the policies pursued by the Member States under the Integrated Guidelines 
adopted in accordance  with  Articles  121 and 148(4) of the Treaty and the  Country-Specific 
Recommendations 3 ,  with  a  view  to  achieving  the  Europe  2020  strategy  objectives,  in 
particular for employment, educational attainments and poverty reduction. Annex 1 maps the 
2012 CSRs with respect to the Thematic Objectives and Investment Priorities of the draft ESF 
Regulation 2014-2020. These Objectives and Priorities define the areas where the ESF will be 
able to fund measures. The annex shows that Member States can use several of the priorities 
set out in the Regulation to help implement the social policy reforms defined in the CSRs.  All 
four Thematic Objectives are relevant for implementing, via the ESF, the CSRs which relate 
to  social  policy.  Complementary  funding  from  the  ERDF  can  provide  integrated  support, 
especially infrastructure, e.g. for the provision of social services. 

The SIP framework will help guide the Member States regarding the priorities of the ESF’s 
co-funded programmes. This framework is based on three pillars: increase the sustainability 
and  adequacy  of  budgets  through  simplified  and  better  targeted  social  policies;  pursue 
activating and enabling policies through targeted, conditional, simplified and more effective 
support. 

The  ESF  is  the  EU’s  main  budgetary  instrument  for  supporting  vitally  needed  structural 
reforms  and  investments  across  the  Member  States  in  the  area  of  employment  and  social 
policy. For instance, the ESF supports the introduction of early-childhood education and care 
services  in  Hungary  or  the  transition  to  community-based  care  of  children  living  in  large 
institutions in Bulgaria. A significant part of the ESF envelope available for the period 2007-
2013 has been allocated to measures supporting social inclusion. This represents €
 12 billion, 
or 16 % of the European Social Fund, of which at least 7.5 billion had already been used by 
2011. 

In the future, programming of the European Structural and Investment (ESI) Funds, including 
the ESF, will be more strategic and geared towards results. 

In terms of strategic orientation, Country-Specific Recommendations will be the key elements 
to be taken into account when identifying the main development needs, the choice of thematic 
objectives, corresponding investment priorities and financial allocations from the ESI Funds 
in  each  Member  State.  In  2012  the  Council  addressed  recommendations  to  several  Member 
States in the field of social inclusion. 

Ex-ante conditionalities will ensure that the right conditions for effective support are in place 
(e.g. in the field of active inclusion or the integration of marginalised communities, such as 
Roma)  and  will  also  ensure  that  potential  bottlenecks  in  policy,  regulatory  and  institutional 
frameworks are addressed. 

3  
3  

Regulation (EC) No 1081/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 July 2006 
COM(2011) 607 final /2, ‘Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on 
the  European  Social  Fund  and  repealing  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  1081/2006,  Explanatory 
Memorandum. 

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The  needs  of  people  facing  multiple  disadvantages  may  require  running  different  types  of 
interventions  simultaneously.  For  example,  the  start-up  and  running  of  viable  social 
enterprises  may  involve  the  training  and  mentoring  of  social  entrepreneurs,  setting  up  a 
support network, information for financial service providers, the provision of micro-credit and 
the acquisition of equipment and facilities. The new provisions will make it easier to provide 
combined  support  from  several  funds  (Cohesion  Fund  ERDF,  ESF)  to  meet  complex  social 
investment needs. For instance, it will be easier for Member States to target the specific needs 
of the poorest in particular geographical areas through integrated programmes. 

It is crucial to mobilise all potential resources and fully involve all concerned stakeholders at 
each  level.  The  involvement  of  all  partners  is  especially  important  for  effective  social 
inclusion  measures  focusing  on  people  facing  specific  challenges.  It  will  lead  to  better 
outreach  and  targeting  of  the  programmes.  The  Partnership  Principle  will  be  strengthened, 
bringing together all parties interested in the success of social investments in the preparation, 
design,  implementation  and  monitoring  of  the  programmes.  A  Code  of  Conduct,  covering 
principles and best practices, will set out the framework within which the Member States will 
pursue  the  implementation  of  the  partnership  principle.  Better  monitoring  of  agreed  targets 
will  also  help  to  increase  the  focus  on  what  the  measures  being  financed  are  intended  to 
achieve. 

The  ESF  can  also  be  used  to  support  the  capacity  building  of  NGOs  and  social  partners, 
helping them mobilise their resources and know-how in favour of social investments. 

Simplifications will ease the administrative burden on the beneficiaries of the funds. This will 
facilitate  the  involvement  of  all  stakeholders,  and  especially  of  small  entities.  For  instance, 
small grants under the EUR 50.000 threshold will have to be paid on the basis of simplified 
cost options4. In some cases, Joint Action Plans will mean that payments can be linked to the 
achievement of pre-agreed targets. This will be a major simplification, making it possible to 
shift  the  focus  of  programme  implementation  from  eligible  costs  to  the  achievement  of 
concrete results. 

Social innovation and social policy experimentation 

Social innovation has been defined as ‘innovations that are social in both their ends and their 
means. Specifically, [...] new ideas (products, services and models) that simultaneously meet 
social  needs  (more  effectively  than  alternatives)  and  create  new  social  relationships  or 
collaborations. They are innovations that are not only good for society but also boost society’s 
capacity to act.’ 5  

Innovation  has  been  a  key  concept  of  the  European  Social  Fund  since  the  launch  of  the 
EQUAL  Community  Initiative  Programme  in  2000,  an  initiative  that  supported  social 
innovation  in  the  fields  of  social  inclusion  and  employment.  Consequently,  innovation  and 
partnership  have  become  the  watchwords  of  the  ESF,  and  innovative  programmes  have 
helped  to  increase  the  effectiveness  of  a  number  of  social  policies.  The  series  of  calls  for 
proposals under PROGRESS also address social innovation and social policy experimentation 
directly. 

4 Lump sums or standard scales of unit costs. 
5 BEPA, ‘Empowering People, Driving Change: Social Innovation in the European Union, May 2010, p. 9. 

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The  draft  ESF  Regulation  for  the  period  2014-2020  contains  new  provisions  to  strengthen 
support for social innovation (Article 9). Social innovation will be part of ESF programmes in 
all  Member  States  in  areas  that  correspond  to  their  specific  needs.  This  means  that  social 
innovation  will  be  organised  in  such  a  way  as  to  increase  the  efficiency  of  specific  social 
policy fields, defined by the relevant authorities. The objective of the programmes will be to 
test and scale up successful innovation. Moreover, in order to introduce a strategic approach 
and  closer  monitoring,  social  innovation  can  be  programmed  in  dedicated  priority  axes,  in 
which  case  the  maximum  co-financing  rate  will  be  topped  up  by  10  percentage  points. 
Furthermore,  the  Commission  is  going  to  facilitate  capacity  building  for  social  innovation, 
through mutual learning for example. 

Innovation, entrepreneurship and the knowledge-based society are at the core of the Europe 
2020 Strategy and its targets and guidelines. Thus, two flagship initiatives within the Europe 
2020  Strategy  (the  European  Platform  against  Poverty  and  Social  Exclusion  and  Innovation 
Union6), as well as the forthcoming Research and Innovation Programme Horizon 2020, mean 
that social innovation takes centre stage. As Europe’s citizens lead increasingly diverse lives7, 
the  range  of  challenges  that  social  policy  is  called  upon  to  address  is  increasing.  A  wider 
range  of  forms  of  provision  is  needed.  This  in  turn  increases  the  need  for  the  rapid 
identification, trial and upscaling of many innovative solutions to new challenges. 

The  potential  of  social  innovation  is  further  increased  by  the  growing  range  of  innovative 
ICT-based solutions that are available in terms of technology, although they only materialise 
rapidly on the ground where social innovation is encouraged to take full advantage of them. 

In this context, the social innovation and social policy experimentation (SISPE) approach is a 
vital tool for supporting reforms, as it allows a systematic approach to identifying the required 
social  innovations  in  a  way  that  makes  it  possible  to  upscale  the  effective  ones.  It  is  not 
enough  to  try  out  effective  and  evidence-based  solutions,  technologies  and  services  that  are 
better  at  meeting  social  needs.  Upscaling  of  such  successful  trials  is  greatly  facilitated  by 
SISPE since it makes it possible to demonstrate their strengths objectively and convincingly, 
thus making it much more likely for them to reach the market and satisfy a demand. In this 
way they can expand and in turn create job opportunities themselves. Social innovation is thus 
an essential element of social investment policy, supporting the adaptation of social policies 
to reforms. 

However,  it  benefits  considerably  from  formalisation,  in  terms  of  professionalisation, 
transparency,  rigour,  and  the  possibility  to  move  beyond  ad-hoc  and  unsystematic  learning 
through chance encounters. Instead, it becomes possible to examine and learn from the wide 
range of approaches and experiments across the whole EU and across sectors and sub-sectors. 

In addition to financing projects that harness the social economy and social innovation in line 
with  the  Social  Investment  Package’s  objectives,  the  ESF  will  support  these  approaches  in 

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The  pilot  European  Innovation  Partnership  on  Active  and  Healthy  Ageing  is  part  of  the  Innovation 
Union Flagship initiative. It  aims to identify and remove persisting barriers to innovation for active and 
healthy 
see: 
http://ec.europa.eu/research/innovation-union/index_en.cfm?section=active-healthy-ageing 
See  European Commission  Staff Working Document  - Evidence on  Demographic and  Social  Trends, 
SWD(2013) 38, section 2. 

interdisciplinary 

cross-sectorial 

approaches, 

through 

ageing, 

and 

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synergy with the new integrated Programme for Social Change and Innovation as part of the 
comprehensive European Employment and Social Inclusion Initiative8.  

The social economy and social enterprises 

The ‘social economy’ designates a sector which is different both from the traditional public 
‘general  interest  serving’  sector  and  from  the  private  profit-driven  market.  It  covers  bodies 
with a specific legal status (cooperatives, foundations,  associations,  mutual  societies),  many 
of which are also social enterprises. 'Social enterprise' denotes businesses: 

• 

for  which  the  social  or  societal  objective  of  the  common  good  is  the  reason  for  the 
commercial activity, often in the form of a high level of social innovation, 

•  where profits are mainly reinvested with a view to achieving this social objective, 
•  and where the method of organisation or ownership system reflects their mission.  
The  social  economy  and  social  enterprises  form  a  strong  European  sector  that  today 
represents at least two million enterprises and employs over 11 million employees, or 6 % of 
the  workforce9.  The  Commission  has  made  proposals  to  support  the  sector's  development 
through the 2011 ‘Social Business Initiative’ Communication10. 

The  draft  ESF  Regulation 11  contains  a  new  investment  priority  specifically  dedicated  to 
‘Promoting  the  social  economy  and  social  enterprises’.  It  creates  the  ground  for  Member 
States  to  include  targeted  activities  in  this  area  in  their  operational  programmes  for 
2014-2020.  These  are  expected  to  consist  mostly  of  support  for  business  development  or 
business transformation of social enterprises; support for social enterprises’ access to finance, 
including through financial instruments providing support through repayable investments; and 
raising  awareness  of  the  sector.  At  the  same  time,  social  enterprises  will  take  part  in  ESF 
co-funded  interventions  in  various  policy  areas.  In  this  way,  they  can  add  to  the 
implementation capacity of the public sector. For example, third-sector undertakings are well 
placed to provide tailor-made labour market reintegration or rehabilitation services, as part of 
active labour market policies; or early childhood education and care services for children with 
a minority or migrant background. 

