Projects and organisations funded by the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI). Report VII, Period covered 2013-2017.
Date: 2017-11-07
Institutions: Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
Subjects: EU employment policy, EU financing, distribution of EU funding, entrepreneurship, geographical mobility, innovation, labour mobility, microfinance, private sector, public sector, report, social security, working conditions

ISSN: 2467-4168

Projects and organisations 
funded by the European Union 
Programme for  
Employment and Social 
Innovation (EaSI)

Report VII  

Period covered 2013-2017

Written by Lukas Pukelis, Laima Užpelkienė, 
Mantas Pupinis and Modestas Stukas,  
Public Policy and Management Institute (PPMI), 
Vilnius 

September 2017

Social Europe

European Commission
Directorate-General for Employement, Social Affairs and Inclusion
Unit F3 - Programming and Planning
1049 Brussels
BELGIUM

Manuscript completed in  2017

Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use 
that might be made of the following information.

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2017

© European Union, 2017
Reuse is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. 
The reuse policy of European Commission documents is regulated by Decision 2011/833/EU (OJ L 330, 14.12.2011, 
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PDF 

ISBN 978-92-79-73299-7 

ISSN 2467-4168 

doi:10.2767/4020 

  KE-BP-17-002-EN-N

PROJECTS AND ORGANISATIONS 
FUNDED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION 
PROGRAMME FOR
EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL 
INNOVATION (EASI)

Report VII
Period covered 2013-2017

Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

This report has received financial support from the Programme for  Employment and Social Innovation 
(EaSI) 2014-2020

Foreword

“With over 235 million people having a job, employment has never been as high as today in the 
EU and unemployment is at its lowest level since December 2008. Since 2013, 10 million jobs 
have been created in the EU. The Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) is a 
clear expression of the Commission’s firm commitment to create jobs and growth and improve 
social conditions.

This  report  showcases  22  successful  and  inspiring  projects  financed  by  the  Commission  to 
promote  reforms  of  social  protection  systems,  improvement  of  working  conditions,  social 
innovation  and  workers’  mobility.  The  report  also  features  9  EU-level  organisations  which 
actively contribute to the European Pillar of Social Rights. 

A special attention has been paid on the projects’ sustainability, transnational dimension and European added value, 
showing where and how EU funding mostly contributes and can make a difference in people’s lives.

I hope that this report will inspire public and private actors, socioeconomic partners, NGOs, academia and civil society 
at large to apply for EU funding and build their own projects that reinforce Europe’s social dimension.”

Marianne Thyssen
Commissioner for Employment, 
Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility

Abstract .............................................................................................................................................................................................8

Résumé ..............................................................................................................................................................................................9

Kurzfassung..................................................................................................................................................................................10

1. 

Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................................11

1.1.  Key facts about the presented project ..............................................................................................................................11

1.2.  Key facts about the presented organisations ................................................................................................................12

1.3.  How to read this report ............................................................................................................................................................13

2.  Methodology .....................................................................................................................................................................14

3. 

EaSI-funded projects ....................................................................................................................................................16

3.1.  Social protection ..........................................................................................................................................................................16

3.1.1.  Mobilitza’t-Mobile ................................................................................................................................................................................ 16

3.1.2.  ESPY – Experimentation on Social Policy for Youth .......................................................................................................... 18

3.1.3.  Towards a cost-effective housing policy for Flanders and Europe........................................................................... 20

3.2.  Working conditions......................................................................................................................................................................22

3.2.1.  Posting  of  workers:  enhancing  access  to  information  and  effective  practical  collaboration  of 

administrative and social partners among 3 Baltic States ........................................................................................................... 23

3.2.2.  ENACTING-Enable cooperation and mutual learning for a fair posting of workers ....................................... 24

3.2.3.  Posting  of  Workers:  Sharing  Experiences,  Promoting  Best  Practices  and  Improving  Access  to 

Information ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 26

3.2.4.  POUR UN DETACHEMENT EQUITABLE ET RESPONSABLE ............................................................................................... 28

3.3.  EURES: projects promoting geographical labour mobility ........................................................................................29

3.3.1.  Targeted Mobility Scheme - Your first EURES job (YfEj 4.0) ........................................................................................ 30

3.3.2.  Targeted Mobility Scheme - Your first EURES job (TMS-YfEj) ..................................................................................... 31

3.3.3.  EURES-TriRegio 2016 ........................................................................................................................................................................ 34

3.3.4.  EURES-T Pannonia Cross-Border Partnership’s Activity Plan for 2016 ................................................................. 36

3.3.5.  EURES Cross-border Øresund 2016 .......................................................................................................................................... 38

3.3.6. 

Ireland/Northern Ireland Cross Border Partnership........................................................................................................... 40

3.3.7.  EURES-T Bayern-Tschechien .......................................................................................................................................................... 42

3.3.8.  EURES Scheldemond 2016 ............................................................................................................................................................ 44

3.3.9.  EURES-T Oberrhein-Rhin Supérieur 2016 .............................................................................................................................. 46

3.3.10.  EURES in den Grenzregionen Rhein-Waal, Rhein-Maas-nord, Maas-Rhein 2016 ......................................... 48

3.3.11.  EURES-T Beskydy Activity Plan 2016 .................................................................................................................................... 50

3.3.12.  EURES Cross-border Galicia-North Portugal ...................................................................................................................... 52

3.3.13.  Support to cooperation on intra-EU mobility in the EEA countries: Norway .................................................... 54

3.3.14.  Support to cooperation on intra-EU mobility in the EEA countries: Iceland ..................................................... 56

3.3.15.  EURADRIA 2016 ................................................................................................................................................................................. 58

4. 

EaSI-funded organisations .........................................................................................................................................60 

4.1. 4.1.1.  Eurochild ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 61
4.1.2.  Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) .................................................. 63

4.1.3.  European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) ......................................................................................................... 65

4.1.4.  COFACE Families Europe .................................................................................................................................................................. 67

4.1.5.  European Roma Grassroots Organisations Network (ERGO) ....................................................................................... 69

4.1.6.  SOLIDAR .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 71

4.1.7.  Eurocarers – European Association Working for Carers ................................................................................................. 73

4.1.8.  Microfinance Centre (MFC) .............................................................................................................................................................. 75

4.1.9.  European Platform for Rehabilitation (EPR) .......................................................................................................................... 77

5. 

Afterword............................................................................................................................................................................79

Annex I – List of projects and organisations included in this report .................................................................81

Abstract

The European Commission co-finances actions of public, private and civil society actors enabling them to deliver new services, 
assess existing policies or develop new ones, and exchange good practices in the fields of employment, social protection, working 
conditions, geographical labour mobility, microfinance and social entrepreneurship. To facilitate the dissemination of the achieved 
results, this report presents examples of 19 projects and 9 organisations supported by the Programme for Employment and 
Social Innovation (EaSI) in 2014-2017 and 3 recently finished projects funded by the predecessor programme PROGRESS.

The aims of the presented projects ranged from developing innovative policy interventions (social policy experimentation) and 
supporting reforms of national social protection systems to enhancing administrative cooperation on posting of workers. The 
overviewed EURES projects aimed at placing young people into quality jobs and supporting partnerships between employment 
services operating in cross-border areas.

Another  main  part  of  the  report  presents  EaSI-supported  activities  implemented  in  2016  by  major  EU-level  NGOs  active  in 
the  promotion  of  social  inclusion,  poverty  reduction  and  access  to  finance.  The  presented  organisations  aimed,  in  particular, 
to  support  the  Commission’s  social  investment  approach  at  national  and  local  levels  and  the  implementation  of  the  Social 
Investment Package, the Social Business Initiative and the Europe 2020 Strategy.

The report also includes a description of the methodology that was applied to collect information on the presented actions and 
to analyse their results. Among other things, the report seeks to emphasise the European added value of the described actions 
and to single out potential good practices.

We believe that this report will be beneficial in two major ways. First, it will serve as guidance for public, private and civil society 
actors wishing to apply for EU funding. Second, it will provide policy-makers with innovative ideas to design and implement new 
policy interventions to boost employment and ensure adequate social protection across the EU.

 8

Résumé

La  Commission  européenne  cofinance  des  actions  des  acteurs  publics,  privés  et  de  la  société  civile,  pour  que  ces  derniers 
puissent  proposer  de  nouveaux  services,  évaluer  des  politiques  existantes  ou  en  développer  de  nouvelles,  et  échanger  des 
bonnes pratiques dans les domaines de l’emploi, de la protection sociale, des conditions de travail, de la mobilité géographique 
de la main-d’œuvre, de la microfinance et de l’entrepreneuriat social. Dans le but de faciliter la diffusion des résultats obtenus, 
le présent rapport présente des exemples tirés de 19 projets et 9 organisations financés par le programme pour l’emploi et 
l’innovation sociale (EaSI) sur la période 2014-2017, ainsi que de 3 projets achevés récemment qui étaient financés par les 
programmes antérieurs à PROGRESS.

Les objectifs des projets présentés touchent aussi bien le développement d’interventions politiques innovantes (expérimentation 
en politique sociale) que le soutien des réformes des systèmes nationaux de protection sociale ou l’amélioration de la coopération 
administrative pour l’affectation des travailleurs. Les projets EURES analysés visent quant à eux à placer les jeunes dans des 
emplois de qualité, et à soutenir les partenariats entre services de l’emploi travaillant dans des zones transfrontalières.

Une autre partie importante du rapport présente les activités financées par l’EaSI et mises en œuvre en 2016 par les principales 
ONG européennes actives dans le domaine de la promotion de l’inclusion sociale, de la réduction de la pauvreté et de l’accès aux 
financements. Les organisations présentées avaient notamment pour objectifs de soutenir l’approche d’investissement social de 
la Commission au niveau national et local, et de soutenir la mise en œuvre du paquet d’investissements sociaux, de l’initiative 
entreprise sociale et de la stratégie Europe 2020.

Le rapport inclut également une description de la méthodologie utilisée pour collecter des informations sur les actions présentées, 
et pour analyser leurs résultats. Entre autres, le rapport cherche à apporter un éclairage sur la valeur ajoutée européenne des 
actions décrites, et à isoler les bonnes pratiques potentielles.

Nous pensons que ce rapport aura deux grandes retombées positives. Tout d’abord, il pourra être un guide pour les acteurs publics, 
privés et de la société civile qui souhaitent faire une demande de financement européen. Ensuite, il apportera aux décisionnaires 
politiques  des  idées  innovantes  pour  concevoir  et  mettre  en  œuvre  de  nouvelles  interventions  politiques  qui  permettront  de 
dynamiser l’emploi et de garantir une protection sociale adaptée dans l’ensemble de l’Union européenne.

 9

Kurzfassung

Die  Europäische  Kommission  stellt  eine  Kofinanzierung  für  Maßnahmen  staatlicher,  privater  und  zivilgesellschaftlicher 
Akteure  bereit,  mit  denen  diese  in  den  Politikfeldern  Beschäftigung,  Sozialschutz,  Arbeitsbedingungen,  räumliche  Mobilität 
von  Arbeitnehmern,  Mikrofinanzierung  und  soziales  Unternehmertum  neue  Dienstleistungen  erbringen,  politische  Strategien 
auswerten oder neue politische Ideen entwickeln sowie bewährte Verfahren austauschen. Um die Verbreitung der dabei erzielten 
Ergebnisse  zu  verbessern,  stellt  dieser  Bericht  beispielhaft  19  Projekte  und  9  Organisationen  vor,  die  von  2014  bis  2017  im 
Rahmen des Programms für Beschäftigung und soziale Innovation (EaSI) gefördert wurden. Außerdem werden drei vor Kurzem 
abgeschlossene Projekte präsentiert, die aus dem Vorgängerprogramm „Progress“ finanziert wurden.

Die vorgestellten Projekte dienen der Entwicklung innovativer politischer Ansätze (sozialpolitische Modellprojekte), sie unterstützen 
Reformen  der  Sozialsysteme  in  den  Mitgliedstaaten  und  verbessern  die  Kooperation  nationaler  Arbeitsverwaltungen  bei  der 
Vermittlung von Arbeitnehmern. Die untersuchten EURES-Projekte hatten das Ziel, jungen Menschen in hochwertige Arbeitsplätze 
zu vermitteln und Partnerschaften von Arbeitsvermittlungsstellen in Grenzregionen aufzubauen.

In einem weiteren Abschnitt des Berichts werden die Maßnahmen wichtiger europaweit tätiger NGOs vorgestellt, die im Jahr 
2016 im Rahmen von EaSI gefördert wurden und sich für soziale Eingliederung, den Kampf gegen Armut und einen besseren 
Zugang zu Finanzdienstleistungen einsetzen. Die präsentierten Organisationen hatten insbesondere das Ziel, die Strategie der 
Kommission für mehr Sozialinvestitionen auf nationaler und lokaler Ebene sowie die Umsetzung des Sozialinvestitionspakets, der 
Initiative für soziales Unternehmertum und der Strategie Europa 2020 zu unterstützen.