The two specific strengths of the social economy and social enterprises outlined below show 
why they are well placed to play a key supportive role in the promotion and piloting of social 
investment: 

•  They  are  a  tool  for  social  inclusion.  Social  enterprises  often  employ  people  with  a 
disability and/or subject to discrimination, or provide social services and/or goods and 
services  to  them.  They  complement  and  provide  leverage  to  public  sector  efforts  to 
implement social policies, improve labour market integration and social inclusion, and 
enhance skills. 

8  
9  

10  

11  

The  Explanatory Memorandum to the ESF regulation. 
EP report on the Social Business Initiative — ‘Creating a favourable climate for social enterprises, key 
stakeholders  in  the  social  economy  and  innovation’,  Committee  on  Employment  and  Social  Affairs, 
Rapporteur Heinz K. Becker, 4 October 2012. 
COM(2011) 682, ‘Social Business Initiative: Creating a favourable climate for social enterprises, key 
stakeholders in the social economy and innovation’, 25.10.2011. 
Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Social Fund 
and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1081/2006, COM(2011) 607 final. 

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•  The social economy and social enterprises are sources of social  innovation12. Social 
enterprises  are  often  involved  in  civil  society  initiatives  aimed  at  social  change  and 
innovation.  Since  by  their  very  nature  social  enterprises  bring  together  innovative 
individuals  and  organisations  keen  to  improve  social  issues,  they  are  well  placed  to 
generate  social  impact  and  foster  social  innovations  that  deliver  better  social  or 
societal  outcomes.  For  instance,  they  often  introduce  into  their  activity  ways  of 
reducing  emissions  and  waste  or  of  using  energy  more  efficiently  (therefore 
contributing  to  sustainable  growth),  or  they  focus  on  innovation,  including  social 
innovation, addressing societal challenges such as ageing or new care needs, and the 
participatory use of the Internet (therefore contributing to smart growth). 

3.  EXAMPLES AND EXPERIENCES OF SOCIAL INVESTMENT SUPPORTED BY EU FUNDS 

EU funds, and the ESF in particular, support and will continue to support measures in a wide 
range  of  areas  of  employment  and  social  policy.  The  thematic  objectives  of  the  ESF  are  in 
line with the priorities set in the SIP, and Article 3 of the draft ESF Regulation on the scope of 
the  ESF  confirms  its  role  in  supporting  employment,  skill  development,  social  inclusion, 
combating poverty, and ensuring efficient public administration in Europe. 

This section looks at how EU Funds can support programmes in thematic areas relevant to the 
SIP. In addition to these issue areas, this section singles out how EU Funds relate to two very 
useful  ways  of  improving  social  policy  design  and  delivery,  as  discussed  in  Section  2:  1) 
social innovation and 2) social economy and entrepreneurship. 

3.1  
to the Social Investment Package 

Examples and experiences of the EU Funds supporting thematic areas relevant 

In the 2007-2013 programming period, the European Social Fund has so far reached over 50 
million people, and in 2011 alone it directly impacted the lives of 4.5 million unemployed and 
5  million  inactive  people.  It  did  so  by  providing  €
 75  billion  to  help  people  fulfil  their 
potential by giving them better skills and better job prospects. Addressing the CSRs, certain 
Member  States  have  already  used  the  ESF  to  invest  in  operations  in  line  with  the  priorities 
outlined in the SIP. 

In  2012  the  Council  provided  CSRs  to  Member  States  such  as:  strengthening  of  activation 
tools  for  disadvantaged  people,  better  enabling  of  transitions  from  benefits  to  paid  work, 
improved targeting of social security systems, and greater accessibility to social services, in 
particular child care and health care. Accordingly, many of these countries have used the ESF 
and  other  EU  funds  to  address  these  recommendations.  In  some  of  the  examples  (Box  2), 
Member States were already using the funds to support policies along the same lines as those 
recommended in the CSRs. 

The  SIP’s  influence  on  future  CSRs  and  the  forthcoming  publication  of  an  integrated 
operational guide for the ESF will help ensure that in the future more ESF investments will 
reflect the social investment approach of the examples given below. 

12  

See ‘Empowering people, driving change: Social innovation in the European Union’, BEPA, May 2010, 
available at: http://ec.europa.eu/bepa/publications/special-issues/index_fr.htm. 

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 32.5 billion13. 

In  the  2007-2013  programming  period  all  27  Member  States  are  using  ESF  assistance  to 
facilitate social inclusion. Approximately € 12 billion is allocated  to social inclusion priority 
axes and the total budget devoted to priority axes with a social inclusion component in ESF 
Operational Programmes is around €
17 Member States14 follow a specific active inclusion approach in the policies supported by 
ESF  programmes.  This  has  represented  the  bulk  of  EU  funding  in  the  social  domain.  The 
range  of  co-financed  activities  has  covered  the  whole  spectrum  of  active  inclusion  except 
income  support  which  is  not  eligible  for  the  ESF.  Supportive  activation  services  to  those 
further  away  from  the  labour  market  (e.g.  young  people,  single  parents,  people  of  foreign 
origin, older people) have been the main focus of the programmes. The development of social 
services ensuring better quality and accessibility for people with disadvantages has also been 
funded, for example in Latvia, Romania and Spain. National schemes could be used to add the 
necessary income support. 

In  2012  the  Council  recommended  putting  active  inclusion  policies  in  place  to  17  Member 
States: Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, 
Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Romania and the United 
Kingdom. Recommended policies encompass: the strengthening of activation tools for people 
with  disadvantages,  better  enabling  of  transitions  from  benefits  to  paid  work,  improved 
targeting  of  social  security  systems,  improved  accessibility  of  social  services,  in  particular 
child  care  and  health  care.  The  ESF  is    used  in  many  of  these  countries  to  address  these 
recommendations15. 

Box 1: ESF addressing the CSR for Belgium on active inclusion16 

CSR  2011  for  Belgium:  ‘Improve  the  effectiveness  of  active  labour  policies  by  targeting 
measures at older workers and people facing particular challenges.’ 

CSR 2012 for Belgium: ‘Strengthen the focus of employment support and activation policies 
on older workers and people facing particular challenges, in particular people with a migrant 
background. … Extend existing activation efforts to all age groups.’ 

Both  in  its  National  Reform  Programme  and  the  National  Social  Report,  the  Belgian 
Government pays special attention to the social and occupational activation of those who are 
furthest away from the labour market, in line with the EU strategy 2020. In order to reach this 
goal, the ESF has been used to complement mainstream active labour market policies with a 
focus on people facing the most severe challenges (such as young people, single parents and 
immigrants). With the use of the ESF, people who are furthest from the labour market receive 
more intensive guidance and mentoring, for example.   

The  2007-2013  ESF  programme  for  Belgium  focuses  on  three  axes,  two  of  which  are  of 
specific interest in the light of the active inclusion approach: 

•  1: the promotion of social and occupational activation paths 

13  

14  

15  
16  

Fund 

Social 

European 

The 
ec.europa.eu/esf/BlobServlet?docId=166&langId=en . 
Assessment  of  the  implementation  of  the  European  Commission  recommendation  on  active  inclusion 
—  Synthesis  Report.  Overview  based  on  the  national  reports  prepared  by  the  EU  Network  of 
Independent Experts on Social Inclusion. 
Assessment of the Implementation of the EC’s Recommendation on Active Inclusion in Belgium; . 
Assessment of the Implementation of the EC’s Recommendation on Active Inclusion in Belgium; . 

Inclusion 

Social 

and 

— 

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•  2: career planning and encouragement of diversity at work 

The emphasis of the first is on specific interventions tailored to the needs of vulnerable people 
within  the  Public  Centres  for  Social  Welfare  for  whom  mainstream  activation  measures 
appear to be less effective, such as young people between 18 and 25, single parents, people of 
foreign  origin  and  people  over  45.  The  second  group  of  interventions  mainly  focuses  on 
structural  actions  addressing  diversity  at  work  and  tackling  discriminatory  practices.  This 
includes  projects  such  as  awareness  campaigns  on  keeping  the  elderly  employed  and  the 
‘experts by experience’ project. 

In addition to activation, ESF has also been used to support access to services, in the area of 
child care for instance. 

Box 2: ESF addressing the CSR for Bulgaria for improving access and effectiveness of 
benefits and social services for children 

CSR 2012 for Bulgaria: ‘To alleviate poverty, improve the effectiveness of social transfers 
and the access to quality social services for children …’ 

In Bulgaria, ESF has been funding a comprehensive project ‘Childhood for all’ under the OP 
‘Human Resources Development’. The total duration of the project is 54 months (June 2010 
to  December  2014).  This  project  represents  the  main  pillar  of  Bulgaria’s  ongoing 
de-institutionalisation  reform  as  it  strives  to  create  a  sustainable  model  of  transition  from 
residential to community-based services for children with disabilities. 

The  project  consists  of  two  components:  ‘Planning  of  measures  for  de-institutionalisation’ 
(2.5 MEUR) and ‘Provision of community-based social services’ (16.5 MEUR). In addition to 
ESF support for this project, the ERDF and the EAFRD have allocated 54.6 MEUR and 8.5 
MEUR respectively to support municipalities in urban and rural areas in the building of new 
social infrastructure to replace the traditional residential institutions. 

The project aims to change the philosophy of care for children with disabilities and children 
in institutions, focusing on preventing the risk of institutionalisation, supporting families and 
providing  a  family  or  close-to-family  environment  for  each  child  placed  in  a  specialised 
institution for children with disabilities. The project has provided the children with a package 
of  services  according  to  their  individual  needs.  So  far,  not  enough  services  have  been 
developed  to  support  children  with  disabilities  in  the  community.  Furthermore,  the  existing 
services are not evenly distributed in accordance with the needs of those targeted. This makes 
it  difficult  to  prevent  children  from  being  abandoned  and  to  provide  quality  support  for 
children with disabilities and their families. The project addresses this problem by planning a 
package of services in the community, which will provide a long-term alternative for children 
and families. 

The main activities of the ESF programme include a review of the assessment of each child's 
abilities, drawing up of individual action plans, reintegration activities including preparation 
for children’s removal from institutions, selection and training of foster parents and training 
of social workers. To date, the abilities of 1797 children in institutions have been reviewed. In 
all, 59 diagnoses have been changed, 76 children adopted, 26 placed in foster families, 28 re-
integrated into their biological families, 14 placed in protected homes, 6 placed in transitional 
housing, and 25 placed in centres with family-type accommodation. 

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Box 3: ESF addressing the CSR for Italy on childcare 

CSR 2011 for Italy: ‘... take steps to promote greater participation of women in the labour 
market, by increasing the availability of care facilities ...’ 

CSR 2012 for Italy: ‘Take further action to incentivise labour market participation of 
women, in particular through the provision of childcare …’ 

In Italy, in 2004 the major consortia of social cooperatives along with one of the main 
national banks created the PAN consortium, which is part-financed by ESF. PAN develops 
services for children through the social enterprise formula, an entrepreneurial form which is 
consistent with the ‘public’ purpose of these services. Local governments responsible for the 
administration of childcare services and families or private/public companies interested in 
creating ‘company nurseries’ are also playing an important role as partners. 

PAN offers planning, start-up assistance and loans to organisations and people interested in 
establishing new types of services for children in the form of social enterprises. On the basis 
of quality-check tools, all social enterprises members of PAN receive a guaranteed quality 
trademark. PAN also helps families with personal loans to reduce the cost of early childhood 
services. 

In just four years, PAN has successfully built 150 new infant schools with 4 500 available 
places and more than 1 000 new jobs. Nowadays in Italy there are more than 400 day nursery 
centres which take care of about 12 000 children and employ more than 3 000 people. 

Box 4: PROGRESS addressing the CSR for Belgium on pension sustainability 

CSR 2012 for Belgium: ‘ Continue to improve the long-term sustainability of public finances 
by curbing age-related expenditure ... implement the reform of ... pension schemes ...’ 

The  project  ‘Simulating  the  adequacy  of  pensions  in  Belgium  using  administrative  data 
(SIPEBE)’ was financed by the PROGRESS programme. It analysed the extent to which the 
Belgian  pension  system  provides  adequate  pension  benefits  to  today’s  and  tomorrow’s 
retirees.  This  was  done  using  a  micro-simulation  model.  In  order  to  provide  adequacy 
measures  that  corresponded  to  a  level  of  sustainability  of  the  system,  the  assessment  model 
was  aligned  to  the  demographic  and  macroeconomic  projections  of  the  macro-budgetary 
MALTESE model created by the Federal Planning Bureau. 

The main outcome of the SIPEBE project was to provide policy makers with an assessment 
tool  for  measuring  the  adequacy  of  the  Belgian  pension  system  for  wage  earners  and  civil 
servants.  The  adequacy  measurements  of  this  project  were  therefore  in  accordance  with  the 
sustainability assessment of the system. 

Box 5: PROGRESS addressing the CSR for Netherlands on long-term care 

CSR 2012 for the Netherlands: ‘Prepare a blueprint for reforming long-term care in view of 
an ageing population.’ 

The project ‘Quality Management by result-oriented indicators towards benchmarking in 
residential care for older people’ was financed by the PROGRESS programme. 

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Care homes for older people are confronted with challenges relating to changing expectations 
from residents and their families for better quality of care and adequate staffing. In the past, 
quality standards in residential care have been set by professionals and have largely focused 
on non-quality of life/care issues such as the qualifications of staff and the structural standards 
of premises. In several EU Member States, both regulators and providers have recently put in 
place better quality management systems and methods to advance the assessment, 
measurement and continuous improvement of long-term care services, to some extent 
following similar approaches. 

The project designed results-oriented indicators with a view to benchmarking in residential 
care for older people. It collected and validated results-oriented quality indicators for care 
homes, based on an exchange of experiences in selected Member States. Apart from the 
quality of care, special focus was given to the 'quality of life’ domain. Economic 
performance, leadership issues and the social context complemented the domains used to 
define, measure and assess the quality of results in care homes. Furthermore, one of the 
objectives was to investigate and gain experience in methods, how to work with 
results-oriented indicators and how to train care home managers in dealing with the respective 
challenges. This study produced a handbook on ‘Measuring Progress: Indicators for Care 
Homes’, which was disseminated in 5 languages and also helped to inform the Voluntary 
European Quality Framework for Social Services produced by the Social Protection 
Committee. 

3.2 

Experiences of social innovation supported by the ESF 

Over  the  previous  decade,  the  European  Social  Fund  has  made  significant  investments  in 
social  innovation.  In  the  period  2000-2006,  the  ESF  EQUAL  programme  invested 
 3.2  billion in innovative projects across the Union, bringing together 20 000 partners from 
all  over  Europe  to  design,  test  and  validate  innovative  solutions  to  integrating  people  with 
disadvantages  into  the  labour  market.  EQUAL  succeeded  in  demonstrating  the  added  value 
that innovation brings to the design and delivery of inclusive labour markets, and improved 
the  conditions  for  generating  a  significant  number  of  innovations.  The  EQUAL  experience 
built the initial case to show that innovative approaches are a cost effective  and sustainable 
way  of  introducing  change.  As  a  result,  a  consensus  emerged  that  promoting  innovation 
should  be  an  integral  part  of  all  Operational  Programmes.  EQUAL  continued  into  the  first 
three  years  of  the  current  programming  period  (2007-2013)  with  the  objective  of 
transnational  aspects.  Calls  for  proposals  under 
mainstreaming 
PROGRESS  continue  to  focus  on  social  innovation  and  social  policy  experimentation 
directly. 

innovation  and 

its 

ESF  funding  allocated  to  social  innovation  in  different  Member  States  generally  varies 
between 1 % and 5 % of the ESF total. The main thematic areas involving socially innovative 
approaches have been inclusive employment, education/training policies and social inclusion. 

2007-2013 funding for social innovation is estimated as follows in a 2010 report17: 

17  

BEPA, op. cit. 

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€
                                                 
• 

• 

more than €
developing and strengthening the innovative capabilities of the public sector; 

 2 billion in institutional capacity building, most of which contributes to 

more  than  € 1  billion  for  innovative  activities  (mainly  on  new  forms  of  work 
organisation  and  better  use  of  employees’  skills,  including  in  an  ageing  workforce, 
new  skills  for  climate  change  and  sustainable  growth,  and  new  ways  of  combating 
unemployment). 

Already in the current programming period, social innovation in the ESF has contributed to 
reforming social policies, improving their targeting and efficiency. 

Box: Social innovation in migration policy — Portugal 

At  the  end  of  the  1990s,  when  the  immigrant  population  doubled  within  a  few  years,  when 
most of the new waves were not Portuguese speakers and had no historical ties with Portugal, 
the public administration experienced great difficulties in communicating with the immigrant 
population and understanding their needs. At the same time, large populations of immigrants 
had  to  cope  with  the  challenge  of  social  integration  in  an  unfamiliar  linguistic,  cultural  and 
administrative setting. 

As a response, one-stop-shops, the National Immigrant Support Centres, were set up with the 
support of the ESF, changing the public administration of immigration policies. The centres 
have  helped  immigrants  to  find  their  way  through  complex  procedures  and  bureaucracy. 
Moreover, with a view to ensuring that administrative procedures of immigration and social 
inclusion go hand in hand, the centres provide a number of government and support services 
under  one  roof,  involving  various  governmental  and  non-governmental  organisations. 
Intercultural mediators with immigrant backgrounds were also recruited and trained, playing a 
fundamental role in this service provision, complementing the service provided by the public 
servants. This integrated service provision has been made possible by partnership with other 
providers, including NGOs. 

In the new programming period, Member States will identify the themes where social policy 
innovations will be implemented through the ESF, including the social challenges identified 
by the country-specific recommendations. The objective will be to test new innovative policy 
approaches and scale up the most efficient ones. 

As  well  as  the  ESF,  a  social  innovation  element  can  be  seen  in  a  range  of  programmes, 
policies  and  initiatives  of  the  European  Commission:  the  European  Regional  Development 
Fund  (ERDF),  the  Framework  Programmes  for  Research  and  Development  European  (FP 
RTD), Investment Bank Group (EIB) through joint EIB and European Commission Initiatives 
(ERDF) such as the four ‘J’s (JASPERS, JEREMIE, JESSICA, JASMINE), business support 
through  the  ERDF,  the  European  Investment  Fund  (EIF)  to  promote  social  enterprise,  the 
Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP) as well as the PROGRESS programme. 

The  PROGRESS  Programme  in  particular  complements  the  ESF  contributions.  It  helps 
improve the quality of the Commission’s policy initiatives by ensuring that they are built on 
strong evidence and by making its decision-making processes more accessible and involving a 
broad  range  of  stakeholders  in  policy  developments.  Under  PROGRESS,  a  first  annual  call 

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for  proposals  on  social  policy  experimentation  was  launched  in  2009.  Since  2011,  to 
encourage scaling up into public policies, the calls have been restricted to public authorities. 

3.3  

Experiences of the social economy and social entrepreneurship supported by the 
ESF 

There  is  great  potential  for  the  ESF  to  step  up  support  for  the  development  of  social 
entrepreneurship  as  called  for  in  the  Commission’s  2011  ‘Social  Business  Initiative’ 
Communication  .  The  Commission  has  therefore  provided  for  technical  assistance  to  make 
ESF Managing Authorities more aware and better equipped to provide support to the social 
economy. 

Although  the  promotion  of  the  social  economy  and  social  entrepreneurship  have  not  been 
specific  priorities  of  the  Structural  Funds  in  the  current  round  of  programmes,  social 
enterprises and social entrepreneurship have been supported by the funds. On the one hand, 
support has been provided with a view to the development of the social economy. 

Box:  Specific  support  for  the  social  economy  by  the  Structural  Funds  in  the  Czech 
Republic 

In the Czech Republic, the ‘Investment support for the social economy’ global grant, part of 
the  ERDF  integrated  operational  programme,  provides  start-up  capital  for  social  service 
providers, employers and other social economy organisations. Grants range from €12  000 to 
 200 000. In parallel, the ‘Social economy’ global grant, part of the ESF Human Resources 
and  Employment  Operational  Programme,  supports  the  creation  and  development  of  new 
social businesses. 

Grants range from €

 4 000 to €

 200 000. 

Box: Specific support for Microfinance by the Structural Funds in Germany 

 100 m  (€

 60 m  from  the  European  Social  Fund  and  €

In Germany the federal guarantee fund ‘Mikrokreditfonds Deutschland’ was set up in January 
 40 m  from  the 
2010  with  the  sum  of  €
Federal  Ministry  of  Employment  and  Social  Affairs),  with  the  aim  of  improving  access  to 
loans  up  to  €
 20 000  for  start-ups  and  microbusinesses.  The  goal  of  the  fund  is  to  disburse 
15 000  loans  by  31  December  2015.  Priority  is  given  to  serving  clients  with  a  migrant 
background,  women  entrepreneurs  and  companies  offering  apprenticeships.  Since  the  fund 
started in 2010, the number of disbursed loans is more than 250 % above what was initially 
planned.  By  December  2011  6 600  microloans  totalling  €
 39 m  had  been  given  out,  with  a 
default  rate  of  only  3 %.  In  all,  41%  of  the  clients  have  migrant  backgrounds  and  33 %  are 
women. The main business areas are services, retail, catering and handicrafts. 