Ferner enthält der Bericht eine Beschreibung der Methoden, die angewendet wurden, um Daten über die vorgestellten Maßnahmen 
zu erfassen und deren Ergebnisse zu analysieren. Unter anderem möchte der Bericht den europäischen Mehrwert der untersuchten 
Maßnahmen betonen und bewährten Verfahren vorstellen.

Wir  glauben,  dass  dieser  Bericht  äußerst  nützlich  sein  kann.  Erstens  kann  er  öffentlichen,  privaten  und  zivilgesellschaftlichen 
Akteure, die Fördermittel der EU beantragen möchten, als Leitfaden dienen. Und zweitens bietet er politischen Entscheidungsträgern 
innovative  Ideen  zur  Entwicklung  und  Umsetzung  neuer  politischer  Maßnahmen,  mit  denen  Arbeitsplätze  geschaffen  und 
europaweit ein angemessener Sozialschutz gewährleistet werden können.

 10

1. 

Introduction

Analysing  and  disseminating  information  about  the  results  of  the  supported  projects  and  organisations  are  part  of  the 
performance  monitoring  of  the  EU  Programme  for  Employment  and  Social  Innovation  (EaSI)  2014-2020.  The  programme’s 
monitoring approach foresees biannual reports presenting examples of projects and organisations supported by EaSI.

This  is  the  seventh  such  report,  which  follows  the  first  six  published  in  2014-2017.  The  report  reviews  projects  that  were 
funded by EaSI and the predecessor programme PROGRESS, as well as activities of EaSI-supported major EU-level organisations 
promoting social inclusion, poverty reduction and access to finance for vulnerable groups of society and social entrepreneurs.

The report consists mainly of fiches which describe in concise and uniform format the results and the European added value of 
a given successful project or organisation as well as potential good practices among the implemented actions. In addition, the 
project/organisation fiches were developed with an aim to make them easily accessible as stand-alone documents and useful to 
all informed stakeholders (decision-makers, social partners, NGOs, academia, media and civil society at large).

The purpose of this report is to improve learning among the national public authorities, civil society organisations 
and private actors working in the field of employment & social affairs, in order to support future policy developments. First, 
it may serve as guidance for public, private and civil society actors wishing to apply for EU funding in the future. Second, it will 
provide policy-makers with ideas that can inform the design and implementation of new policy interventions.

Along with this introduction, the report has three other parts. Chapter 2 features a description of the methodology that was 
applied to collect information on the actions and organisations presented and to analyse their results. Chapter 3 presents projects 
funded by EaSI and PROGRESS in 2013-2017. In Chapter 4, the reader will find overviews and assessment of the EaSI-funded 
activities implemented in 2016 by major EU-level NGOs active in the promotion of social inclusion, poverty reduction and access 
to finance. The report concludes with a short afterword inter alia explaining the next steps in monitoring EaSI-supported projects 
and organisations as well as the overall programme.

1.1.  Key facts about the presented projects

This report presents 22 recently finished projects funded by PROGRESS and EaSI programmes. Since the projects usually last 
2-3 years, the reader will find the description of the projects implemented in 2013-2017 in the areas of social protection, working 
conditions and labour mobility.

In the policy area of social protection, the report presents:

•  Two  projects  funded  by  the  Commission  in  the  area  of  social  policy  experimentation.  These  projects  aimed  to  test 
innovative  and  promising  social  policy  measures  by  using  rigorous  evaluation  methods.  In  these  actions,  the  European 
Commission has requested to prioritise the use of randomised experimentation methods.

•  One project that developed a framework for cost-effective housing policies, which could be used in different countries 

(see Table 1).

 11

Table 1. Calls for proposals in the policy area of social protection and social inclusion (PROGRESS)

Reference number

Title

VP/2012/007

PROGRESS: Call for proposals for Social Policy Experimentations

VP/2013/013

PROGRESS:  Support  for  the  design  of  reform  strategies  for  more  cost-
effective social protection systems

Number  of  projects 
included in the report

2

1

Source:

In the policy area of working conditions, the report presents four EaSI-funded projects that aimed to enhance administrative 
cooperation and access to information on posting of workers (see Table 2).

Table 2. Calls for proposals in the policy area of working conditions (EaSI-PROGRESS)

Reference number

Title

Number  of  projects 
included in the report

VP/2014/007

EaSI-PROGRESS: Posting of workers: enhancing administrative cooperation 
and access to information

4

Source:

In the policy area of geographical labour mobility (EaSI-EURES), the report analyses two projects aimed at placing young 
people into quality employment and 13 actions supporting partnerships between employment services working in cross-
border areas (see Table 3).

Table 3. Calls for proposals in the policy area of geographical labour mobility (EaSI-EURES)

Reference number

Title

VP/2014/013

EaSI-EURES: Your first EURES job - Targeted mobility scheme

VP/2015/008

EaSI  -  EURES:  Cross-border  partnerships  and  support  to  cooperation  on 
intra-EU mobility for EEA countries

Number  of  projects 
included in the report

2

13

Source:

Please note that the projects within different policy areas as well as projects within the same policy area that are funded through 
different calls should not be directly compared with each other. They are different in scope, aims, activities, budget and duration. 
Each project should rather be seen as a distinct action.

1.2.  Key facts about the presented organisations

The report also presents results delivered in 2016 by 9 EaSI-funded EU-level organisations working in the fields of social 
inclusion, poverty reduction and promotion of access to finance for vulnerable persons and social entrepreneurs (1). Out of 19 such 
organisations, this report covers those that are marked in grey in Table 4. Results achieved by the remaining 10 organisations 
will be presented in the next report.

(1) 

Funded as a result of the Call for proposals for operating grants open to EU-level NGOs networks that had signed a Framework  
Partnership Agreement for 2014-2017 and that are active in the promotion of social inclusion and poverty reduction or active in the  
promotion of microfinance and social enterprise finance (VP/2014/009).

 12

 
 
Table 4. A list of presented EaSI-supported organisations

Title of an organisation

Policy area

Caritas Europa

Fighting poverty and social exclusion

European Social Network (ESN)

Local public social services

EUROCITIES

Eurochild

EuroHealthNet

FEANTSA  –  The  European  Federation  of  National 
Organisations Working with the Homeless

SOLIDAR

European  Association  of  Service  Providers  for  Persons 
with Disabilities (EASPD)

Reinforcing the role of local and municipal governments

Improving  the  quality  of  life  of  children  and  young 
people

Health and health equity

Tackling homelessness and its effects

Social  policy, 
migration

international  cooperation,  education, 

Promoting equal opportunities for people with disabilities

European Network of Social Integration (ENSIE)

Social integration economy

European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN)

Fighting against poverty and social exclusion

COFACE – Confederation of Family Organisations in the 
European Union

Family

Eurodiaconia – European Federation for Diaconia

Poverty  and  social  exclusion,  social  and  healthcare 
services and the future of social Europe

European Microfinance Network (EMN)

Eurocarers

ERGO – Roma inclusion NGO

European Platform for Rehabilitation (EPR)

Microfinance

Informal care

Roma inclusion

Providing 
disabilities and other disadvantaged groups

rehabilitation  services 

to  people  with 

Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented 
Migrants (PICUM)

Promoting respect for the human rights of undocumented 
migrants within Europe

European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA)

Social investment and venture philanthropy

Microfinance Centre (MFC)

Microfinance

1.3.  How to read this report

This report consists mainly of project fiches that were prepared as stand-alone documents. Therefore, we advise the reader to 
jump immediately to the fiches that they find the most interesting and relevant to their area of work or personal interests (as 
opposed to reading the report from beginning to end). In order to understand how these fiches were developed, please also take 
time to read the introduction and the methodological chapter.

 13

2.  Methodology

The  key  components  of  this  report  are  fiches  that  present  the  results  of  projects  and  organisations  funded  by  EaSI  and  its 
predecessor PROGRESS programme. These project fiches are structured according to policy areas as well as themes of respective 
calls for proposals. The report presents all projects and organisations that were supported by these instruments and successfully 
completed in the first semester of 2017.

In addition to an overview of activities carried out by the selected projects and organisations, the report aims to identify and 
describe the potential good practices. In order to single out such practices, we followed a broad definition of the term ‘practice’ 
encompassing both policy development and implementation. In our view, a ‘good practice’ is a process or methodology that has 
been proven to work well and produce good results, and is therefore recommended for others as a model or useful example. 
What constitutes a ‘good practice’ can thus include initiatives as diverse as legislation (at the national, sub-national and local 
levels),  regulation,  policies,  strategies,  institutional  frameworks,  planning  and  coordination  procedures,  various  interventions 
(programmes, projects, campaigns, subsidies, financing mechanisms, tariff structures and similar), among many others. When 
analysing EaSI-funded projects and organisations, the report team aimed to include all information instrumental to distinguishing 
the most successful activities, so that only effective calls are continued in the future.

To ensure that the collected information is as comprehensive as possible, we relied on three data collection strategies:

1.  The main sources of information were the final technical implementation reports completed by grant beneficiaries.
2.  The  report  team  also  used  all  available  additional  information  about  the  presented  projects  provided  to  them  by  the 
European Commission. Such information included various reports and briefings, agendas of organised events, participant 
lists, financial information, detailed description of deliverables and external/internal evaluations.

3.  Data collection was also carried out in openly accessible sources, such as project/organisation websites.

The report team then analysed the content of the collected material according to a pre-developed toolkit in order to produce 
fiches for each project and organisation. The toolkit included a project fiche template (covering pre-defined criteria for analysis), 
a list of criteria for classifying analysed projects, and a reference grid for indicating potential good practices.

The resulting 31 fiches consist of two parts. The first part (a table) presents the general administrative data on a given project 
or organisation as well as policy areas and sub-areas as per the pre-established classification. In the second part, we outline the 
actions, their aims and results, effectiveness, transferability/up-scalability, sustainability, innovativeness, impact and EU added 
value. These criteria were also used to assess which of the project activities could be regarded as potential good practices. As 
the reports on EaSI-funded projects and organisations will be inter alia used by the project auditors, the aspect of effectiveness 
(i.e. the extent to which projects/organisations achieved their results) was given particular attention.

The list below provides the complete list of criteria used to analyse projects.

List of criteria for analysing projects

•  Socioeconomic context. This part describes why the action was implemented and the policy-related motives behind it. 
It also describes how the analysed project/organisation fits into the local/national/EU policy, social and economic context.

•  Aims of the project/organisation. This heading summarises what the action aimed to achieve.
•  Results, measured impacts, achievements, lessons learned. This part discusses the results, medium-to-long-term 

impacts of the action (both current and expected), achievements and lessons learned.

•  Identification of potential good practices. This section identifies processes/methodologies employed by the project/

organisation that could be suggested as good practice examples to other similar projects/organisations.

•  Transferability element(s) of the project/activities (if any). This section discusses the potential for the action or its 

individual parts to be applied in other contexts/at other levels (these do not necessarily have to be good practices).

•  Innovativeness of the project/activities (if any). This section presents project/organisation activities that could be 
considered novel, in terms of standing out in the context of similar actions and settings, and elaborates how exactly they 
are innovative.

•  Policy evidence generated by the project/organisation (if any). This heading provides an overview of the studies, 
reports, databases or other evidence produced by the project/organisation to inform policy developments in a respective 
field.

•  Transnational dimension (if any). This section focuses on activities that were implemented in more than one country, 
at the EU or international level. In the fiches featuring transnational networks or projects that by design are transnational, 
this  section  was  often  not  singled  out  and  instead  the  transnational  element  was  emphasised  as  a  horizontal  theme 
throughout the project/organisation description under other criteria.

 14

•  New partnerships created (if any). This heading elaborates on actions that led to participating organisations finding 

new partners because of their involvement in a given project/network.

•  Dissemination strategy (if any). This section provides an overview on how the project/organisation communicated the 
results of their action to their internal networks, stakeholders and the general public, including relevant intermediary and 
ultimate target groups.

•  European added value. In this section, the report comments on whether the action:

 ° could have been implemented or reached similar results without EU funding (where exactly did EU funding mostly  

contribute to?);

 ° contributed to the implementation of EU legislation or ensuring that EU legislation is correctly applied;
 ° led to economies of scale, ensuring more efficient use of money and better services for citizens;
 ° promoted best practice examples learned from the previous EU/national actions;
 ° promoted benchmarking for decision-making (e.g. through peer reviews, mutual learning, producing evidence for policy- 

makers, etc.);

 ° due to its transnational character, allowed cross-border risks to be reduced and their consequences mitigated;
 ° contributed to the free movement of persons;
 ° contributed to networking activities (especially between organisations from different countries).

•  Sustainability measures. This part explains what measures were taken in order to ensure that the results and impacts 

of the action are sustainable. Is there any evidence that activities will continue in the absence of EU funding?

The reader should note that even though projects presented in this report were funded under the same programme and many of 
them had similar aims, each implemented a unique set of actions. Therefore, in overviewing them the research team focused on 
the most relevant information for each, instead of including a uniform list of criteria in every fiche. This in essence is to say that 
project fiches feature different combinations of headings, and more emphasis in specific fiches is given to some of the criteria 
over others, with respect to the nature of the actions themselves.

 15

 
 
3.  EaSI-funded projects
3.1.  Social protection

Below the report presents three projects funded in the area of social protection addressing the following issues:

•  developing policy innovations by using social policy experimentation methods;
•  designing reform strategies for more cost-effective social protection systems.

Social policy experimentation projects

The EaSI programme builds on the experience of the predecessor PROGRESS programme in providing financial support to test 
social and labour market policy innovations. These innovations are often tested by using innovative social research methods 
usually referred to as social policy experimentation methods.

While  a  social  policy  innovation  can  be  described  as  a  change  in  social  policy  that  ‘simultaneously  meets  social  needs  and 
creates new social relationships or collaborations, thereby benefiting society and boosting its capacity to act’(2) , social policy 
experimentation is a method to test social policy interventions on a smaller scale, making it possible to determine the impact 
of changes in the social policy. This allows policy-makers and other relevant actors to gather robust evidence on the effects of 
a given policy or programme, and to determine what works and what does not. Producing objective empirical evidence on the 
impact/outcomes of a policy or programme is important when making decisions on whether or not to pursue or scale-up these 
policies. Therefore, social policy experimentation is a means to test and develop social policy innovations.

Below the report describes two projects funded by the predecessor PROGRESS programme as a result of the call for proposals (3)  
supporting social policy experimentation.

3.1.1.  Mobilitza’t Mobile

‘External evaluation of the intervention found that the Mobilitza’t  

project had a positive impact on the job placement of participants.’

Call identification number: VP/2012/007
Grant identification number: VS/2013/0249

Project duration: 1 September 2013–31 August 2016

EU contribution in euros: 581 214.03

Policy area: Social protection and employment

Target groups: Vulnerable NEET Youths

Policy sub-area: Youth employment

Implementation country: Spain

Socioeconomic context

The Mobilitza’t-Mobile project targeted Vulnerable NEET Youths 
(VNY):  young  people  between  the  ages  of  17  and  25  who 
neither study nor work, and who have a low level of education. 
This is a very large group of young people in Southern Europe, 
and the figures for Spain and Barcelona are particularly high: 
14.1% of the population in Barcelona under the age of 25 are 
VNYs,  almost  double  the  corresponding  figure  for  the  EU-27 
(6.1%).

Aims of the project/organisation

The overall objective of the project was to promote employment 
placements of VNYs into various professions related to mobile 
devices  in  Barcelona  city  and  its  neighbourhood,  or  a  return 
to education related to the mobile devices sector. Specifically, 
the project aimed to encourage professional training for young 

(2) 
(3) 

For full definition please see: EaSI Regulation, 243.
Call for proposals for social policy experimentations VP/2012/007.

 16

people in the mobile devices sector; experiment with the use 
of  innovative  training  methodologies  (such  as  experiential 
learning,  collaborative  research  and  simulation  in  the  work 
environment);  evaluate  the  impact  of  intervention  through  a 
social experiment (involving a control group and a treatment 
group); and transfer best practices.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

During the project, a total of 123 young people were introduced 
to employment possibilities in the mobile devices sector. Out 
of these, 82 completed the first stage of training in the field 
and 58 completed the second stage of training, which is more 
intense  and  longer.  They  were  trained  as  app  programmers, 
designers  or  experts  in  the  marketing  and  sales  of  mobile 
devices. During the training programme, 34 professionals from 
28 leading mobile companies in the city acted as mentors to 
the students.

External evaluation of the intervention found that Mobilitza’t 
had a positive impact on the job placement of the participants. 
The  programme  had  positive  and  significant  effects  on  the 
probability of finding jobs with an indefinite contract for those 
participants  who  had  completed  the  programme.  However, 
the  programme  did  not  generate  any  significant  impact 
on  encouraging  its  participants  to  return  to  the  educational 
system.

The  evaluation  also  found  that  the  dropout  rate  of  the 
programme was very high (57.8%), mainly due to the lack of 
motivation and additional family responsibilities. Moreover, a 
high degree of heterogeneity in the social profile and the level of 
cognitive and transversals skills of the programme participants 
was  observed.  Therefore,  the  evaluators  recommended  to 
include  specific  compensatory  measures  adapted  to  the 
profile  of  participants  in  the  design  of  similar  programmes, 
and  introduce  a  scheme  of  incentives,  not  necessarily 
financial,  to  reduce  the  drop-out  rate.  In  addition,  the  timing 
of  the  programme  should  be  adjusted  to  the  academic  year 
to  facilitate  the  transaction  from  the  programme  to  formal 
education.

Identification of potential good practices

Mobilitza’t  Mobile  was  an  opportunity  to  share  insights  with 
international  stakeholders  about  the  possibilities  to  place 
VNYs  in  employment  or  education  by  using  their  interest  in 
technologies. A number of videos were produced to show the 
impact of Mobilitza’t Mobile on companies and participants.

Transnational dimension

The  project  was  implemented  at  the  local  level  and  on  a 
small  scale,  so  its  transnational  dimension  was  limited  to 
knowledge  sharing  with  international  project  partners  (from 
France  and  Italy),  cooperation  on  the  design  of  the  project 
and  dissemination  of  results.  More  than  150  professionals 
attended  13  international  meetings  or  mutual  training 
activities  within  different  professional  networks  (mainly  Cité 
des  Métiers  Network  and  other  European  consortia),  aimed 

Activities implemented

•  2 reports aimed at providing policy advice, research 

and analysis;

•  3 reports aimed at identifying good practices;
•  1 evaluation report;
•  1  report  aimed  at  the  development  of  appropriate 

statistical tools, methods and indicators;

•  24 pieces of information and promotional material;
•  15 trainings sessions, peer reviews and other mutual 

learning events;

•  13 information and communication events.

Coordinator
Ajuntament de Barcelona (Barcelona City Council)

Partners 
Cité  des  Métiers,  part  of  universcience,  Établissement 
public  du  Palais  de  la  découverte  et  de  la  Cité  des 
sciences et de l’industrie (France); Ivàlua-Institut Català 
d’Avaluació de Polítiques Públiques (Spain); Job Centre 
Genova (Italy)

at  discussing  Mobilitza’t  Mobile  methodologies  and  results. 
In  addition,  information  about  the  project  was  shared  via 
email and meetings with Swedish colleagues and the Cité des 
Métiers Network.

Dissemination strategy

The  dissemination  strategy  of  Mobilitza’t-Mobile  comprised 
three strands. First, information about the training programme 
was  disseminated  to  attract  targeted  youths.  This  was  done 
through an email campaign, meetings with stakeholders, graphic 
support material (leaflets, posters, videos and newsletters), a 
campaign in social networks, articles in newspapers and radio, 
etc. Second, products of the project (methodologies, brochures, 
to  public  administrations, 
videos)  were  communicated 
education centres and policy-makers, and disseminated within 
professional communities during specific seminars in several 
European  cities  (Barcelona,  Gothenburg,  Liège).  The  results 
were  also  disseminated  within  the  academic  community 
during  two  events  organised  by  Ivàlua.  Third,  results  of  the 
project evaluation were disseminated during final conferences 
(in  Barcelona,  Genoa  and  Paris)  and  through  the  partners’ 
websites.

Sustainability measures

The results of the project have inspired Barcelona Activa (an 
organisation  responsible  for  boosting  economic  policies  and 
local development in Barcelona) to develop two labour market 
training programmes: Mobile and Digital Trade Apprenticeship 
Programme and Garantia d’èxit BCN (a programme promoted 
by  the  Catalan  Employment  Service  in  the  context  of  the 
Youth  Guarantee).  These  programmes  included  some  of  the 
Mobilitza’t  Mobile  methodologies  such  as  training  in  the 
mobile  sector,  mentoring  processes  and  learning  by  doing 
methodologies.

 17

Gender equality measures

Gender  equality  is  one  of  the  main  challenges  in  the  IT  and 
Mobile Sector. Therefore, special efforts were made to attract 
more women to the programme. All professionals contracted 
for  the  implementation  of  the  training  programme  were 
women, and a special effort was made to include women as 
mentors. As a result, 20% of 123 unemployed young people 
who participated in the training programme were women. This 
share did not reach the expected target of 50% women, set by 
the project team, although the reported number of participants 
in all project events included 745 women and 542 men.

3.1.2.  ESPY – Experimentation on Social Policy for Youth

‘ESPY has developed and tested innovative youth activation measures based 
on a holistic approach in order to prevent unemployment and exclusion of young 
people living in rural, remote and peripheral areas.’

Call identification number: VP/2012/007

Grant duration: 1 November 2013-30 April 2016 

Grant identification number: VS/2013/0252

EU contriwbution in euros: 726 769.85 

Policy area: Social protection

Policy sub-area: Social policy for youth

Implementing country: Spain

Participating countries: Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, 
Portugal, Spain

Socioeconomic context

Many EU countries have high levels of youth unemployment. 
Unemployed youths who have either dropped out of school or 
who are at risk of doing so are particularly vulnerable, as they 
face multiple obstacles to enter the labour market and are at 
a higher risk of poverty and social exclusion. Therefore, there 
is a growing demand in EU countries for novel, innovative and 
effective ways to address these problems and to provide young 
people with knowledge, skills and competences to successfully 
enter the labour market.

Target  groups:  Young  unemployed  people  at  risk  of 
poverty  and  social  exclusion;  National  and  regional 
authorities; 
partners;  Various 
stakeholders in the field of youth social policy.

Employers; 

Social 

Aims of the project

The project aimed to develop, test, disseminate and replicate 
innovative youth activation measures in order to prevent youth 
unemployment  and  exclusion.  More  specifically,  the  project 
aimed:

•  To consolidate a multidimensional and holistic approach 
considering  social,  employment,  education  and  youth 
policies as a comprehensive strategy;

•  To establish local public committees of local stakeholders 
against youth unemployment (social partners, NGOs, civil 
society associates, groups of beneficiaries etc.).

•  To  promote  innovative  and  creative  measures  to  fight 

against high youth unemployment rates;

•  To implement and evaluate a small-scale experimentation 
developed in rural areas of the province of Málaga with 
the cooperation of local key actors, aiming at improving 
the  social  and  employment  situation  of  young  people 
between 15 and 24 years old;

•  To  ensure  mutual 

learning,  dissemination  and 
capitalisation  of  results  at  transnational  level  among 
the  partners  of  the  project  and  replicate  them  in  other 
European territories.

•  To promote the exchange of experiences, know-how and 
expertise in the field of impact evaluation at transnational 
level.

•  To  create  social  policy  recommendations  based  on  the 
successful experiences of the project and transfer them 

 18

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

ESPY  has  developed  and  tested  innovative  youth  activation 
measures  based  on  a  holistic  approach  in  order  to  prevent 
unemployment and exclusion of young people living in rural, 
remote  and  peripheral  areas.  Most  of  the  activities  planned 
for the project were successfully implemented. They involved 
242  young  people  from  61  rural  municipalities  in  Málaga 
Province. The activities were grouped into three strategic lines: 
Training, Employment and Participation. Training lines included 
workshops for teachers, family and other stakeholders aimed 
at endowing them with skills to help youths, who either do not 
attend school or are at risk of dropping out, to either continue 
their education or pursue employment. Additionally, in this line, 
workshops  were  organised  directly  for  youths  to  introduce 
them to local employers in order to learn skills to succeed in 
the workplace. Under the Employment line, young people were 
matched with employers and were given counselling on issues 
related  to  finding  employment  and  succeeding  in  the  labour 
market.  In  the  participation  line,  youths  were  encouraged  to 
discuss  their  situation  and  the  challenges  they  face  as  well 
as  to  give  feedback  to  the  programme.  Additionally,  training 
courses were organised to help young people use social media 
to find employment-related information, including job offers.

In  the  subsequent  phase  of  the  project,  one  of  the  project 
partners, the University of Málaga, analysed the project results 
using  a  policy  experiment  evaluation  method  and  combined 
the analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data collected 
during the project. The analysis revealed that the project was 
largely successful in improving the attitudes of the participants 
and  encouraging  them  to  more  actively  pursue  employment. 
Including various stakeholders, such as family members, was 
indicated  to  be  a  particularly  effective  way  of  adjusting  the 
overall attitudes and opinions of the young people.

Finally,  events,  which  brought  together  project  partners  and 
other  stakeholders  to  share  their  best  practices  and  lessons 
learned from the project, were organised. Four such meetings 
were  organised  in  other  partner  countries  (Ireland,  Italy, 
Greece  and  Portugal)  where  project  partners  from  Málaga 
presented  project  results  and  good  practices,  and  heard 
how  similar  problems  are  being  tackled  by  the  local  partner 
organisations. In Málaga six meetings were held with the local 
stakeholders, where they were informed about project results 
and  best  practices.  Finally,  the  final  project  conference  (23-
26 September 2016) was organised in Málaga, where project 
results, including the results of the experimental analysis were 
presented.

Lessons  learned  during  the  project  include  the  following:  i) 
Tackling  youth  unemployment  requires  the  involvement  of 
multiple  stakeholders;  ii)  All  decision-making  must  focus  on 
the needs of young people; iii) The development of autonomy 
and  self-reliance  of  young  people  is  necessary  to  overcome 
personal, social, and/or family-based obstacles to employment.