Also  in  Germany,  through  the  ESF-funded  business  support  programme  Gründercoaching, 
starters and entrepreneurs who have already set up their business, but less than five years ago, 
can  receive  coaching  for  12  months.  The  coaching  can  concern  financial  advice,  the 
development  of  a  marketing  strategy  or  conducting  a  market  study.  The  programme  is 
managed  by  the  German  federal  bank  KfW.  The  entrepreneur  receives  a  grant  as  a 
contribution  towards  coaching  fees.  The  amount  covered  is  75 %  in  Eastern  Germany  and 
 6 000. For starters who are unemployed, 
50 % in Western Germany, with a maximum fee of €

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€
 
 4 000 of coaching fees is covered. Applications for the grant must be 
90 % of a maximum of €
handed in at one of the regional partners of KfW such as Chambers of Commerce or start-up 
and business support organisations. For microcredit institutions, combining a microloan with 
Gründercoaching  is  difficult.  Microcredit  organisations  that  operate  under  Mikrokreditfonds 
Deutschland must not make participation in Gründercoaching that they themselves provide a 
prerequisite  for  receiving  a  loan.  This  is  prohibited  under  German  consumer  protection 
legislation. In principle, however, a combination is possible. Moreover, the Gründercoaching 
cannot be used for the development of the business plan. This means that the entrepreneur has 
to go to another organisation that either offers paid advice in this regard or has a subsidised 
(e.g.  ESF-funded)  counselling  project.  One  problem  is  that  the  maximum  duration  of  the 
coaching is 12 months and once started no interruption is allowed. This means the borrower 
cannot receive any more coaching if he/she has a problem with the business after 12 months 
have elapsed.  

On the other hand, social enterprises have been supported as they contribute to the delivery of 
employment,  social  inclusion,  education  and  institutional  capacity-building  priorities.  As 
service providers, these undertakings have offered an efficient way of delivering policy and 
created  sustainable  jobs  at  the  same  time.  For  example,  in  the  employment  field,  the  social 
economy  has  provided  labour  market  reintegration  and  rehabilitation  services  for  long-term 
unemployed people, referred to them by public employment services, as part of active labour 
market policies. They have also provided early childhood education and care for families with 
a  disadvantaged  socio-economic  background  (e.g.  migrants,  Roma,  low-skilled  parents) 
thereby  improving  access  to  education  and  the  reduction  of  early  school  leaving.  Equally, 
social  enterprises  have  been  active  in  the  provision  of  community  care  to  disabled  people, 
thereby supporting the transition from institutional to community-based care. 

In many Member States, the ESF interventions in this field too have played their part in the 
implementation of country-specific recommendations. 

Box: ESF response CSR for Hungary on active labour market services 

CSR  for  Hungary:  ‘Strengthen  the capacity of  the Public Employment Service to increase 
the  quality  and  effectiveness  of  training,  job  search  assistance  and  individualised  services, 
with particular regard for people facing disadvantages. …’ 

A significant part of labour market integration services for long-term unemployed people are 
provided in Hungary by small social enterprises with close local contacts and better outreach 
to  people  facing  disadvantages  (disabled  people,  Roma,  single  parents,  addicts,  etc.).  They 
have  also  contributed  to  the  delivery  of  ESF  co-financed  national  active  labour  market 
programmes,  e.g.  the  rehabilitation  and  reintegration  of  people  with  altered  working 
capacities  involving  14.8  thousand  people  in  the  programme  by  2011  and  placing  1.5 
thousand in sustained employment. 

With a view to integrating the  labour market service delivery  capacity  into the provision of 
active  labour  market  services,  the  ESF  has  also  co-financed  the  standardisation  of  services 
and the development of an accreditation system for social enterprises. 

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ANNEX 1: IMPLEMENTING 2012 COUNTRY-SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS THROUGH THE ESF 

The table below shows how Member States can use the ESF to implement the 2012 CSRs by mapping each of the CSRs addressing social investment 
issues onto the relevant Thematic Objectives and Investment Priorities from the draft ESF Regulation. It details which specific Thematic Objectives and 
Investment  Priorities  have  been  recommended  by  the  Commission  for  using  the  ESF  to  support  implementation  of  each  of  these  CSRs  in  the 
Commission Position Papers sent to Member States in November 2012. 

MS 

AT2 

AT3 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

(d)  Enhancing  institutional  capacity  and 
efficient public administration 

• 

Investment  in  institutional  capacity 
and  in  the  efficiency  of  public 
administrations  and  public  services 
with  a  view  to  reforms,  better 
regulation and good governance 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility  

•  Active and healthy ageing 

•  Equality  between  men  and  women 
and  reconciliation  between  work 
and private life 

2.  Take  further  steps  to  strengthen  the 
national  budgetary  framework  by  aligning 
responsibilities across the federal, regional 
in 
and 
local 
particular  by 
concrete 
the 
at 
reforms 
organisation,  financing  and  efficiency  of 
healthcare and education.  

levels  of  government, 
implementing 

improving 

aimed 

older 

enhance 

3.  Bring  forward  the  harmonisation  of  the 
statutory  retirement  age  between  men  and 
women; 
workers’ 
employability  and  monitor  closely  the 
implementation  of 
the  recent  reforms 
restricting  access  to  early  exit  channels  in 
order 
the  effective 
retirement  age  is  rising  including  through 
linking  the  statutory  retirement  age  to  life 
expectancy.  

to  ensure 

that 

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MS 

AT4 

2012 CSRs  

4.  Take  steps  to  reduce  the  effective  tax 
and  social  security  burden  on 
labour 
especially  for  low  income  earners  with  a 
view  to  increasing  employment  rates  for 
older  persons  and  women  given  the  need 
to  counteract  the  impact  of  demographic 
change  on  the  working  population.  Shift 
the tax burden in a budgetary neutral way, 
and 
estate 
towards 
environmental 
the  high 
gender  pay  gap  and  enhance  full-time 
employment  opportunities  for  women,  in 
the  provision  of 
particular 
additional care services for dependants.  

taxes.  Reduce 

through 

taxes, 

real 

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and  supporting 
labour mobility 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

•  Active and healthy ageing 

•  Equality  between  men  and  women 
and  reconciliation  between  work 
and private life 

(c)  Promoting 
combating poverty 

social 

inclusion 

and 

•  Active inclusion 

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MS 

AT5 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

5.  Continue  to  implement  measures  to 
improve  educational  outcomes,  especially 
of  disadvantaged  young  people.  Take 
measures  to  reduce  drop-outs  from  higher 
education.  

(b)  Investing 
lifelong learning 

in  education,  skills  and 

•  Reducing early school leaving and 
promoting equal access to good 
quality early childhood, primary 
and secondary education 

• 

• 

Improving the quality, efficiency 
and capacity of tertiary and 
equivalent education with a view to 
increasing participation and 
attainment levels. 

Investing in education, relevant 
skills and lifelong learning by 
developing education and training 
infrastructures. 

(c)  Promoting 
combating poverty 

social 

inclusion 

and 

•  Active inclusion 

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MS 

BE2  

BE5  

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and  supporting 
labour mobility 

2.  Continue  to  improve  the  long-term 
sustainability of public finances by curbing 
age-related  expenditure,  including  health 
expenditure.  In  particular,  implement  the 
reform  of  pre-retirement  and  pension 
schemes and take further steps to ensure an 
increase  in  the  effective  retirement  age, 
including  through  linking  the  statutory 
retirement age to life expectancy.  

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

• 

• 

strengthen 
support 

5.  Significantly  shift  taxes  from  labour  to 
less  growth-distortive  taxes  including  for 
example  environmental  taxes.  Pursue  the 
initiated  reform  of 
the  unemployment 
benefit  system  to  reduce  disincentives  to 
focus  of 
work  and 
employment 
activation 
policies  on  older  workers  and  vulnerable 
groups, in particular people with a migrant 
the 
background.  Take  advantage  of 
planned  further  regionalisation  of  labour 
market competencies to boost interregional 
labour  mobility  and  to  strengthen  the 
lifelong 
coherence  between  education, 
and 
learning, 

vocational 

the 
and 

training 

and 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
people, 
seekers 
including 
employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

inactive 

local 

•  Sustainable  integration  of  young 
people 
employment, 
in 
education or training into the labour 
market 

not 

•  Active and healthy ageing; 

Access to employment for job-
seekers  and  inactive  people, 
local  employment 
including 
initiatives  and 
for 
support 
labour mobility 

Sustainable 
young 
employment, 
training into the labour market 

integration 
not 
education 

people 

of 
in 
or 

• 

Active and healthy ageing; 

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MS 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

employment  policies.  Extend  existing 
activation efforts to all age groups.  

(b)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

•  Active inclusion 

•  Combating discrimination based on 
sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion 
or  belief,  disability,  age  or  sexual 
orientation 

 (c)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and life-long learning 

•  Enhancing 

to 

lifelong 
access 
learning,  upgrading  the  skills  and 
competences  of  the  workforce  and 
increasing 
labour  market 
relevance of education and training 
systems 

the 

•  Reducing 

school-
early 
leaving  and  promoting 
equal  access 
to  good 
quality  early  childhood, 
primary  and  secondary 
education 

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MS 

BG1 

BG2 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

1.  [S]trengthen  efforts  to  enhance  the 
quality  of  public  spending,  particularly  in 
the education and health sectors.’ 

(b)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and lifelong learning 

2. Take further steps to reduce risks to the 
sustainability  and  to  improve  adequacy  of 
the  pension  system  by  making 
the 
statutory  retirement  age  the  same  for  men 
and  women  with  full  career  contributions. 
Introduce  stricter  criteria  and  controls  for 
the allocation of invalidity pensions.  

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

•  Reducing  early 

school 

leaving 
(ESL)  and  promoting  equal  access 
to  good-quality  early  childhood, 
primary and secondary education 

• 

• 

Improving  the  quality,  efficiency 
and  openness  of 
tertiary  and 
equivalent education with a view to 
increasing 
and 
attainment levels 

participation 

Investing  in  education,  skills  and 
learning  by  developing 
lifelong 
training 
education 
Infrastructure 

and 

•  Enhancing  access 
and 
including 

sustainable 
services, 
services 

to  affordable, 
high-quality 
healthcare 

•  Access 

to 

employment 

for 
inactive  people, 
jobseekers  and 
including 
employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

local 

•  Sustainable  integration  of  young 
people 
employment, 
in 
education  or  training  (NEET)  into 

not 

EN 

20 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

the labour market 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

•  Active Inclusion 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and  supporting 
labour mobility 

BG3 

3.  Accelerate  the  implementation  of  the 
national  Youth  Employment  Initiative. 
Ensure  that  the  minimum  thresholds  for 
security  contributions  do  not 
social 
discourage  declared  work.  Step  up  efforts 
the  Public  Employment 
to 
Service’s 
alleviate 
the  effectiveness  of 
poverty, 
social  transfers  and  the  access  to  quality 
social services for children and the elderly 

performance.  To 

improve 

improve 

•  Access 

to 

employment 

for 
inactive  people, 
jobseekers  and 
employment 
including 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

local 

•  Sustainable  integration  of  young 
employment, 
in 
people 
education  or  training  (NEET)  into 
the labour market 

not 

EN 

21 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

implement 
and 
Integration Strategy.  

the  National  Roma 

(c)  Promoting 
combating poverty 

social 

inclusion 

and 

•  Active Inclusion 

• 

Integration 
communities, such as the Roma 

marginalised 

of 

BG4 

4.  Speed  up  the  reform  of  relevant  legal 
acts  on  schools  and  higher  education  and 
of accompanying measures by focusing on 
modernising  curricula,  improving  teacher 
training,  and  ensuring  effective  access  to 
education 
for  disadvantaged  groups. 
Improve the access to finance for start-ups 
and  SMEs,  in  particular  those  involved  in 
innovative activities.  