Identification of potential good practices

The project has approached the issue of youth unemployment in 
a holistic manner. That is to say, that the project activities sought 
not only to match young unemployed people with employers 

Activities implemented

•  Education  sessions,  workshops  and  trainings  for 

young people organised;

•  Sessions matching young jobseekers with employers 

organised;

•  Policy experiment measures evaluated;
•  Knowledge gathered through the project disseminated 
to  project  partners  and  the  wider  stakeholder 
community. 

Coordinator
Málaga County Council

Partners 
University of Málaga (Spain); Agência de Desenvolvimento 
Regional  do  Alentejo,  S.A.  (Portugal);  Alliance  of  Social 
(Hungary);  Provincia  Regionale 
Professionals 
di  Siracusa  (Oggi  Libero  Consorzio  Comunale)  (Italy); 
Regional  Development  Fund  of  East  Macedonia  and 
Thrace (Greece); Tipperary County Council (Ireland).

(3Sz) 

Project/organisation website 
https://www.espyproject.eu/home

in  the  region,  but  involved  a  wide  range  of  stakeholders, 
including family members and teachers to address this issue. 
The project has determined that youth unemployment among 
other things is highly influenced by the lack of motivation and 
positive attitude to work among young people and, therefore, 
sought to address these issues by helping project participants 
to  develop  a  positive  attitude  towards  work  as  well  as  their 
interpersonal skills and competences.

Policy evidence generated by the project

From  the  beginning  of  the  project,  partners  developed  a 
protocol  to  evaluate  project  results  in  order  to  arrive  at  the 
shared  conclusions  about  the  up-scaling  potential  of  the 
tested  policies,  based  on  their  measured  impact.  Overall,  in 
addition to the protocol, the project has generated two policy 
evidence  documents:  ‘Project  Evaluation  Report’(4)    and 
‘Strategies  for  Social  Policies:  Recommendations  for  Youth 
Opportunities Initiatives.’ Both of these documents analyse the 
activities undertaken during the project and seek to provide an 
evaluation of their success, identify good practices, and, in the 
case of the second document – recommendations for potential 
up-scaling.

Dissemination strategy

As one of the principal aims of the project was disseminating 
the lessons learned from the project among project partners 
in  Málaga  Region  and  the  wider  European  stakeholder 
community,  substantial  efforts  were  made  to  disseminate 
project information. The main vehicle for disseminating project 
information  was  the  project  website,  where  information 
about the project aims, events and related news was shared. 
Additionally,  the  project  had  a  substantial  presence  on 
various  social  media  platforms:  Facebook,  Twitter,  YouTube 
and  Instagram.  Printed  information  about  the  project  was 
disseminated during all project events.

 19

Moreover,  project  partners  organised  three  European  and  18 
regional  and  local  press  releases  informing  the  target  group 
and  other  relevant  stakeholders  about  the  opportunities 
offered  by  the  project  and  the  related  developments.  Finally, 
18  dissemination  workshops  were  organised  in  all  the 
partner  countries  where  local/regional  authorities  and  other 
stakeholders were informed about the project and its results.

European added value

It would not have been possible to carry out most of the project 
activities,  especially  dissemination  of  the  project  outcomes 
and exchange of best practices without EU support.

Sustainability measures

Agreement was reached in Málaga City Council to replicate some 
of  the  project  activities  using  the  local  funds,  thus  ensuring 
that project activities and practices remain in place after the 
EU  funding  ends.  Project  partners  adapted  their  knowledge 
on  combating  youth  unemployment  and  early  school  leaving 
gained  from  the  policy  experiment  in  Málaga  to  formulate 
recommendations on how to combat these problems in Greece 
and  submitted  them  to  the  regional  authorities.  In  Ireland, 
some of the project material (‘Premier Tips’) is disseminated to 
relevant stakeholders as a good practice example.

A project to support the development of a cost-effective social protection system

Social protection systems in the EU differ significantly in the level, composition and type of spending, their sources of financing and 
the outcomes they achieve. The wide range of existing social protection spending and financing arrangements is associated with 
uneven social and economic outcomes across Member States. This diversity also represents an important source for knowledge 
sharing and mutual learning. The project described below was funded under a call for proposals (5) aimed at helping Member 
States review various aspects of their social protection systems in order to identify potential for improved cost-effectiveness, 
including by strengthening the systems’ social investment orientation.

3.1.3  Towards a Cost-effective Housing Policy for Flanders and Europe

‘The conceptual framework developed during the project has allowed policy-
makers to better define housing policy goals and to evaluate alternative housing 
policy instruments.’

Call identification number: VP/2013/013

Grant duration: 1 September 2014–31 August 2016

Grant identification number: VS/2014/0239

EU contribution in euros: 145 843.61

Policy area: Social protection and social inclusion

Policy sub-area: Social Services of general Interest

Target  groups:  Policy-makers;  Stakeholders;  General 
population of the EU, especially those living in low-quality 
housing.

Implementing/participating countries:  Most 
European countries, since the project was implemented 
by a number of pan-European associations

(4) 

(5) 

ESPY ‘Project Evaluation Report’ 
<http://3sz.hu/sites/default/files/ESPY_Program_Evaluation_3SZ_2_0.pdf> (2017 08 08)
Call for Proposals VP/2013/013: Support for the design of reform strategies for more cost-effective social protection systems.

 20

 
The main impact of the project was that the stakeholders and 
policy-makers  will  now  be  able  to  evaluate  housing  policy 
instruments based on the collected theoretical and empirical 
knowledge. Moreover, the experience gained from discussions 
with  stakeholders  within  the  Policy  Research  Centre  and 
Flemish  Housing  Council  helped  to  enhance  understanding 
of  the  actual  situation  by  learning  from  the  most  effective 
alternatives for the current housing policy.

Policy evidence generated by the project

The theoretical framework was used in the preparation of the 
Flemish Housing Plan. It is a long-term plan determining policy 
objectives and instruments to better suit housing needs. The 
whole ambition is to develop this plan together with the main 
stakeholders and civil society representatives, starting with a 
deep analysis of the situation and an exploration of trends and 
challenges in the housing sector.

Dissemination

The project was presented in 2 European Network for Housing 
Research  (ENHR)  conferences,  namely  in  2015  (Lisbon)  and 
in  2016  (Belfast).  Additionally,  an  academic  workshop  was 
organised in Leuven in May 2015, with academics from other 
European countries.

The  transnational  dimension  was  strengthened  by  the 
involvement  of  international  organisations,  CECODHAS  and 
FEANTSA, including their member organisations. Their network 
coverage has ensured that a broad range of stakeholders and 
policy-makers from Member States were engaged in mutual 
learning and transnational exchange on housing policy.

Moreover, the involvement of the TU Delft university has linked 
the housing policy discussion in Flanders with the discussion 
in the Netherlands. KU Leuven and TU Delft have collaborated 
on  housing  policy  issues  before.  Therefore,  joint  analyses 
have proven to be a perfect base for the further development 
of  insights  of  the  advantages  and  disadvantages  of  their 
neighbouring housing systems. TU Delft researchers have also 
used their contacts with the Dutch administration, politicians 
and  stakeholders  to  stimulate  Dutch  participation  in  the 
international conference.

European added value

The project fills the theoretical gap on the cost-effectiveness of 
housing policy in the EU. Therefore, the outcomes can support 
decision-making  in  the  wake  of  the  European  Commission’s 
Country Specific Recommendations and In-Depth Reviews on 
broader  housing  market  issues.  It  also  can  support  Member 
States to implement recommendations relating to confronting 
homelessness,  which  were  laid  out  in  the  Social  Investment 
Package.

Sustainability measures

The  project  team  prepared  and  facilitated  the  future 
development of a new evaluation framework for housing policy 
instruments. The finalisation of the framework is scheduled for 
2020  by  the  Policy  Research  Centre  on  Housing.  There  was, 
however, no immediate follow-up of the action.

Socioeconomic context

Homelessness  and  housing  exclusion  is  an  important  social 
policy concern in the European Union. In 2014, there were an 
estimated  4.1  million  homeless  people  in  Europe.  This  was 
a  result  of  inadequate  government  support  or  application  of 
necessary housing policy instruments, created by the economic 
crisis  of  2008.  Ineffective  implementation  of  housing  policy 
and bad housing conditions lead to health risks and a negative 
impact on family life as well as on worse school performance of 
children, which in the long term lead to the negative economic 
performance of the individuals. In this sense, a cost-effective 
housing policy would have an ability to reduce the pressure on 
the broader system of social protection, including health care, 
long-term care and social welfare.

Therefore,  the  overall  aim  of  this  project  was  to  develop  a 
framework for cost-effective housing policies that can be used 
in different countries. To achieve this, the project team pursued 
two specific objectives:

•  development of a theoretical framework by comparing a 
range of available policy instruments addressing housing 
needs;

•  involvement  of  various  stakeholders  and  policy-makers 
in  a  discussion  to  fine-tune  the  framework  in  order  to 
respond to the specific experiences.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

The  main  output  of  the  project  was  the  development  of  the 
theoretical framework, where the different policy instruments, 
concerning housing needs, were compared. The development 
of  the  framework  consisted  of  two  parts.  First,  the  project 
team  collected  theoretical  and  empirical  concepts  to  set  up 
policy  instruments  for  the  development  of  a  cost-effective 
housing  policy.  The  second  part  involved  regular  discussions 
of the concept with policy-makers and stakeholders in order to 
enhance the framework to respond to the specific experiences 
of a broad range of stakeholders.

 21

Gender equality measures

The composition of the project team, the steering group and 
the different workshops had an equal proportion of males and 
females.

Activities implemented

•  Gathering  of  study  data  and  relevant  literature  on 

Housing policies;

•  Organisation  of  academic  workshop,  where  draft 
framework was discussed with international experts;
•  Further development of the framework based on the 

comments of experts;

•  Organisation  of  international  stakeholder  workshop 

on housing policies;

•  Organisation  of 

international  conference  where 

results of the project were presented;

•  Processing of all material gathered during seminars, 

workshops and conferences;

•  Submission  of  academic  articles  in  peer  reviewed 

journals.

Coordinator
Agency Housing-Flanders (Belgium)

Partners 
TU  Delft  (Netherlands);  KU  Leuven  (Belgium);  FEANTSA 
(pan-European);  CECODHAS  –  Housing  Europe  (pan-
European); Vlaamse Woonraad (Belgium).

Project/organisation website 
https://www.wonenvlaanderen.be/woononderzoek-en-
statistieken/towards-cost-effective-housing-policy-
flanders-and-europe

3.2.  Working conditions

Projects to support transnational cooperation on posting of workers

This section presents four projects in the area of working conditions. With the view to enhancing the implementation, application 
and enforcement of Directive 96/71/EC on the posting of workers, the EaSI call for proposals was launched intending to finance 
specific transnational cooperation projects between at least three Member States(6) .

The projects were expected to promote the exchange of information, best practices and training among the officials of competent 
public authorities and relevant social partners, as well as to increase the accessibility and transparency of relevant information.

(6) 

Call for proposals VP/2014/007: Posting of workers: enhancing administrative cooperation and access to information.

 22

3.2.1.  Posting of Workers: Enhancing Access to Information and Effective Practical 
Collaboration of Administrative and Social Partners Among 3 Baltic States

‘This project has strengthened the role of the social partners in the Baltic 
region in order to ensure the effective implementation of EU Directives and 
legislation in the Baltic region.’

Call identification number: VP/2014/007

Grant identification number: VS/2015/0055

Policy area: Working conditions

Policy sub-area: Posting of workers 

Implementation/participation country: Latvia, 
Lithuania Estonia

Project duration: 31st December 2014 – 30th December 
2016
EU contribution in euros: 332 053.64

Target groups: Trade unions in the fields of construction 
and transport; State labour inspectorates; Representatives 
related to posting of youth in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

•  ensure  access  to  information  regarding  conditions  of 
employment, proper implementation and enforcement of 
Directive 96/71/EC.

Project results, measured impacts, 
achievements, lessons learned

The  key  outcome  of  the  project  was  enhanced  practical 
implementation  and  enforcement  of  Directive  96/71/EC 
concerning the posting of workers.

The  project  team  organised  60  practical  training  seminars, 
300  consultations  and  5  round  table  discussions  regarding 
the  implementation  of  Directive  96/71/EC.  Employers  were 
introduced  to  the  requirements  that  must  be  followed  to 
ensure acceptable working conditions and trade unions were 
familiarised with the tools necessary to defend the rights of 
posted workers.

Hard  copies  (paper)  of  training  manuals  and  leaflets  were 
also prepared and released in their national languages by the 
social partners in all 3 Baltic States. They were distributed to 
participants of project events, with the main aim to increase 
knowledge  about  the  different  practices  and  terms  and 
conditions of employment.

Policy evidence generated by the project

The  project  has  helped  in  solving  EU  policy  implementation 
issues  and  provided  a  number  of  proposals  for  responsible 
national ministries (in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia) on how to 
tackle issues regarding the posted workers.

Transnational dimension

The  project  involved  experts,  representatives  from  local 
authorities  and  social  partners  from  the  three  Baltic  States 
(Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia).

Dissemination strategy

The  project  team  has  released  and  distributed  leaflets 
and  training  manuals  to  the  participants  of  international 
conferences  and  round  tables.  Therefore,  the  project  has 
reached  and  delivered  the  main  outputs  to  the  trade  unions 

Socioeconomic context

Business  and  labour  markets  of  the  three  Baltic  States 
is  changing  rapidly  and  transcend  the  national  borders. 
Entrepreneurs, employees, trade unions and public authorities 
have  to  accommodate  these  changes  to  facilitate  free 
movement  of  services,  develop  businesses  and  at  the  same 
time  ensure  protection  of  workers’  rights.  This  project  was 
a  follow-up  of  the  project  ‘Posting  of  workers:  enhancing 
administrative  cooperation  and  access  to  information  in  the 
Baltic  region’  to  ensure  further  cooperation  between  Baltic 
States in solving issues related to posted workers.

Aims of the project/organisation

The main objectives of the project were to:

•  enable  practical  collaboration  between  Member  States 
for information exchange between authorities and social 
partners;

•  make  information  available  to  employers  and  posted 

workers;

•  provide information, training and consultations on issues 

regarding posting of workers;

 23

in  the  field  of  construction,  employees  of  national  labour 
inspectorates  and  representatives  of  NGOs.  Moreover,  all 
relevant  information  related  to  the  project  activities,  future 
goals,  resources  created,  were  published  on  the  websites  of 
participating organisations. Thus, potential beneficiaries could 
access it anytime.

European added value

The  project  has  created  a  network  among  the  national 
organisations  and  social  partners,  which  strengthened  their 
role and led to better implementation of the EU legislation in 
the Baltic region.

Sustainability measures

The project team has developed new plans for follow-up projects 
with and without EU funding. The main future goals are to:

•  Increase  the  effectiveness  of 

implemented  project 
activities.  Project  partners  have  planned  to  focus  on 
employers  needs  relevant  to  posted  worker  issues  and 
provide  legal  consultations,  which  could  tackle  these 
issues more effectively.

•  Develop a stronger cooperation model. The project team 
planned to create a platform, where social partners and 
responsible authorities could cooperate together on joint 
training, awareness-raising campaigns and establishment 
of joint monitoring offices.

Activities implemented

•  Organisation of 4 international conferences, 5 round 
tables,  60  training  seminars  and  300  practical 
consultations;
•  Analysis  of 

impact  of  provided 
consultations  and  recommendations  for  adaptation 
of Directive 2014/67/EU to national law;

the  practical 

•  Evaluation and monitoring of project activities.

Coordinator
The Lithuanian Trade Union ‘Solidarity’

Partners 
Estonian  Transport  and  Road  Workers  Trade  Union 
(Estonia);  Latvian  Builders  Trade  union  (Latvia);  State 
Labour  Inspectorate  under  the  Social  Security  and  the 
Ministry of Labour of the Republic of Lithuania and Public 
Enterprise  Project  Management  and  Training  Centre 
(Lithuania);  Lithuanian  Confederation  of  Industrialists 
(Lithuania).

Project/organisation website 
http://www.lps.lt/

3.2.2.  ENACTING-Enable Cooperation and Mutual Learning for the Fair Posting of Workers

‘The action has contributed to national and EU policies on the mobility and 

decent work of posted workers. It enhanced administrative cooperation and social 
dialogue between the relevant actors in the field.’

Call identification number: VP/2014/007
Grant identification number: VS/2015/0013

Policy area: Working conditions

Policy sub-area: Posting of workers 

Implementation/participation country: Belgium, 
Germany, Italy, Romania

Project duration: 1 December 2014-31 May 2016

EU contribution in euros: 302 678.47

Target groups: Labour Ministries; Labour Inspectorates; 
Trade Unions; Employers’ associations.

 24

The project team has collected information and opinions about 
the national processes of transposition of Directive 2014/67/
EU from all involved countries (i.e. Belgium, Germany, Italy and 
Romania). Therefore, four ‘National Country reports’ have been 
released, where transposition laws and implementation aspects 
of Directive 2014/67/EU in each country were overviewed.

Moreover, the project has improved transnational cooperation 
among  control  authorities  to  support  effective  mutual 
assistance.  ‘ENACTING’  has  held  3  transnational  meetings 
with labour inspectors and national experts, where information 
and documents were shared. As a result, the joint publication 
`Enacting  Guidelines  for  administrative  cooperation  and 
mutual  assistance  in  the  light  of  Directive  2014/67/EU’  was 
written. The document provided information and good practices 
for  mutual  assistance  in  identifying  abuse  in  the  posting  of 
workers.

Identification of potential good practices

The tripartite type of relationship between national authorities 
with  their  labour  inspectorates,  workers  representatives  and 
employers’  associations  could  be  considered  as  a  potential 
good  practice.  It  provided  a  transnational  dialogue  and 
exchange  which  contributed  to  a  decision-making  process 
related  to  ‘governance’  of  the  issues  connected  to  fair 
transposition and the effective administration of participating 
countries.  Moreover,  the  tripartite  platform  supported  a 
transnational  dialogue  between  the  social  partners  and  the 
national authorities, thus it was possible to explore innovative 
solutions  of  social  dialogue  specifically  addressed  to  posted 
workers.

transnational dimension

The  transnational  dimension  has  been  addressed  in 
all  activitiesthe  training  sessions,  the  working  groups,  the 
awareness  events  and  the  preparation  of  final  deliverables 
involved  actors  from  four  different  countries  (i.e.  Belgium, 
Germany,  Italy  and  Romania),  participating  in  the  project. 
Moreover,  the  main  outputs,  which  are  mentioned  above, 
follow-up the main issues related to posted workers in terms 
of  a  transnational  perspective,  comparisons  among  national 
practices, methods and tools, in order to enhance cooperation 
among the Member States.

Dissemination strategy

The ‘ENACTING’ project has disseminated results (final reports, 
guidelines  and  presentations  on  the  enforcement  of  EU/
national  legislation  on  posting  of  workers)  through  several 
channels:

1.  the ENACTING web page;
2.  the  Final  Transnational  Conference,  which  included 
social  partners,  labour  inspectors  and  other  relevant 
stakeholders;

3.  the Final Transnational Workshop in Brussels addressed 
to  European  workers  organisations  and  their  umbrella 
organisations, and national experts

Socioeconomic context

The ‘ENACTING’ project was developed as a follow-up project 
of  ongoing  cooperation  among  the  national  institutions  and 
social  partners  involved  in  earlier  pilot  actions  at  EU  level 
about  fair  posting  of  workers  (e.g.  EMPOWER,  TRANSPO  and 
ENFOSTER  project).  The  ‘ENACTING’  project  was  based  on 
analysis and findings of earlier projects and was intended to 
follow up already existing cooperation in the light of current 
challenges deriving from Directive 2014/67/EU.

Aims of the project/organisation

The overall aim of the ‘ENACTING’ project was to strengthen 
practical cooperation and mutual learning among authorities 
and social partners engaged in enforcement of Directive 96/71/
EC and in the new challenges tackled by Directive 2014/67/EU 
and its related transposition by Member States into national 
laws.

The project team has pursued three specific objectives:

•  To  promote  mutual  learning  and  exchange  among 

responsible authorities and social partners;

•  To enhance transnational cooperation and knowledge of 
practices for enforcement, among control authorities and 
social partners;

•  To  disseminate  information  on  rules  and  practices  for 
enforcement  of  posting  legislation  through  a  number 
of  ‘Information  and  Awareness  initiatives’  on  Directive 
2014/67/EU.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

The  ‘ENACTING’  project  has  contributed  to  national  and  EU 
policies  for  the  mobility  of  workers  and  decent  work  related 
to posting of workers, specifically by enhancing administrative 
cooperation, social dialogue and tripartite dialogue (i.e. national 
authorities, employers’ organisations and trade unions).

 25

Sustainability measures

The  outputs  of  the  project  serve  as  a  basis  for  a  possible 
implementation of methods, mutual assistance practices and 
knowledge on fair posting of workers in all labour inspectorates, 
employers’  associations  and  trade  unions  of  all  countries 
involved.

Activities implemented

•  Development of monitoring and evaluation tools;
•  Preparation  of  4  Country  reports  on  transposing 

legislation and governance for enforcement;

•  Organisation  of 

transnational  workshops  on 

transposing for enforcement;

•  Formation  of  ENACTING  Social  Dialogue  working 

group;

•  Development of final document ‘Guidelines for social 

dialogue within posting of workers;’

•  Organisation of final conference;
•  Development of project webpage.

Coordinator
Istituto Guglielmo Tagliacarne (Italy)

Partners 
ADAPT  (Italy);  Arbeit  und  Leben  e.V  Berlin  (Germany) 
CISL Confederazione Italiana Sindacato Lavoratori (Italy); 
CSC Transport and Communication (Belgium); Iscos CISL 
(Italy);  Italian  Ministry  of  Labour  and  Social  Policies 
(Italy); Romanian Labour Inspection (Romania).

Project/organisation website 
http://www.adapt.it/enacting/abstract.html 

3.2.3.  Posting of Workers: Sharing Experiences, Promoting Best Practices and Improving 
Access to Information

‘The project has considerably contributed to enhancing access to information 
on posting of workers via training sessions for public employees and employers.’

Call identification number: VP/2014/007
Grant identification number: VS/2015/0014

Policy area: Working conditions

Policy sub-area: Posting of workers 

Implementation/participation country: Belgium, 
Croatia, Germany, Slovenia

Project duration: 1 December 2014-30 November 2016

EU contribution in euros: 279 607.00

Target  groups:  National,  regional  and  local  authorities; 
Employment  services;  Social  partners;  NGOs;  Higher 
education institutions and research institutes;

Socioeconomic context

The project activities were developed in response to the rising 
demand  for  more  information  in  the  light  of  the  increase  in 
posting of workers from Slovenia and Croatia. There are three 
main reasons why the posting of workers within the single EU 
labour market has caused challenges: the lack of a sufficient 
and  coherent  information  system;  inadequate  procedure 
of  issuing  A1  certificates  and  subsequent  failure  to  detect 
irregularities before the posting; failure to respond to reported 
violations and breaches of workers’ rights.

Therefore, the project had three main objectives:

•  to increase the accessibility, transparency and coherence 
of information on the posting of workers for the officials 
of  competent  public  authorities,  employers  and  posted 

 26

Activities implemented

•  Development of national websites with comprehensive 

information on posted workers;

•  Preparation  and  distribution  of 

leaflets  with 
information on rights and obligations with regard to 
posting  of  workers  for  stakeholders  and  the  wider 
public;

•  4  joint  visits  to  Brussels,  Croatia,  Germany  and 
Slovenia  to  establish  an  international  network  with 
the officials responsible for posted workers;

•  Organisation  of  transnational  round  table  for  all 
associated  institutions  participating  in  the  project, 
stakeholders, wider public and media;

•  Organisation  of  final  conference  for  all  associated 

institutions;

•  Preparation of final report of project activities.

Coordinator
Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences 
and Arts (Slovenia)

Partners 
Ministry  of  Labour,  Family,  Social  Affairs  and  Equal 
Opportunities (Slovenia); Labour Inspectorate (Slovenia);
Association of Free Trade Unions of Slovenia (Slovenia);
Chamber  of  Commerce  and 
Industry  of  Slovenia 
(Slovenia);  Republic  of  Croatia  Ministry  of  Labour 
and  Pension  System  (Croatia);  Union  of  Autonomous 
Trade  Unions  of  Croatia  (Croatia);  University  of  Zagreb 
Faculty  of  Humanities  and  Social  Sciences  (Croatia); 
University of Rostock, Chair of Business, Economics and 
Entrepreneurship Education (Germany); Labour Inspection 
of  the  Federal  Public  Service  Employment,  Labour  and 
Social Dialogue (Belgium).

Project/organisation website 
http://www.napotenidelavci.si/sl/ 

the  Slovakian  Ministry  of  Labour,  Family  Social  Affairs  and 
Equal Opportunities.

Furthermore,  the  Slovakian  Ministry  of  Labour,  Family  Social 
Affairs and Equal Opportunities has decided to apply for further 
funding  to  address  overlooked  issues  of  occupational  safety 
and health (OSH) of posted workers. A two-year transnational 
project  ‘Occupational  Safety  and  Health  of  Posted  Workers: 
Depicting the Existing and Future Challenges in Assuring Decent 
Working  Conditions  and  Well-being  of  Workers  in  Hazardous 
Sectors (POOSH)’ will be financed within the framework of the 
EaSI Programme, PROGRESS axis, from January 2017.

workers;

•  to 

improve  transnational  administrative  cooperation 
between  national  competent  authorities  and  social 
partners;

•  to increase knowledge on the Directives and their correct 
application by organising short training actions for officials 
of  competent  public  authorities,  social  partners  (trade 
unions) and employers.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

The  main  deliverable  of  the  project  was  the  development 
of  a  comprehensive  national  website,  which  was  translated 
into  4  languages  (Croatian,  English,  German  and  Slovenian). 
Moreover,  the  project  team  has  released  a  freely  accessible 
e-handbook, e-expert report and information leaflets.