(b)  Investing 
lifelong learning 

in  education,  skills  and 

•  Reducing  early 

school 

leaving 
(ESL)  and  promoting  equal  access 
to  good-quality  early  childhood, 
primary and secondary education 

• 

• 

Improving  the  quality,  efficiency 
tertiary  and 
and  openness  of 
equivalent education with a view to 
increasing 
and 
attainment levels 

participation 

Investing  in  education,  skills  and 
learning  by  developing 
lifelong 
education 
training 
Infrastructure 

and 

inclusion 

and 

•  Active inclusion 

• 

Integration 
communities, such as the Roma 

marginalised 

of 

(c)  Promoting 
combating poverty 

social 

CY3 

EN 

long-term 
3.  Further 
sustainability 
the 
pensions  system  and  address  the  high  at-

improve 
and 

adequacy  of 

the 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

•  Active inclusion 

22 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

CY4 

CY5 

risk-of-poverty rate for the elderly. Ensure 
an increase in the effective retirement age, 
including  through  aligning  the  statutory 
retirement  age  with  the  increase  in  life 
expectancy.  

4.  Complete  and  implement  the  national 
healthcare  system  without  delay,  on  the 
basis  of  a  roadmap,  which  should  ensure 
its  financial  sustainability  while  providing 
universal coverage.  

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

•  Active and healthy ageing 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

•  Active inclusion 

•  Enhancing  access 
to  affordable, 
high-quality 
and 
sustainable 
services,  including  health  care  and 
social services of general interest 

5.  Improve  the  skills  of  the  workforce  to 
reinforce 
their  occupational  mobility 
towards activities of high growth and high 
value  added.  Take  further  measures  to 
unemployment,  with 
address 
in 
emphasis 
placements 
companies 
self-
employment.  Take  appropriate  policy 
measures  on  the  demand  side  to  stimulate 
business innovation.  

on  work 
and  promotion  of 

youth 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

(b)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and life-long learning 

and 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
people, 
seekers 
including 
employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

inactive 

local 

•  Sustainable  integration  of  young 
people 
employment, 
in 
education or training into the labour 
market 

not 

•  Self-employment,  entrepreneurship 

and business creation 

•  Enhancing 

to 

lifelong 
access 
learning,  upgrading  the  skills  and 
competences  of  the  workforce  and 
labour  market 
increasing 

the 

EN 

23 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
MS 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

relevance of education and training 
systems 

CZ2 

CZ3 

CZ4 

2.  Introduce  further  changes  to  the  public 
pension  scheme  to  ensure  its  long-term 
sustainability.  Reconsider  plans  to  allow 
an  earlier  exit  from  the  labour  market. 
Promote effective participation of younger 
workers in the envisaged funded scheme to 
improve adequacy of pensions.  

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

Take 

additional  measures 

3. 
to 
significantly  increase  the  availability  of 
affordable 
pre-school 
childcare.  

quality 

and 

4.  Strengthen  PES  by 
the 
quality  and  effectiveness  of  training,  job 
individualised 
search 

increasing 

assistance 

and 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty  

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

and 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
seekers 
people 
employment 
including 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

inactive 

local 

•  Modernisation and strengthening of 

labour market institutions 

•  Active and healthy ageing 

•  Equality  between  men  and 
reconciliation 

women 
between work and private life; 

and 

• Integration  of  marginalised 
communities  such  as  the 
Roma 

•  Enhancing  access 
to  affordable, 
sustainable 
high-quality 
and 
services,  including  health  care  and 
social services of general interest 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
people 
seekers 
including 
employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 

inactive 

local 

and 

EN 

24 

EN 

 
  
 
 
MS 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

services, including of outsourced services.  

mobility 

•  Modernisation and strengthening of 
institutions, 
market 
enhance 
actions 

labour 
including 
transnational labour mobility 

to 

(b)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and life-long learning 

• 

Improving  the  quality,  efficiency 
and  openness  of 
tertiary  and 
equivalent education with a view to 
increasing 
and 
attainment levels 

participation 

•  Reducing  early  school-leaving  and 
promoting  equal  access  to  good 
quality  early  childhood,  primary 
and secondary education 

CZ6 

DE3 

6.  Adopt  the  necessary  legislation  to 
establish  a  transparent  and  clearly  defined 
system  for  quality  evaluation  of  higher 
education and research institutions. Ensure 
that  the  funding  is  sustainable  and  linked 
to  the  outcome  of  the  quality  assessment. 
improvement-oriented 
Establish 
evaluation 
in  compulsory 
education. 

an 
framework 

earners, 

3.  Reduce  the  high  tax  wedge  in  a 
budgetary  neutral  way,  in  particular  for 
and  maintain 
low-wage 
appropriate  activation  and 
integration 
measures,  in  particular  for  the  long-term 
unemployed.  Create  the  conditions  for 
wages to grow in line with productivity. 

Take  measures  to  raise  the  educational 
achievement  of  disadvantaged  groups,  in 
particular 
equal 
opportunities in the education and training 
system.  Phase  out  the  fiscal  disincentives 
the 
for  second  earners,  and 

ensuring 

increase 

through 

EN 

25 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and  supporting 
labour mobility 

•  Equality  between  men  and  women 
and  reconciliation  between  work 
and private life 

•  Sustainable  integration  of  young 
people 
employment, 
in 
education  or  training  (NEET)  into 
the labour market 

not 

•  Adaptation  of  workers,  enterprises 

and entrepreneurs to change 

•  Active and healthy ageing 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

availability  of  fulltime  childcare  facilities 
and all-day schools.  

(c)  Promoting 
combating poverty 

social 

inclusion 

and 

•  Active inclusion 

DK2 

EN 

better 

2. Take further steps to enhance long-term 
labour  supply  by  reforming  the  disability 
subsidised 
pension, 
employment 
‘flex-job’ 
system) towards people with reduced work 
capacity, and improving the employability 
of people with a migrant background.  

targeting 
(the 

schemes 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and  supporting 
labour mobility 

and 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
people, 
seekers 
including 
employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

inactive 

local 

•  Support 

and  promote 

self-
entrepreneurship 

employment, 
and business creation  

26 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

(c)  Promoting 
combating poverty 

social 

inclusion 

and 

•  Active inclusion 

DK3 

EE2 

improve 

announced  measures, 
Implement 
3. 
without  delay, 
the  cost-
to 
effectiveness  of  the  education  system, 
reduce  drop-out  rates,  in  particular  within 
vocational  education,  and  increase  the 
number of apprenticeships.  

(c)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and life-long learning 

•  Reducing  early  school-leaving  and 
to 
equal 
access 
early-childhood, 

promoting 
goodquality 
primary and secondary education 

(a) Promoting employment and supporting 
labour mobility 

Improve 

2. 
to  work  by 
incentives 
streamlining the social benefits system and 
increasing  flexibility  in  the  allocation  of 
disability,  unemployment  and  parental 
benefits,  while  ensuring  adequate  social 
protection.  Improve  delivery  of  social 
services, while better targeting family and 
parental 
removing 
distortionary 
exemptions 
income 
the 
children. 
to 
related 
participation  of  the  young  and  the  long-
term unemployed in the labour market.  

and 
tax 

Increase 

benefits 

and 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
people, 
seekers 
including 
employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

inactive 

local 

•  Sustainable  integration  of  young 
people 
employment, 
in 
education or training into the labour 
market; 

not 

•  Self-employment,  entrepreneurship 

and business creation 

•  Active and healthy ageing 

EN 

27 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

EE3 

and 

training  and  education  more 
3.  Link 
effectively  to  the  needs  of  the  labour 
market,  and  enhance  cooperation  between 
businesses 
Increase 
opportunities  for  low-skilled  workers  to 
improve  their  access  to  lifelong  learning. 
Foster 
and 
internationalisation  of  the  research  and 
innovation systems.  

prioritisation 

academia. 

(b)  Promoting 
combating poverty 

social 

inclusion 

and 

•  Enhancing  access 
to  affordable, 
sustainable 
high-quality 
and 
services,  including  health  care  and 
social services of general interest 

(b)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and life-long learning  

•  Reducing  early  school-leaving  and 
promoting  equal  access  to  good 
quality  early  childhood,  primary 
and secondary education 

•  Enhancing 

to 

lifelong 
access 
learning,  upgrading  the  skills  and 
competences  of  the  workforce  and 
increasing 
labour  market 
relevance of education and training 
systems 

the 

EL 

Implement  the  measures  laid  down  in  Decision 
2011/734/EU, as amended on 8 November 2011 and 
13  March  2012,  and 
the  Memorandum  of 
Understanding  on  Specific  Economic  Policy 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

• 

Improving  the  quality,  efficiency 
tertiary  and 
and  openness  of 
equivalent education with a view to 
increasing 
and 
attainment levels 

participation 

•  Sustainable  integration  of  young 
unemployed  and  young  people  not 
in 
or 
training  (NEET)  into  the  labour 

employment, 

education 

EN 

28 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

Conditionality, which was signed on 14 March 2012 

market 

•  Self-employment,  entrepreneurship 

and business creation. 

and 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
people, 
seekers 
including 
employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

inactive 

local 

(b)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and lifelong learning 

•  Reducing  early  school  leaving  and 
promoting  equal  access  to  good 
quality  early  childhood,  primary 
and secondary education. 

•  Enhancing 

to 

lifelong 
access 
learning,  upgrading  the  skills  and 
competences  of  the  workforce  and 
increasing 
labour  market 
relevance of education and training 
systems. 

the 

(c)  Active 
combating poverty 

inclusion 

and 

•  Promoting  the  social  economy  and 

social enterprises 

•  Active inclusion 

•  Enhancing  access 
and 
including 

sustainable 
services, 
services 

to  affordable, 
high-quality 
healthcare 

EN 

29 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
MS 

ES2 

ES5 

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

•  Promoting  an  active  and  healthy 

ageing  

2012 CSRs  

the 

line  with 

sustainability 

2.  Ensure  that  the  retirement  age  is  rising 
life  expectancy  when 
in 
regulating 
factor 
foreseen  in  the  recent  pension  reform  and 
underpin the Global Employment Strategy 
for Older Workers with concrete measures 
to  develop 
further, 
improve working conditions and foster the 
reincorporation  of  this  group  in  the  job 
market.  

learning 

lifelong 

5.  Implement  the  labour  market  reforms 
and  take  additional  measures  to  increase 
the  effectiveness  of  active  labour  market 
policies  by  improving  their  targeting,  by 
increasing the use of training, advisory and 
job  matching  services,  by  strengthening 
their  links  with  passive  policies,  and  by 
strengthening  coordination  between  the 
national  and  regional  public  employment 
services,  including  sharing  information 
about job vacancies.  