The project deliverables contributed considerably to enhancing 
access  to  information  on  the  posting  of  workers  through 
the  development  of  national  websites  and  organisation  of 
training  sessions  for  public  employees  and  employers.  The 
project team has also established transnational links between 
stakeholders in Belgium, Croatia, Germany and Slovenia at the 
disseminations events.

Dissemination strategy

The  project  team  has  disseminated  the  project  outputs  (i.e. 
E-handbook and information flyer) via its website. As previously 
mentioned, the website was developed in 4 languages (Croatian, 
English,  German  and  Slovenian)  to  ensure  information  they 
require.

The  project  has  organised  7  short  training  sessions,  3 
conferences  and  4  joint  visits.  It  included  national  and  local 
policy  practitioners,  state-wide  employers,  national  and 
regional  employers’  associations,  employment  agencies  and 
NGOs involved in workers’ rights.

Transnational dimension

The project team organised 4 joint visits to Belgium, Croatia, 
Germany  and  Slovenia  with  the  main  aim  to  establish  and 
enhance  transnational  networking  and  improve  cooperation, 
information  sharing  and  exchange  of  best  practices  between 
the officials of competent public authorities and social partners.

European added value

The action could not have been implemented without the EU 
funding, which was mainly used to develop the website, short 
training actions and the organisation of joint visits. Therefore, 
the given effect of the action was achieved at the lowest cost 
to tax payers.

Sustainability measures

It is planned that the project will continue to maintain the policy 
dialogue  related  to  the  regulatory  frameworks  of  placement 
of  workers,  types  of  abuses,  best  practices  and  cooperation 
initiatives via the website. The website will be maintained by 

 27

3.2.4.  POUR UN DETACHEMENT EQUITABLE ET RESPONSABLE

‘The project has strengthened cooperation between labour inspectorates and 

trade unions in 9 Member States to better inform and defend posted workers.’

Call identification number: VP/2014/007
Grant identification number: VS/2015/0015

Policy area: Working conditions

Policy sub-area: Posting of workers 

Implementation/participation country: Belgium, 
Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain

Project duration: 1 December 2014-30 November 2016

EU contribution in euros: 451 332.82

Target groups: National, regional and local authorities;
Social partners; NGOs; Workers.

programme,  which  enables  network  members  to  share 
information and create working groups to respond to concrete 
issues.

The  first  initiative  taken  by  the  REDER  network  was  to 
inform  posted  workers  of  their  rights.  Thus,  7  types  of 
brochures  containing  short  information  on  labour  law  and 
fraud  awareness  were  released  in  10  languages  (including 
languages  of  the  countries  involved  and  English).  Brochures 
were distributed to over 40 000 posted workers on construction 
sites, supermarkets, churches, as well as via trade unions.

Seven  European  seminars  held  in  2015  and  2016  gave  an 
opportunity for REDER network members to become acquainted 
and develop a common understanding of the issues of posting 
of workers, share good practices and assess the effectiveness 
of legal frameworks specific to each Member State, the powers 
of  labour  inspectorates  to  step  in  and  the  procedures  with 
which trade unions in each country are expected to comply.

Two  visits  to  construction  sites:  the  Dunkirk  Methane 
Terminal  and  the  Antwerp  dams,  resulted  in  a  number  of 
shared  observations.  In  particular,  a  mismatch  between  the 
descriptions  of  the  work  provided  by  companies  to  posted 
workers  and  the  real  situation  was  observed.  The  site  visits 
gave  network  members  a  chance  to  identify  their  strengths, 
weaknesses and complementary points.

Transnational dimension

The  project  included  partners  from  9  countries  (Belgium, 
Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain). 
Their participation in the project has strengthened cooperation 
between  labour  inspectorates  and  trade  unions  in  these 
countries to better inform and defend posted workers.

Socioeconomic context: 

In 2014, around 1.9 million European workers were posted to 
other Member States. The construction sector included 45 % 
of them. France, with approximately 230 000 posted workers, 
was the second most frequent host country. Due to linguistic 
barriers,  employers  can  avoid  their  legal  responsibilities  and 
exploit posted workers.

In this context, it was crucial to develop an innovative approach 
for securing better enforcement of rules and ensuring that the 
rights guaranteed to posted workers are more widely upheld in 
practice. Thus, the main objective of the project was to form an 
operational network at the European level, which could provide 
effective support to posted workers.

Project results, measured impacts, 
achievements, lessons learned

Dissemination strategy

The main output of the project was the creation of the REDER 
network.  It  was  made  of  contact  and  information  points  in 
9  Member  States:  Belgium,  Bulgaria,  France,  Germany,  Italy, 
Poland,  Portugal  and  Spain.  Each  country,  except  Germany, 
included representatives of both the labour inspectorate and 
the  trade  unions.  The  REDER  network  has  developed  its  own 
communication platform, equipped with an instant translation 

All  the  material  used  in  seminars  was  distributed  to  the 
members of the REDER network and is available on its website. 
Altogether 2 000 copies of the final report of the project were 
printed  and  distributed  to  a  wide  audience,  including  the 
International Labour Organisation, the European Federation of 
Builders  and  Woodworkers,  the  Building  and  Wood  Workers’ 
International  and  members  of  the  European  Parliament. 
Results of the project were also communicated to the members 

 28

of  employers’  organisations  and  the  European  Economic  and 
Social Committee during high-level meetings. In addition, the 
project’s activities were covered in 5 newspaper publications, 
3 training events of trade unions and 2 publications by trade 
unions;  5  promotional  videos  on  Vimeo  and  2  broadcasts  on 
TV and radio.

European added value

Due  to  the  EU  funding  a  transnational  network  of  trade 
unions  and  labour  inspectorates  from  9  countries  was 
established to take common action in the instances of fraud 
and  provide  support  to  posted  workers.  It  has  also  assessed 
the  effectiveness  of  national  legal  frameworks  with  regard 
to posted workers and shared experiences within and outside 
the  network.  Two  types  of  brochures  for  ‘sending  countries’ 
and  ‘host  countries’  provided  guidance  for  both  workers  and 
employers on conventional rights of posted workers.

Sustainability measures

The  REDER  network  continues  its  operation  after  the  official 
end date of the project. It has expanded its capacity by setting 
up  training  programmes  in  the  9  countries  of  the  project. 
Moreover,  the  REDER  te  am  has  started  to  develop  software 
for  smartphones,  tablets  and  personal  computers  for  posted 
workers  to  initiate  contact  with  the  network.  It  will  contain 
20  questions  translated  into  10  languages  regarding  work 
time,  remuneration,  illegal  withholding  from  salary,  housing 
conditions and transport.

Gender equality measures

Gender  equality  was  not  an  issue  directly  addressed  by  the 
project,  but  it  was  considered  in  the  activities  of  the  REDER 
network.  The  total  number  of  participants  in  the  seminars 
included 96 women and 172 men.

Activities implemented

•  REDER  network  (French  acronym  for  the  European 
Network for Fair and Responsible Posting) created;
•  7  types  of  brochures  in  10  languages  containing 
necessary  information  for  posted  workers  were 
published and distributed;

•  7 seminars to develop knowledge and exchange good 
practices  on  issues  regarding  posting  of  workers 
organised;

•  2 joint construction site visits in France and Belgium.

Coordinator
FNSCBA CGT (France)

Partners 
Direction  générale  du  travail  (France);  Comisiones 
Obreras  de  Construccion  y  Servicios  (Spain);  Inspection 
du  travail  (Spain);  Federazione  Italiana  dei  Lavoratori 
del Legno, dell’Edilizia, delle Industrie Affini ed Estrattive 
FILLEA CGIL (Italy); TELA: Territorio Europa Lavoro (Italy);
Confédération  des  syndicats  chrétiens-  Bâtiment 
Industrie  Energie  (Belgium);  Federale  Overheidsdienst 
Werkgelegenheid, Arbeid en Sociaal Overleg (Belgium);
Federation  of  Independent  Trade  Union  of  Construction 
CITUB  (Bulgaria);  Republic  of  Bulgaria  -General  Labour 
Inspectorate  Executive  Agency 
(Bulgaria);  Zwiazek 
Zawodowy Budowlani (Poland); Labour Inspection Poland 
(Poland);  Autoridade  para  as  Condicoes  do  Trabalho 
(Portugal);  Federacao  Portuguesa  dos  Sindicatos  da 
Construcao, Ceramica e Vidro/Cgtp-Feviccom (Portugal);
Federatia  Generala  a  Sindicatelor  Familia  ‘Fgs  Familia’ 
(Romania);  Guvernul  Romaniei-  Labour 
Inspection 
(Romania); Bischofliches Ordinariat Rottenburg (Germany);

Project/organisation website 
http://construction.cgt.fr/reder/

3.3.  EURES: projects promoting geographical labour mobility

Fifteen projects funded in the area of geographical labour mobility (EURES) illustrate one of the two categories:

•  projects aiming to place young people into quality and sustainable employment (‘Your first EURES Job’ initiative);
•  funding to support activities of cross-border partnerships between employment services and other stakeholders relevant 

in the cross-border labour markets.

Targeted mobility schemes - ‘Your first EURES job’ (TMS-YfEj) projects

Below the report describes two projects that resulted from the call for proposals aiming to place at least 1 800 young people in 
jobs or work-based training in the EU, EFTA/EEA countries other than their country of residence.(7)  This call has built upon the 
experiences gathered with the three previous calls launched at the EU level in the framework of the preparatory action ‘Your first 
EURES job.’

In line with the Recommendation by the European Council of 28-29 June 2012, the TMS-YfEj projects are providing support 
measures for young candidates aged 18-35 to find a job, traineeship or apprenticeship in a place other than his/her country of 
residence, enshrined in a legally binding work relationship with the employer, i.e. there must be a labour contract between the 
parties. Besides contributing to workers’ freedom of movement within the EU, the scheme aims also at being a labour market 
intervention tool to help fill vacancies in response to labour demand and economic needs and address labour mobility obstacles. 
The activities thus target hard to fill vacancies, such as those identified in national, regional or even local labour shortage lists 
and/or labour market development studies.

(7) 

Call for Proposals VP/2014/013: EaSI-EURES: Your first EURES job - Targeted mobility scheme.

 29

3.3.1.  Targeted Mobility Scheme - Your First EURES Job (YfEj 4.0)

‘The project has delivered client-centred services, designed to respond to both 
the individual needs of youth facing barriers to employment and job mobility and 
employers facing barriers to fill vacancies or hire abroad.’

Call identification number: VP/2014/013
Grant identification number: VS/2014/0582

Policy area: Employment

Policy sub-area: Youth Employment 

Implementation/participation country: Bulgaria, 
Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain, 
United Kingdom

Project duration: 2 February 2015-2 February 2017

EU contribution in euros: 2 682 568.51

Target groups: Young people;
National, regional and local authorities;
Higher education institutions and research institutes.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

‘YfEj  4.0’  has  delivered  client-centred  services,  designed  to 
respond to both the individual needs of youth facing barriers 
to employment and job mobility and employers, facing barriers 
to fill vacancies or hiring abroad.

More specifically, the project offered a wide range of activities, 
which  were  tailored  to  meet  individual  needs  of  employers 
and jobless young people. It included information and advisory 
services in the application process, vacancies and CV handling. 
The project team also provided job matching and job placement 
support. As a result of these activities, the project team has 
ensured 1 111 job placements across Europe.

Financial  support  was  also  provided  for  language  learning 
courses or successful placements in another European country. 
As  many  as  1  064  young  people  have  received  a  relocation 
allowance  and  225  jobseekers  have  benefited  from  free 
language training courses.

international 

Furthermore,  ‘YfEj  4.0’  has  strengthened  the  role  of  EURES 
desks  in  promoting  and  supporting  intra-EU  job  mobility. 
linkages  with  other  EU 
Establishment  of 
stakeholders  active  in  the  field  and  improving  cross-border 
collaborations  among  EURES  and  with  other  types  of 
organisations has allowed the exchange of knowledge about 
foreign markets, which in turn has supported the shift to more 
employment-focused service.

Identification of potential good practices

The  use  of  social  media  and  other  new  generation 
communication  channels  has  enhanced  harmonisation  of 
the  mobility,  selection  and  recruitment  process  providing 
transparent,  fair  and  equal  access  to  work  placement  at 
European level in coherence with the EU employment policies.