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

•  Facilitating  access  to  employment 
for job-seekers and inactive people, 
the  gender 
paying  attention 
dimension, 
local 
employment  initiatives  and  support 
for labour mobility 

to 
including 

EN 

30 

EN 

 
  
  
MS 

ES6 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

to  support  access 

spending  priorities 

and 
6.  Review 
to 
reallocate  funds 
finance 
for  small  and  medium-sized 
enterprises  (SMEs),  research,  innovation 
and  young  people.  Implement  the  Youth 
Action  Plan,  in  particular  as  regards  the 
quality  and  labour  market  relevance  of 
vocational  training  and  education,  and 
reinforce  efforts  to  reduce  early  school-
leaving  and 
in 
vocational  education  and  training  through 
prevention, intervention and compensation 
measures.  

increase  participation 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

•  Ensuring  a  sustainable  integration 
of 
in 
employment,  education  or  training 
into the labour market 

people 

young 

not 

•  Promoting 

entrepreneurship 
creation 

self-employment, 
business 

and 

•  Fostering  adaptation  of  workers, 
enterprises  and  entrepreneurs 
to 
change 

(b)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and life-long learning 

•  Reducing  early  school-leaving  and 
promoting  equal  access  to  good 
quality  early-childhood,  primary 
and secondary education 

•  Enhancing 

to 

lifelong 
access 
learning,  upgrading  the  skills  and 
competences  of  the  workforce  and 
labour  market 
increasing 
relevance of education and training 
systems; 

the 

EN 

31 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS 

ES7 

FI3 

FR2 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

7. Improve the employability of vulnerable 
groups, combined with effective child and 
family  support  services 
to 
improve  the  situation  of  people  at  risk  of 
poverty  and/or  social  exclusion,  and 
consequently  to  achieve  the  well-being  of 
children.  

in  order 

the 

people 

3.  Implement  the  ongoing  measures  to 
improve  the  labour  market  position  of 
young 
long-term 
and 
unemployed,  with  a  particular  focus  on 
skills  development.  Take  further  steps  to 
improve  the  employment  rate  of  older 
workers,  including  by  reducing  early  exit 
pathways.  Take  measures  to  increase  the 
into 
retirement  age 
effective 
account the improved life expectancy.  

taking 

2.  Introduce  further  reforms  to  combat 
labour  market  segmentation  by  reviewing 
selected aspects of employment protection 
legislation,  in  consultation  with  the  social 
partners 
in  accordance  with  national 
to 
practices, 
dismissals;  continue  to  ensure  that  any 
development  in  the  minimum  wage  is 
supportive 
and 
job 
competitiveness;  take  actions  to  increase 

particular 

creation 

related 

of 

in 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

• 

•  Active inclusion 

Integration 
communities such as the Roma 

of 

marginalised 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

(b)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and life-long learning 

•  Enhancing  access 
to  affordable, 
sustainable 
high-quality 
and 
services,  including  health  care  and 
social services of general interest 

•  Sustainable  integration  of  young 
people 
employment, 
in 
education or training into the labour 
market 

not 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-

seekers and inactive people 

•  Self-employment,  entrepreneurship 

and business creation; 

•  Active and healthy ageing 

•  Enhancing 

to 

lifelong 
access 
learning,  upgrading  the  skills  and 
competences  of  the  workforce  and 
increasing 
labour  market 
relevance of education and training 
systems 

the 

EN 

32 

EN 

 
  
 
MS 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

FR3 

HU3 

adult participation in lifelong learning.  

3. Adopt labour market measures to ensure 
that  older  workers  stay  in  employment 
improve  youth  employability 
longer; 
especially  for 
those  most  at  risk  of 
unemployment,  by  providing  for  example 
more  and  better  apprenticeship  schemes 
which effectively address their needs; step 
up  active 
labour  market  policies  and 
ensure that public employment services are 
more effective in delivering individualised 
support.  

3.  Make  the  taxation  of  labour  more 
employment-friendly  by  alleviating  the 
impact  of  the  2011  and  2012  tax  changes 
on  low  earners  in  a  sustainable,  budget-
neutral  manner,  for  example  by  shifting 
part of the tax burden to energy taxes and 
recurrent  taxes  on  property.  Strengthen 
encourage  women’s 
measures 
participation 
labour  market, 
the 
particularly  by  expanding  childcare  and 
pre-school facilities.  

in 

to 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

•  Active and healthy ageing 

•  Sustainable  integration  of  young 
people 
employment, 
in 
education or training into the labour 
market 

not 

and 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
people, 
seekers 
including 
employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

inactive 

local 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

and 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
people, 
seekers 
employment 
including 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

inactive 

local 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

•  Equality  between  men  and  women 
and  reconciliation  between  work 
and private life 

•  Enhancing  access 
to  affordable, 
high-quality 
and 
sustainable 
services,  including  health  care  and 
social services of general interest 

EN 

33 

EN 

 
  
MS 

HU4 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

to 

and 

increase 

4.  Strengthen  the  capacity  of  the  Public 
Employment  Service 
the 
quality  and  effectiveness  of  training,  job 
individualised 
search 
assistance 
for 
regard 
services,  with  particular 
disadvantaged  groups.  Strengthen 
the 
activation  element  in  the  public  work 
scheme  through  effective  training  and  job 
search  assistance.  Implement  the  National 
Social  (Roma)  Inclusion  Strategy,  and 
mainstream it with other policies.  

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

and 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
people, 
seekers 
including 
employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

inactive 

local 

•  Equality  between  men  and  women 
and  reconciliation  between  work 
and private life 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

•  Active inclusion 

•  Enhancing  access 
to  affordable, 
sustainable 
high-quality 
and 
services,  including  health  care  and 
social services of general interest 

•  Promoting  the  social  economy  and 

social enterprises 

EN 

34 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS 

HU6 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

implement  a  national 
6.  Prepare  and 
strategy  on  early 
school-leaving  by 
ensuring  adequate  financing.  Ensure  that 
the implementation of the higher education 
reform  improves  access  to  education  for 
disadvantaged groups.  

(b)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and life-long learning 

•  Reducing  early  school-leaving  and 
promoting  equal  access  to  good 
quality  early-childhood,  primary 
and secondary education 

• 

Improving  the  quality,  efficiency 
and  openness  of 
tertiary  and 
equivalent education with a view to 
increasing 
and 
attainment levels 

participation 

•  Enhancing 

to 

lifelong 
access 
learning,  upgrading  the  skills  and 
competences  of  the  workforce  and 
increasing 
labour  market 
relevance of education and training 
systems 

the 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

•  Enhancing  access 
to  affordable, 
sustainable 
high-quality 
and 
services,  including  health  care  and 
social services of general interest 

•  Promoting  the  social  economy  and 

social enterprises 

EN 

35 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS 

IE 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

Implement the measures laid down in Implementing 
Decision  2011/77/EU  and  further  specified  in  the 
Memorandum  of  Understanding  of  16  December 
2010 and its subsequent supplements. 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

and 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
people, 
seekers 
including 
employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

inactive 

local 

•  Sustainable  integration  of  young 
people 
employment, 
in 
education  or  training  (NEET)  into 
the labour market 

not 

•  Modernisation and strengthening of 
institutions, 
market 
enhance 
actions 

labour 
including 
transnational labour mobility. 

to 

(b)  investing  in  education,  skills 
and lifelong learning 

•  Reducing  early  school-leaving  and 
promoting  equal  access  to  good 
quality  early  childhood,  primary 
and secondary education 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

•  Active inclusion 

EN 

36 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS 

IT3 

2012 CSRs  

3.  Take  further  action  to  address  youth 
unemployment,  including  by  improving 
the  labour  market  relevance  of  education 
and  facilitating  transition  to  work,  also 
through  incentives  for  business  start-ups 
and  for  hiring  employees.  Enforce  nation-
wide 
and 
qualifications  to  promote  labour  mobility. 
Take measures to reduce tertiary education 
dropout  rates  and  fight  early  school 
leaving. 

recognition 

skills 

of 

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

•  Sustainable  integration  of  young 
people 
employment, 
in 
education or training into the labour 
market 

not 

and 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
people, 
seekers 
including 
employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

inactive 

local 

•  Equality  between  men  and  women 
and  reconciliation  between  work 
and private life 

•  Modernisation and strengthening of 
institutions, 
market 
enhance 
actions 

labour 
including 
transnational labour mobility 

to 

EN 

37 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

(b)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and life-long learning 

•  Reducing  early  school-leaving  and 
promoting  equal  access  to  good 
quality  early-childhood,  primary 
and secondary education 

• 

Improving  the  quality,  efficiency 
and  openness  of 
tertiary  and 
equivalent education with a view to 
and 
increasing 
attainment levels 

participation 

•  Enhancing 

to 

lifelong 
access 
learning,  upgrading  the  skills  and 
competences  of  the  workforce  and 
increasing 
labour  market 
relevance of education and training 
systems 

the 

LT2 

2.  Adopt  legislation  on  a  comprehensive 
pension system reform. Align the statutory 
retirement  age  with 
life  expectancy, 
establish  clear  rules  for  the  indexation  of 
improve  complementary 
pensions,  and 
savings schemes. Underpin pension reform 
with active ageing measures.  

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

•  Active and healthy ageing 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

•  Active inclusion 

EN 

38 

EN 

 
  
 
 
MS 

LT3 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

high 

unemployment, 

in 
3.  Tackle 
particular  among  youth,  low-skilled  and 
long-term 
focusing 
unemployed,  by 
resources on active labour market policies 
while improving their efficiency. Enhance 
the 
apprenticeship 
schemes.  Amend  the  labour  legislation 
with 
contract 
agreements,  dismissal  provisions  and 
flexible working time arrangements.  

effectiveness 

flexible 

regard 

of 

to 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

•  Access 

to 

employment 

for 
jobseekers  and  inactive  people,  in 
particular 
including 
the  young, 
local  employment  initiatives  and 
support for labour mobility 

(b)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and life-long learning 

•  Sustainable  integration  of  young 
people 
employment, 
in 
education or training into the labour 
market 

not 

•  Reducing  early  school-leaving  and 
promoting  equal  access  to  good 
quality earlychildhood, primary and 
secondary education: 

•  Enhancing 

to 

lifelong 
access 
learning,  upgrading  the  skills  and 
competences  of  the  workforce  and 
increasing 
labour  market 
relevance of education and training 
systems 

the 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

•  Active inclusion 

•  Community-led 

Local 

Development (CLLD) 

LT4 

4. Increase work incentives and strengthen 
the  links  between  the  social  assistance 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

•  Active inclusion 

• Community-led 

Local 

EN 

39 

EN 

 
  
 
 
MS 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

LU2 

in 
reform  and  activation  measures, 
particular  for  the  most  vulnerable,  to 
reduce poverty and social exclusion.  

2. Strengthen the proposed pension reform 
by  taking  additional  measures  to  increase 
the  participation  rate  of  older  workers,  in 
particular  by  preventing  early  retirement, 
and by taking further steps to increase the 
effective retirement age, including through 
linking  the  statutory  retirement  age  to  life 
expectancy,  in  order  to  ensure  the  long-
term sustainability of the pension system.  