Transnational  dimension  and  European  added 
value

‘YfEj  4.0’  has 
organisations 

involved  consortium  partners  from  11 
in  9  countries,  18  associated  partners, 

Socioeconomic context

Geographical  mobility  improves  efficiency  and  well-being  of 
workers, allowing them to move to locations where their skills 
could be fully valued. It increases employment and facilitates 
the distribution of higher incomes more broadly across Europe. 
Young people are often willing to work abroad but do not take 
up  work  opportunities  in  other  countries  either  because  they 
are not aware of them or because of the costs and insecurity of 
moving abroad. Therefore, a job, traineeship or apprenticeship 
abroad can improve young people’s language skills and help 
them  be  more  self-confident  and  adaptable.  Young  mobile 
workers  can  also  be  a  precious  source  of  innovation  in 
enterprises, more flexible for mobility and often more positive 
towards change.

The  project  has  built  on  previous  experiences  gathered  in 
Italy  with  three  previous  calls  launched  at  the  EU  level  in 
the  framework  of  the  preparatory  action  `Your  first  EURES 
job.‘  The  main  aim  of  the  action  was  to  support  youth  in 
making successful transitions into the EU labour market and 
companies  to  fill  bottleneck  vacancies,  thereby  resulting  in 
increased  overall  level  of  employment  in  the  EU  countries, 
Norway and Iceland.

 30

representing  public  and  private  organisations,  13  contact 
points  and  5  info  points.  As  mentioned  above,  this  large 
network of partners and other stakeholders contributed to the 
main European wide infrastructure for the promotion of labour 
mobility.

Dissemination strategy

The  consortium  has  designed  a  communication  strategy 
specifically  aimed  to  inform  the  general  population  and  the 
target audience about the opportunities offered by the project.

Web  communication  was  the  main  means  of  dissemination 
of project activities. Most of the information regarding project 
activities can be found at the project website in three languages 
(English, French and Italian). It has reached 3 025 319 page 
views  in  total,  with  179  054  users.  Social  media  channels 
(Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) were also extensively used to 
distribute information.

The action has organised 284 events (Meetings, Info sessions, 
Job fairs) in different European countries, with more than 40 
000 participants.

Moreover,  the  project  team  has  released  11  Articles,  29 
dedicated  webpages  in  consortium  institutional  websites,  13 
leaflets with 9 278 copies distributed, 1 guide and 5 newsletters 
reaching over 60 000 contact points.

Activities implemented

•  Management  of  project,  including  data  collection, 
coordination  of  Work  Packages  and  monitoring  of 
tools and activities;

•  Organisation, promotion of project activities;
•  Assurance of job placing and job matching;
•  Provision of financial support to target groups. 

Coordinator
ANPAL - EURES National Coordination Office (Italy)

Emloyment 

Partners 
Città  Metropolitana  di  Roma  Capitale  (Italy);  Agentia 
Nationala  pentru  Ocuparea  fortei  de  Munca  (Romania); 
Croatian 
(Croatia);  National 
Service 
Employment  Agency  (Bulgaria);  DIAN  (Greece);  Instituto 
do  Emprego  e  Formação  Profissional,  I.P.  (Portugal); 
FutureLearn  (United  Kingdom);  SEPE  (Spanish  Public 
Employment Service) (Spain); Università Sapienza di Roma 
(Italy);  Department  of  Labour  -  Ministry  of  Labour  and 
Social Insurance (Cyprus);

Project/organisation website 
http://www.yourfirsteuresjob.eu/en/home 

3.3.2.  Targeted Mobility Scheme - Your First EURES Job (TMS-YfEj)

‘Through information and guidance, project partners helped 1 319 young 

jobseekers to find employment abroad.’

Call identification number: VP/2014/013
Grant identification number: VS/2014/0584

Policy area: Free movement of workers/Employment

Policy sub-area: EURES/Youth Employment 

Implementation/participation country: Denmark, 
Finland, Ireland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden

Project duration: 2 February 2015-1 February 2017

EU contribution in euros: 2 349 462.93

Target  groups:  Young  jobseekers;  Employers;  SMEs; 
Media; National and regional authorities.

Socioeconomic context

In  some  EU  countries,  high  levels  of  youth  unemployment 
persist.  At  the  same  time,  employers  in  certain  sectors  (ICT, 
engineering,  health  care)  often  struggle  to  find  people  to  fill 
bottleneck  vacancies.  The  project  sought  to  address  these 
mismatches  by  helping  young  jobseekers  in  one  partner 
country to find employment in another country.

Aims of the project

The  main  objectives  of  this  project  were  to  provide  job 
placements  for  Swedish  youth  in  another  EU-28  country, 
Norway or Iceland by using information, recruitment services 
and  job  matching.  Additionally,  the  project  sought  to  reduce 
youth  unemployment  rates  in  the  EU  by  focusing  on  young 
jobseekers, aged 18-35.

 31

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

The  project  has  achieved  good  results  in  all  the  identified 
target areas, though it fell short of achieving many of the goals 
set in the beginning. However, this was mostly due to setting 
very ambitious goals rather than lack of willingness from the 
project partner to achieve them.

Project  partners  covered  the  expenses  to  travel  to  a  job 
interview abroad for 633 young jobseekers. However, this fell 
short  of  the  800-interview  goal,  as  many  of  the  jobseekers 
simply arranged job interviews through Skype or other internet 
platforms  instead  of  physically  travelling  to  another  country. 
Furthermore,  through  providing  necessary  information  and 
guidance,  project  partners  helped  1  319  young  jobseekers 
to  find  employment  abroad.  This  too  fell  short  of  the  1  400 
placement goal set in the beginning, but the difference is quite 
negligible.

Additionally,  the  project  partners  sought  to  address  the 
problem of youth unemployment by contributing to the overall 
employability of young people and seeking to reduce barriers 
to labour mobility. To this end, language courses benefiting 94 
young people were organised. The participation in the courses 
was lower than expected and fell short of the 400-participant 
goal,  because  there  was  a  legal  requirement  that  each 
participant  pay  for  the  course  fee  in  advance  and  then  be 
reimbursed  from  the  project  budget  after  completing  the 
course. This requirement deterred many potential participants, 
as they did not have enough resources to pay the course fee in 
advance.  Project  partners  issued  recognition  of  qualifications 
for 127 jobseekers thus helping them to find employment in 
another  country.  The  project  offered  assistance  to  special-
needs  jobseekers  to  help  them  find  employment  abroad. 
However,  this  action  received  very  little  attention  from  the 
target group, as getting the assistance required assembling a 
rather lengthy set of documents.

Finally,  project  partners  offered  financial  assistance  to  SMEs 
to  hire  young  jobseekers  and  organise  a  job  integration 
programme  for  them.  Overall,  26  SMEs  benefited  from  this 
opportunity and employed 94 young jobseekers. However, the 
administrative requirements of the project have proven to be 
a substantial hurdle and many enterprises were deterred from 
taking advantage of the project opportunities.

A  great  deal  of  effort  was  put  into  ensuring  that  the  project 
consortium functions smoothly and delivers services which are 
in line with the expectations of the European Commission. To 
this  end,  project  partners  have  organised  monthly  meetings 
to exchange project news, information and good practices. In 
order to ensure optimal use of the project’s resources, most of 
these meetings were held online. Additionally, project partners 
organised  four  meetings  (two  of  them  workshops)  with  the 
representatives of the European Commission.

Identification of potential good practices

All the project partners indicated that monthly meetings and 
especially meetings online were very effective in ensuring the 
smooth  functioning  of  the  project  and  information  exchange 
between  the  project  partners.  The  online  meetings  ensured 

Activities implemented

•  Support  for  young  jobseekers  to  travel  to  job 

interviews abroad granted;
•  Job placements facilitated;
•  Language courses organised;
•  Recognitions of qualifications issued to jobseekers;
•  Support granted to SMEs to employ young workers 

Coordinator
Arbetsförmedlingen (PES Sweden)

Partners 
Jobcenter  Copenhagen,  Denmark;  TEM,  Finland;  DSP, 
Ireland; IEFP and IP, Portugal; ANOFM, Romania; ESS/ZRSV, 
Slovenia;  the  Regional  Government/PES  of  the  Azores 
(DREQP/FRE), Portugal.

Project/organisation website 
https://www.arbetsformedlingen.se/Globalmeny/Other-
languages/Your-first-EURES-job.html ; 
www.yourfirsteuresjob.se

that such information exchanges occurred at a relatively high 
frequency without creating any additional costs for the project 
partners.

Transnational dimension

The  project  was  open  to  jobseekers  and  employers  from  all 
EU-28  countries  as  well  as  Norway  and  Iceland.  The  project 
has  promoted  mobility  in  Europe  through  the  work  of  the 
EURES  network,  although  there  has  been  a  specific  focus 
on  supporting  the  target  groups  within  the  countries  of  the 
consortium  members.  These  countries  have  ensured  that 
information about the project have been widely spread among 
jobseekers, employers and within their national PES as well as 
within their geographical area of Europe. By having the Azores 
as a co-applicant, and PES Madeira as an affiliated entity, this 
project  has  included  a  part  of  the  ultra-peripheral  regions  in 
Europe.

Dissemination strategy

The  success  of  the  project  depended  on  effectively  reaching 
the  target  group  and  informing  them  about  the  possibilities 
offered  by  the  project.  Therefore,  a  variety  of  information 
and  dissemination  activities  have  been  undertaken  by  the 
project partners. The main vehicle for communicating project 
information  was  the  project  website,  which  contained  the 
means to get in touch with the project partners, informational 
material prepared for the project, information on project news 
and events as well as practical tips for cross-border jobseekers. 
Moreover, some success stories from the project were turned 
into articles and printed on the project website.

Project  partners  printed  contact  cards  and  project  posters, 
which  were  disseminated  through  the  PES/EURES  networks 
in all the partner countries. Additionally, this information was 
disseminated through social partners such as universities and 
by other EURES network organisations and during their events, 

 32

such as European Jobs Day.

European added value

Furthermore,  project  partners  organised  four  coordinated 
information  campaigns  to  ensure  extensive  visibility  of 
the  project.  These  campaigns  featured  press  releases  (in 
newspapers, TV, and radio), posts on social media (Facebook, 
LinkedIn,  Twitter),  and  webinars  for  the  target  group.  By 
disseminating project information in a coordinated manner and 
utilising a variety of platforms, project partners ensured that 
the dissemination activities would have maximum impact and 
visibility among the target group.

Finally,  project  partners  organised  four  conferences  in  the 
partner countries and two project presentations in other EURES 
countries. Project Start-up and Final conferences were held in 
Stockholm  in  spring  2015  and  December  2016  respectively. 
Mid-term  project  conferences  were  held  in  Denmark  and 
Slovenia.  Project  partners  planned  to  hold  conferences  in  all 
the partner countries, but decided not to do so due to budget 
reasons.  Additionally,  presentations  about  the  project  and  its 
results were made in EURES events in Norway and Latvia.

Most of the project actions could not have been implemented 
without the EU funding. The EU support has mostly contributed 
to the relocation support granted to jobseekers for relocating 
there has been increased cooperation and networking among 
the consortium partners.

Gender equality measures

The project was open to both men and women, and the project 
was  promoted  with  equality  in  mind.  The  gender  balance  of 
those benefiting from the project is equal with men 49.43 % 
and  women  50.57  %.  Regarding  the  conferences  arranged 
within the project, more women than men have participated, 
due to the fact that they have been selected to attend by the 
PES management of each consortium member.

(8) 

Call for Proposals VP/2015/008, EaSI - EURES – Cross-border partnerships and support to cooperation on intra-EU mobility for EEA  
countries.

 33

 
Cross-Border partnerships

In the framework of EURES, in 2016 the European Commission has also supported partnerships among organisations 
providing employment services in the cross-border areas and their cooperation with the social partners(8) . These 
partnerships brought together public employment and vocational training services, employers and trade union organisations, 
local authorities and other institutions dealing with employment and vocational training in cross-border regions.

EURES  cross-border  partnerships  served  (and  will  continue  to  work)  as  valuable  points  of  contact  among  employment 
administrations, both regional and national and the social partners. They are also important means for monitoring these cross-
border employment areas, constituting a key element in the development of a genuine European labour market.

Actions described below fell into one of two strands:

•  the first strand supported activities of cross-border partnerships to implement EURES objectives in view of the recent EURES 

reform;

•  the second strand sought to facilitate intra-EU labour mobility in the EEA countries and to support the work of the EURES 

network in the EEA countries.

Below the report presents activities of the EURES cross-border partnerships in 2016.

3.3.3.  EURES TriRegio 2016

‘Since the beginning of the partnership, the number of Polish people working in 
Saxony (Germany) increased by 77%, while the number of Czechs increased by 69%.’

Call identification number: VP/2015/008
Grant identification number: VS/2015/0266

Policy area: Free movement of workers

Policy sub-area: EURES

Implementation/participation country: Germany, 
Poland, Czech Republic

Project duration: 1 January 2016 – 31 December 2016

EU contribution in euros: 201 616.22

Target groups: Jobseekers; Employers; National, regional 
and  local  authorities;  PES;  Social  partners;  NGOs;  Higher 
education  institutions;  Experts  in  the  field  of  evaluation 
and impact assessment; National Statistical Offices.