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

Development (CLLD) 

•  Access  to  employment  for 
job-seekers  and  inactive 
local 
people, 
including 
initiatives 
employment 
and  support  for 
labour 
mobility 

•  Modernisation 

and 
labour 
institutions, 
actions 
to 
transnational 

strengthening  of 
market 
including 
enhance 
labour mobility 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

•  Active and healthy ageing 

•  Active inclusion 

EN 

40 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS 

LU4 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

by 
involvement, 
and 
training 

to  reduce  youth 
4.  Continue  efforts 
reinforcing 
unemployment 
and 
by 
stakeholders’ 
strengthening 
education 
measures,  in  particular  for  those  with  low 
education  levels,  with  the  aim  of  better 
matching  young  people’s 
skills  and 
qualifications to labour demand.  

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

•  Access  to  employment  for 
job-seekers  and  inactive 
local 
people, 
including 
initiatives 
employment 
labour 
and  support  for 
mobility 

•  Sustainable  integration  of 
young  people  not 
in 
employment, education or 
training  into  the  labour 
market 

•  Modernisation 

and 
labour 
institutions, 
actions 
to 
transnational 

strengthening  of 
market 
including 
enhance 
labour mobility 

(b)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and life-long learning 

•  Enhancing 

to 

lifelong 
access 
learning,  upgrading  the  skills  and 
competences  of  the  workforce  and 
increasing 
labour  market 
relevance of education and training 
systems 

the 

EN 

41 

EN 

•  Reducing  early  school  leaving  and 
promoting  equal  access  to  good 
quality  early  childhood,  primary 
and secondary education 

 
  
 
 
MS 

LV3 

LV4 

EN 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

3. Take measures to reduce long-term and 
youth  unemployment  by  fighting  early 
school  leaving,  promoting  more  efficient 
vocational  education  and  training  and  its 
apprenticeship  component,  enhancing  the 
quality,  coverage  and  effectiveness  of 
active labour market policy and its training 
component  and  through  an  effective  wage 
subsidy scheme. 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

(b)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and life-long learning 

and 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
people, 
seekers 
including 
employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

inactive 

local 

•  Reducing  early  school-leaving  and 
to 
equal 
access 
early-childhood, 

promoting 
goodquality 
primary and secondary education 

• 

Improving  the  quality,  efficiency 
tertiary  and 
and  openness  of 
equivalent education with a view to 
increasing 
and 
attainment levels 

participation 

•  Enhancing 

to 

lifelong 
access 
learning,  upgrading  the  skills  and 
competences  of  the  workforce  and 
increasing 
labour  market 
relevance of education and training 
systems 

the 

reforming 

4.  Tackle  high  rates  of  poverty  and  social 
social 
exclusion  by 
assistance  system 
it  more 
efficient,  while  better  protecting  the  poor. 
Ensure  better 
increase 
incentives to work. 

targeting  and 

to  make 

the 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

•  Active inclusion 

•  Enhancing  access  to  affordable, 
sustainable 
high-quality 
and 
services,  including  health  care 
and  social  services  of  general 

42 

EN 

 
  
MS 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

interest 

(d)  Enhancing 
institutional 
capacity  and  efficient  public 
administration 

(b)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and lifelong learning 

LV7 

institutions, 

7.  Continue  reforms  in  higher  education, 
implementing  a  new 
inter  alia,  by 
that  rewards  quality, 
financing  model 
strengthens  links  with  market  needs  and 
research 
avoids 
fragmentation of budget resources. Design 
and  implement  an  effective  research  and 
innovation  policy  encouraging  companies 
to  innovate,  including  via  tax  incentives, 
upgrading  infrastructure  and  rationalising 
research institutions. 

and 

in 

and 
of 

•  Investment  in  institutional 
capacity 
the 
public 
efficiency 
administrations and public 
services  with  a  view  to 
reforms,  better  regulation 
and good governance 

•  Reducing  early  school-leaving  and 
to 
equal 
access 
early-childhood, 

promoting 
goodquality 
primary and secondary education 

• 

Improving  the  quality,  efficiency 
and  openness  of 
tertiary  and 
equivalent education with a view to 
increasing 
and 
attainment levels 

participation 

•  Enhancing 

to 

lifelong 
access 
learning,  upgrading  the  skills  and 
competences  of  the  workforce  and 
increasing 
labour  market 
relevance of education and training 
systems 

the 

EN 

43 

EN 

 
  
MS 

MT2 

MT3 

EN 

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

2012 CSRs  

in 

increase 

2.  Take  action,  without  further  delay,  to 
ensure  the  long-term  sustainability  of  the 
pension system, comprising an increase in 
the  effective  retirement  age,  including 
through  a  significant  acceleration  of  the 
the  statutory 
progressive 
to  current 
retirement  age  compared 
legislation  and 
link 
between  the  statutory  retirement  age  and 
life 
to 
encourage  private  pension  savings.  Take 
measures  to  increase  the  participation  of 
older  workers  in  the  labour  force  and 
discourage  the  use  of  early  retirement 
schemes. 

through  a  clear 

and  measures 

expectancy, 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

3.  Take  steps  to  reduce  the  high  rate  of 
early school leaving. Pursue policy efforts 
in the education system to match the skills 
required by the labour market. Enhance the 
provision  and  affordability  of  more 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

•  Active and healthy ageing 

•  Equality  between  men  and  women 
and  reconciliation  between  work 
and 
including 
stimulation  of  female  employment 
in rural areas 

private 

life, 

and 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
people, 
seekers 
including 
employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

inactive 

local 

•  Self-employment,  entrepreneurship 

and business creation 

•  Active inclusion 

•  Enhancing 

access 

to 
affordable, 
sustainable 
and  high-quality  services, 
including  health  care  and 
social  services  of  general 
interest: 

•  Active and healthy ageing 

•  Equality  between  men  and  women 
and  reconciliation  between  work 
including 
and 

private 

life, 

44 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

childcare  and  out-of-school  centres,  with 
the 
gender 
reducing 
aim 
employment gap. 

the 

of 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

stimulation  of  female  employment 
in rural areas 

and 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
seekers 
people, 
employment 
including 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

inactive 

local 

(b)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and life-long learning 

•  Self-employment,  entrepreneurship 

and business creation 

•  Reducing  early  school-leaving  and 
to 
equal 
access 
early-childhood, 

promoting 
goodquality 
primary and secondary education 

• 

Improving  the  quality,  efficiency 
and  openness  of 
tertiary  and 
equivalent  education  with  view  to 
increasing 
and 
attainment levels 

participation 

•  Enhancing 

to 

lifelong 
access 
learning,  upgrading  the  skills  and 
competences  of  the  workforce  and 
labour  market 
increasing 
relevance of education and training 
systems and training systems 

the 

EN 

45 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS 

2012 CSRs  

NL2 

NL3 

2. Take measures to increase the statutory 
retirement  age,  including  linking  it  to  life 
these  with 
expectancy,  and  underpin 
labour  market  measures  to  support  raising 
the  effective 
retirement  age,  whilst 
improving  the  long-term  sustainability  of 
public finances. Adjust the second pension 
pillar to mirror the increase in the statutory 
retirement 
an 
appropriate  intra-  and  inter-generational 
division  of  costs  and  risks.  Implement  the 
planned  reform  in  long-term  care  and 
complement  it  with  further  measures  to 
contain the increase in costs, in view of an 
ageing population.  

age,  while 

ensuring 

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

•  Active Inclusion 

•  Enhancing  access 
to  affordable, 
sustainable 
high-quality 
and 
services,  including  health  care  and 
social services of general interest 

•  Active and healthy ageing 

and 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
people, 
seekers 
including 
employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

inactive 

local 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

•  Active inclusion 

3.  Enhance  participation  in  the  labour 
market,  particularly  of  older  people, 
women,  and  people  with  disabilities  and 
migrants, including by further reducing tax 
disincentives  for  second-income  earners, 
fostering  labour  market  transitions,  and 
addressing rigidities.  

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

•  Active and healthy ageing 

and 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
people, 
seekers 
including 
employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

inactive 

local 

EN 

46 

EN 

 
  
 
 
MS 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

•  Equality  between  men  and  women 
and  reconciliation  between  work 
and private life 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

•  Active inclusion 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

PL3 

3.  To 
reduce  youth  unemployment, 
increase the availability of apprenticeships 
and  work-  based  learning,  improve  the 
quality of vocational training and adopt the 
proposed lifelong learning strategy. Better 
match  education  outcomes  with  the  needs 
of  the  labour  market  and  improve  the 
quality  of  teaching.  To  combat  labour 
market segmentation and in-work poverty, 
limit  excessive  use  of  civil  law  contracts 
and  extend  the  probationary  period  to 
permanent contracts.  

and 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
people, 
seekers 
including 
employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

inactive 

local 

•  Sustainable  integration  of  young 
people 
employment, 
in 
education or training into the labour 
market 

not 

•  Equality  between  men  and  women 
and  reconciliation  between  work 
and private life 

•  Modernisation and strengthening 
institutions, 
to  enhance 

of 
labour  market 
including  actions 
transnational labour mobility; 

EN 

47 

EN 

 
  
 
MS 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

(b)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and life-long learning 

• 

Improving  the  quality,  efficiency 
and  openness  of 
tertiary  and 
equivalent  education  with  view  to 
increasing 
and 
attainment levels 

participation 

•  Enhancing 

to 

lifelong 
access 
learning,  upgrading  the  skills  and 
competences  of  the  workforce  and 
labour  market 
increasing 
relevance of education and training 
systems 

the 

PL4 

4.  Reinforce  efforts  to  increase  the  labour 
market  participation  of  women  and  raise 
enrolment  rates  of  children  in  both  early 
childcare  and  pre-school  education,  by 
ensuring  stable  funding  and  investment  in 
the  provision  of 
public 
qualified  staff,  and  affordable  access. 
Tackle  entrenched  practices  of  early 
retirement  to  increase  exit  ages  from  the 
the  special 
labour  market.  Phase  out 

infrastructure, 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

•  Promoting  equal  access  to  good-
quality  early-childhood,  primary 
and secondary education 

•  Active and healthy ageing 

•  Sustainable  integration  of  young 
people 
employment, 
in 
education or training into the labour 
market 

not 

•  Equality  between  men  and  women 
and  reconciliation  between  work 
and private life 

EN 

48 

EN 

 
  
 
 
MS 

2012 CSRs  

pension scheme for miners with a view to 
integrating  them  into  the  general  scheme. 
Take  more  ambitious,  permanent  steps  to 
reform 
reflect 
individual incomes.  

the  KRUS 

to  better 

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

(b)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and lifelong learning 

• 

Improving  the  quality,  efficiency 
and  openness  of 
tertiary  and 
equivalent  education  with  view  to 
increasing 
and 
attainment levels 

participation 

•  Enhancing 

to 

lifelong 
access 
learning,  upgrading  the  skills  and 
competences  of  the  workforce  and 
labour  market 
increasing 
relevance of education and training 
systems 

the 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

•  Promoting  equal  access  to  good-
quality  early-childhood,  primary 
and secondary education 

•  Active inclusion 

•  Enhancing  access 
to  affordable, 
sustainable 
high-quality 
and 
services,  including  health  care  and 
social services of general interest 

EN 

49 

EN 

 
  
 
MS 

PT 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

the  measures  as 

in 
Implement 
Implementing  Decision  2011/344/EU  and  further 
specified  in  the  Memorandum  of  Understanding  of 
17 May 2011 and its subsequent supplements. 

laid  down 

(a)  Promoting  Employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

(b)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and lifelong learning 

inactive  people, 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
in 
seekers  and 
people, 
particular 
including 
employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

of 
local 

young 

•  Sustainable  integration  of  young 
people 
employment, 
in 
education  or  training  (NEET)  into 
the labour market 

not 

•  Reducing  early  school-leaving  and 
promoting  equal  access  to  good 
quality  early  childhood,  primary 
and secondary education: 

• 

Improving  the  quality,  efficiency 
tertiary  and 
and  openness  of 
equivalent education with a view to 
increasing 
and 
attainment level 

participation 

•  Enhancing 

to 

lifelong 
access 
learning,  upgrading  the  skills  and 
competences  of  the  workforce  and 
labour  market 
increasing 
relevance of education and training 
systems 

the 

EN 

50 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS 

2012 CSRs  

RO 

as 

amended 

Implement  the  measures  laid  down  in  Decision 
by  Decision 
2009/459/EC, 
2010/183/EU, together with the measures laid down 
in  Decision  2011/288/EU  and  further  specified  in 
the Memorandum of Understanding of 23 June 2009 
the 
and 
Memorandum  of  Understanding  of  29  June  2011 
and its subsequent supplements. 

its  subsequent  supplements,  and 

in 

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

(a)  Promoting  Employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

•  Active inclusion 

•  Enhancing  access 
to  affordable, 
sustainable 
high-quality 
and 
services,  including  health  care  and 
social services of general interest: 

•  Sustainable  integration  of  young 
employment, 
in 
people 
education or training into the labour 
market 

not 

and 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
people, 
seekers 
including 
employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

inactive 

local 

(b)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and lifelong learning 

•  Reducing  early  school-leaving  and 
promoting  equal  access  to  good 
quality  early  childhood,  primary 
and secondary education 

•  Enhancing 

to 

lifelong 
access 
learning,  upgrading  the  skills  and 
competences  of  the  workforce  and 
increasing 
labour  market 
relevance of education and training 
systems 

the 

EN 

51 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

• 

Improving  the  quality,  efficiency 
and  openness  of 
tertiary  and 
equivalent education with a view to 
increasing 
and 
attainment levels 

participation 

•  Enhancing  access 
to  affordable, 
sustainable 
high-quality 
and 
services,  including  health  care  and 
social services of general interest 

•  Active inclusion 

• 

Integration 
communities such as the Roma 

of  marginalised 

•  Sustainable  integration  of  young 
people 
employment, 
in 
education or training into the labour 
market 

not 

and 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
seekers 
people, 
employment 
including 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

inactive 

local 

•  Adaptation  of  workers,  enterprises 

and entrepreneurs to change 

•  Active and healthy ageing 

SE3 

3.  Take  further  measures  to  improve  the 
labour  market  participation  of  youth  and 
vulnerable  groups,  e.g.  by  improving  the 
effectiveness  of  active 
labour  market 
measures,  facilitating  the  transition  from 
school  to  work,  promoting  policies  to 
increase demand for vulnerable groups and 
improving  the  functioning  of  the  labour 
market.  Review  the  effectiveness  of  the 
current  reduced  VAT  rate  for  restaurants 
and  catering  services  in  support  of  job 
creation.  

EN 

52 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

•  Active inclusion 

•  Community-led local development 

SI2 

2.  Take  urgent  steps  to  ensure  the  long-
term  sustainability  of  the  pension  system, 
while preserving the adequacy of pensions, 
by:  (i)  equalising  the  statutory  retirement 
age  for  men  and  women;  (ii)  ensuring  an 
increase  in  the  effective  retirement  age, 
including  through  linking  the  statutory 
retirement  age  to  life  expectancy;  (iii) 
reducing early retirement possibilities; and 
(iv)  reviewing  the  indexation  system  for 
pensions. Increase the employment rate of 
older  workers  also  by  further  developing 
active  labour  market  policies  and  lifelong 
learning measures.  

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

(b)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and lifelong learning 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

and 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
people, 
seekers 
including 
employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

inactive 

local 

•  Active and healthy ageing 

•  Enhancing 

to 

lifelong 
access 
learning,  upgrading  the  skills  and 
competences  of  the  workforce  and 
increasing 
labour  market 
relevance of education and training 
systems 

the 

•  Active inclusion 

•  Combating discrimination based on 

sex, racial or ethnic origin, 

• 

religion  or  belief,  disability,  age  or 
sexual orientation; 

•  Enhancing  access 
to  affordable, 
sustainable 
high-quality 
and 
services,  including  health  care  and 
social services of general interest 

EN 

53 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
MS 

SI4 

SI5 

SI7 

2012 CSRs  

to 

protection 
employment 
4.  Adjust 
legislation  as  regards  permanent  contracts 
in  order 
labour  market 
reduce 
segmentation,  in  consultation  with  social 
partners  and  in  accordance  with  national 
practices. Further tackle the parallel labour 
market caused by student work.  

5.  Improve  the  matching  of  skills  with 
labour market demand, particularly of low-
skilled workers and tertiary graduates, and 
continue  reforms  of  vocational  education 
and training.  

7.  Following  consultation  with  social 
partners  and  in  accordance  with  national 
practice, 
that  wage  growth, 
including  minimum  wage  adaptation, 
supports competitiveness and job creation. 

ensure 

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

N/A 

N/A 

Promoting  Employment 

(a) 
supporting labour mobility 

and 

(b)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and life-long learning 

[This  CSR  requires 
legislative 
changes which are not the subject 
of  ESF  support.  It  has  not  been 
the  Commission 
in 
addressed 
Position Paper for Slovenia.] 

•  Modernisation and strengthening 
institutions, 
to  enhance 

labour  market 
of 
including  actions 
transnational labour mobility 

•  Enhancing 

to 

lifelong 
access 
learning,  upgrading  the  skills  and 
competences  of  the  workforce  and 
increasing 
labour  market 
relevance of education and training 
systems 

the 

N/A 

N/A 

to 

social 
refers 
[This  CSR 
dialogue  deliberations  which  are 
not  subject  of  ESF  support  other 
than 
through  capacity-building 
for  stakeholders.  It  has  not  been 
addressed 
the  Commission 
in 
Position Paper for Slovenia.] 

EN 

54 

EN 

 
  
2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

•  Active and healthy ageing 

(a) 

• 
Employment 
labour mobility  

and 

Promoting 
supporting 

MS 

SK3 

SK4 

the  pay-as-you-go 
3.  Further  adjust 
pension  pillar,  mainly  by  changing  the 
indexation  mechanism, 
introducing  a 
direct link between the statutory retirement 
age  and  life  expectancy  and  introducing  a 
the  pension 
in 
sustainability 
calculation 
reflecting 
formula 
demographic  change.  Ensure  the  stability 
and viability also of the fully funded pillar. 

factor 

the 

4.  Enhance  the  administrative  capacity  of 
public employment services with a view to 
improving 
targeting,  design  and 
evaluation of active labour market policies 
to ensure more individualised employment 
services  for  the  young,  the  long-term 
unemployed,  older  workers  and  women. 
Ensure the provision of childcare facilities. 
Reduce 
low-paid 
workers and adapt the benefit system.  

tax  wedge  for 

the 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

and 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
people, 
seekers 
including 
employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

inactive 

local 

•  Sustainable  integration  of  young 
employment, 
in 
people 
education or training into the labour 
market 

not 

•  Equality  between  men  and  women 
and  reconciliation  between  work 
and private life 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

•  Active inclusion 

EN 

55 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS 

SK5 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

5.  Adopt  and  implement  the  youth  action 
plan,  in  particular  as  regards  the  quality 
and  labour  market  relevance  of  education 
and  vocational  training,  including  through 
introduction  of  an  apprenticeship 
the 
scheme.  Improve  the  quality  of  higher 
education 
quality 
strengthening 
assurance and result orientation. 

by 

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

(b)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and life-long learning 

and 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
people, 
seekers 
including 
employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

inactive 

local 

•  Sustainable  integration  of  young 
people 
employment, 
in 
education or training into the labour 
market 

not 

•  Equality  between  men  and  women 
and  reconciliation  between  work 
and private life 

•  Enhancing 

to 

lifelong 
access 
learning,  upgrading  the  skills  and 
competences  of  the  workforce  and 
labour  market 
increasing 
relevance of education and training 
systems 

the 

• 

Improving  the  quality,  efficiency 
and  openness  of 
tertiary  and 
equivalent  education  with  view  to 
increasing 
and 
attainment level 

participation 

EN 

56 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS 

UK3 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

or 

employment 

3.  Continue  to  improve  the  employability 
of young people, in particular those not in 
education, 
training, 
including  by  using  the  Youth  Contract. 
Ensure  that  apprenticeship  schemes  are 
taken  up  by  more  young  people,  have  a 
sufficient  focus  on  advanced  and  higher-
level  skills,  and  involve  more  small  and 
medium-sized  businesses.  Take  measures 
to  reduce  the  high  proportion  of  young 
people  aged  18-24  with  very  poor  basic 
skills.  

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

(b)  Investing  in  education,  skills 
and lifelong learning 

•  Sustainable  integration  of  young 
people 
employment, 
in 
education or training into the labour 
market 

not 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
seekers  and  economically  inactive 
people, including local employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

•  Equality  between  men  and  women 
and  better  balance  of  work  and 
private life 

•  Enhancing 

to 

lifelong 
access 
learning,  upgrading  the  skills  and 
competences  of  the  workforce  and 
labour  market 
increasing 
relevance of education and training 
systems 

the 

•  Reducing  early  school-leaving  and 
promoting  equal  access  to  good-
quality  early  childhood,  primary 
and secondary education 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

•  Active inclusion 

EN 

57 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS 

UK4 

2012 CSRs  

Thematic  Objective 
Regulation Article 3 

in  draft  ESF 

Investment  Priorities  under  Thematic 
Objective 
in  draft  ESF  Regulation 
Article 3 

4. Step up measures to facilitate the labour 
market  integration  of  people  from  jobless 
households.  Ensure  that  planned  welfare 
reforms  do  not  translate  into  increased 
child  poverty.  Fully  implement  measures 
aiming  to  facilitate  access  to  childcare 
services.  

(a)  Promoting  employment  and 
supporting labour mobility 

(c)  Promoting  social  inclusion 
and combating poverty 

•  Sustainable  integration  of  young 
people 
employment, 
in 
education or training into the labour 
market 

not 

•  Access  to  employment  for  job-
seekers  and  economically  inactive 
people, including local employment 
initiatives  and  support  for  labour 
mobility 

•  Equality  between  men  and  women 
and  better  balance  of  work  and 
private life 

•  Active inclusion 

•  Enhancing  access 
to  affordable, 
high-quality 
and 
sustainable 
services,  including  health  care  and 
social services of general interest 

EN 

58 

EN