Aims of the project

The  cross-border  partnership  EURES  TriRegio  consists  of 
representatives  of  employment  services,  trade  unions  and 
employers’  organisations  from  Saxony,  Bohemia  and  Lower 
Silesia. Its long-term objective is to promote the development 
of a common labour market, in compliance with the existing 
employment  and  social  standards  of  Germany,  Poland  and 
the Czech Republic. The partnership facilitates the provision of 
EURES-related information in the region. In addition, it provides 
current  and  target  group-specific  information  and  advisory 
services  for  employers,  employees,  self-employed  persons, 
trainees and students. Finally, it seeks to provide training for 
skills  in  demand  and  to  ensure  that  cross-border  workers 
receive fair treatment and adequate employment conditions.

 34

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

included 

In  2016,  most  of  the  project  activities  were  successfully 
the  organisation  of  151 
implemented.  They 
information  days,  where  young  people, 
jobseekers  and 
unemployed  persons  could  find  information  about  cross-
border  employment  opportunities  and  employers  could  get 
in touch with jobseekers. During these days 1 595 individual 
consultations  were  carried  out.  Five  job-days  took  place  in 
Poland and Czech Republic which attracted 3 100 visitors and 
hosted 227 employer exhibitions.

Additionally,  over  200  consultations  were  held  with  cross-
border  commuters  on  labour  law,  work  safety  standards 
and  issues  related  to  the  payment  of  wages  and  access  to 
social benefits. Sixteen events that targeted Polish and Czech 
students took place and provided them with information about 
vocational training opportunities in Germany. Finally, seminars 
covering  prevention  of  occupational  diseases  and  industrial 
accidents, development of cross-border vocational training and 
recognition of professional qualifications were organised.

Dissemination strategy

Various information dissemination activities were carried out in 
2016. The main information dissemination tool was the project 
website, which helped to match jobseekers and employers and 
provided relevant information and labour statistics. Additionally, 
7 information sessions were organised for employers covering 
the issues of cross-border mobility of workers. Two seminars 
were  organised  on  issues  of  labour  and  social  policy  as  well 
as  two  other  events  promoting  cross-border  placements  and 
relevant  training  courses.  Moreover,  a  networking  session 

Activities implemented

•  Information  and  advice  days  for  jobseekers  and 

employers organised;

•  Job fairs organised;
•  Job exchanges organised;
•  Workshops  and  other  events  for  employers  and 

jobseekers organised;

•  Coaching programmes organised;
•  Information video/film for mobile workers produced;
•  Brochures  about  the  legal  minimum  wage  and 
minimum  labour  and  social  insurance  standards  in 
Germany produced and disseminated;

•  Communication  activities,  such  as  the  development 
involved 

of  TriRegio  website,  websites  of  the 
organisations carried out;

•  Measures  for  professional  orientation  of  recent 

graduates undertaken.

Coordinator
Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Germany)

Partners 
Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic; 
Lower Silesian Regional Labour Office (DWUP); Chamber of 
Industry and Commerce Chemnitz; Chamber of Commerce 
of the Czech Republic; The Sudeten Employers Association;
German Trade Union Confederation (DGB); Czech Moravian 
Confederation  of  trade  unions;  Trade  Union  Solidarnosc 
(Poland) 

Project/organisation website 
http://www.eures-triregio.eu/ueber-uns.html

 35

3.3.4.  EURES-T Pannonia Cross-Border Partnership’s Activity Plan for 2016

‘Five EURES-window stations have been opened as a result of the project. 

Together they form a complex, modern and fast network serving jobseekers and 
providing better access to high-quality employment information.’

Call identification number: VP/2015/008
Grant identification number: VS/2015/0268

Policy area: Free movement of workers

Policy sub-area: EURES

Implementation/participation country: Hungary, 
Austria

Project duration: 1 January 2016-31 December 2016

EU contribution in euros: 273 211.66

Target  groups:  Employees;  Jobseekers;  Students;  Self-
employed  persons  and  SMEs;  Youth  faced  by  the  first 
choice of occupation or further education decisions; PES;
Tax  authorities;  Academic  institutions;  Social  insurance 
institutions; Social partners.

customer-oriented  services  to  employees  and  employers  in 
the  cross-border  region  by  publishing  information  brochures, 
organising campaign spots and personal consulting.
Additionally, project partners further developed EURES-window 
services  with  two  new  advisory  offices  opened  in  Austria. 
Currently,  five  EURES-window  stations  have  been  opened 
as  the  result  of  the  project.  Together  they  form  a  complex, 
modern  and  fast  network  serving  jobseekers  and  providing 
better access to high-quality employment information.

‘Into the Job’ platform was further developed and a jobseekers 
database  developed.  Other  web-based  outreach  activities 
involved the newly developed project website, with a refreshed 
industrial map, a job search engine integrated with the EURES 
portal,  and  the  launch  of  a  Facebook  promotion  campaign 
featuring short movies on cross-border mobility.

Third, project partners commissioned and completed a study 
on  the  regulation  and  practice  of  home-nursing  services, 
which  provided  background  information  for  adult  education 
institutions,  jobseekers  and  employers  in  health  and  social 
care. Finally, the Project’s Annual Conference was organised in 
Vienna, which analysed the topic of Industry 4.0 utilising the 
Ted-X conference format.

Overall, around 350 jobseekers directly benefited from taking 
part in the project activities, such as trainings, workshops and 
language courses. Additionally, a large number of jobseekers 
benefited from the project activities indirectly either by looking 
up  information  of  the  project  website  or  making  use  of  the 
‘Into the Job’ portal to look up vacancies or getting in touch 
with employers in the region.

Transnational dimension

A transnational dimension was inherent to all project activities 
as  they  addressed  regional  and  European  cooperation, 
mobility  and  cross-border  workers.  The  project  strengthened 
collaboration  between  organisations  providing  employment 
services  in  the  Pannonia  Austro-Hungarian  border  region, 
especially  on  issues  related  to  the  effective  provision  of 
information for employers and advice on cross-border mobility 
for youth.

Aims of the project

Taking  into  account  the  specificities  of  the  Austro-Hungarian 
cross-border  labour  market,  the  primary  aim  of  the  project 
was  to  assist  citizens  in  the  border  regions  to  find  secure 
long-term  employment  in  the  neighbouring  state.  This  is 
primarily  achieved  by  providing  easier  access  to  job  and 
vocational training information as well as information on tax 
and  labour  law,  including  information  on  social  benefits.  By 
sharing  information  in  a  fast  and  user-friendly  manner,  the 
project helped to reduce bureaucratic obstacles and to make 
it  easier  to  find  employment.  Additionally,  the  project  aimed 
to  facilitate  and  coordinate  the  exchange  of  information 
between employers and employees using dedicated websites. 
The implemented activities targeted vulnerable groups such as 
young people, female employees and people with low language 
skills to make access to fair mobility easier.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

All  major  activities  planned  for  2016  were  successfully 
implemented,  due  to  previously  developed  long-standing 
durable  partnerships.  To  begin  with,  the  project  provided 

 36

New partnerships created

As a result of one of the main activities of the project, the initial 
number  of  Pannonia  cross-border  partnership  members  was 
increased by extending the cooperation to vocational education 
providers and industrial partners in Austria.

Dissemination strategy

First,  as  one  of  the  activities  of  the  project,  a  database  was 
created containing data about jobseekers in the cross-border 
region,  including  their  CVs  and  skills.  It  was  made  available 
online  for  employers  registered  in  the  partnership’s  website, 
the  EURES  consultants  of  the  AMS  (Austrian  Labour  Service) 
and  the  National  Public  Employment  Service  of  Hungary. 
Second, a number of events were organised to share the project 
experiences  and  practices  among  the  main  stakeholders, 
including  professional  workshops,  conferences  and  meetings 
for PES representatives. Third, the most important information 
of the project was published on the EURES-T Pannonia website. 
Finally, several events for youth and jobseekers were organised, 
including  language  and  safety  at  work  courses,  cross-border 
meetings of professionals and specialised was 9 and engaged 
over 450 people.

European added value

In  line  with  the  EU  employment  policy,  the  activities  of  last 
year emphasise the promotion of geographic mobility and job 
incentives  by  creating  an  open  and  transparent  employment 
market.

Addressing  young  people 
is  paramount,  because  their 
situation on the labour market is much more vulnerable and 
unemployment  in  this  group  is  higher.  Within  the  framework 
of  sub-projects,  the  project  supplied  information  required  for 
career orientation to the young people and provided them with 
skills  for  successful  operation  on  the  single  European  labour 
market,  thus  supporting  fair  mobility.  On  the  basis  of  the 
information  collected  within  the  framework  of  the  particular 
advisory services, project activities supported the development 
of  adequate  social  protection  systems  and  labour  market 
policies  of  the  participant  countries  in  order  to  be  consistent 
with European standards.

Gender equality measures

Project  partners  did  not  make  any  direct  efforts  to  ensure 
gender  equality.  However,  roughly  equal  numbers  of  women 

Activities implemented

•  Annual conference organised in Vienna utilising Ted-x 

format, focusing on the topic of industry 4.0;

•  Activities  for  raising  awareness  of  the  partnership, 
including  the  coordination  of  media  presence, 
improved  website,  development  of 
jobseekers’ 
database;

•  Language  and  specialised  skills  training  courses 

organised;

•  Labour  market  analysis  and  research  projects 

undertaken;

•  Development  of  partnerships  between  tax,  social 
security  and  labour  law  authorities  to  provide  more 
efficient services in line with EURES platform;

•  Development  of  a  cooperation  platform  for  partner 

organisations and employment service network.

Coordinator
Ministry of National Economy of Hungary 

Partners 
Hungarian Trade Union Confederation (MaSZSZ); Industry 
Association of Vas County (Vasi-KISZÖV); Arbeitmarktservice 
Burgenland  (AMS  Burgenland);  Industriellenvereinigung 
Berufsförderungsinstitut 
Burgenland 
Burgenland(BFI  Bgld);  Wirtschaftsförderungsinstitut  der 
Wirschaftskammer  Burgenland  (WIFI  Bgld);  Goverment 
Office of Vas County; Government Office of Győr-Moson-
Sopron County; Government Office of Zala County.

Bgld); 

(IV 

Project/organisation website 
http://www.eures-pannonia.hu/hu/

and men participated in all the project events, including project 
steering and management meetings.

Sustainability measures

Project  participants  expressed  their  general  satisfaction  with 
the  project  and  affirmed  that  it  has  provided  the  benefits 
expected.  In  particular,  partner  organisations  indicated  that 
the  labour  market  research  projects  carried  out  have  been 
particularly helpful and valuable.

 37

3.3.5.  EURES Cross-border Øresund 2016

‘Close cooperation between the employer in the project, PES, Cross border and 
the one-stop shop is a necessary element of the project model to ensure ongoing 
and close coordination and validation of implementation decisions.’

Call identification number: VP/2015/008
Grant identification number: VS/2015/0278

Policy area: Free movement of workers

Policy sub-area: EURES

Implementation/participation country: Sweden, 
Denmark

Project duration: 1 January 2016-31 December 2016

EU contribution in euros: 154 179.55 

Target  groups:  Local  authorities;  Employment  services; 
Social partners; Higher education institutions and research 
institutes;  Young  jobseekers;  Specialists  from  the  EU 
countries; Unemployment insurance agencies.

sub-project matched unemployed construction sector workers 
with  service  providers,  particularly  in  eastern  Denmark;  3) 
Life-Science  sub-project  sought  to  attract  skilled  life-science 
specialists  from  the  region  and  other  EEA  countries  to  work 
in Øresund; and 4) Better Partnerships sub-project sought to 
bring together relevant stakeholders in the region and come up 
with recommendations on how to improve cooperation.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements

Most  of  the  planned  project  activities  were  implemented, 
though  some  adaptation  and  changes  to  planned  activities 
occurred  in  most  of  the  sub-projects.  Under  the  Young  Job 
Seekers  sub-project  a  training  event  was  organised  for  25 
jobseekers  looking  for  employment  in  Scania  region,  out  of 
whom  14  went  on  to  become  employed.  Also,  an  analytical 
report  was  created  presenting  an  in-depth  analysis  of  the 
issues faced by cross-border workers in Øresund. However, one 
of the job fairs had to be cancelled due to low interest from 
the employers’ side.

Under  the  Construction  sector  sub-project  various  job  fairs 
and  workshops  were  organised.  They  attracted  substantial 
attention  from  the  potential  employers,  but  due  to  existing 
region-wide labour shortages in the construction sector some 
initiatives, e.g. elaboration of digital recruitment strategy, were 
deemed to be superfluous.

Under  the  Life-Sciences  sub-project  a  specialised  LinkedIn 
group(9)  was created bringing together employment providers 
in the region. The group membership has almost doubled (from 
474 to 807 members) since 2015. The group is responsible for 
app. 300 filled vacancies with most of the vacancies being filled 
from  outside  the  region.  Additionally,  project  representatives 
took part in various job fairs in Europe to advertise the project 
and disseminate relevant information.

Finally, under the Better Partnerships sub-project various events 
bringing  together  relevant  stakeholders  from  the  region  and 
the neighbouring areas are organised. These events facilitated 
discussions over existing obstacles for labour mobility and the 
means on how to address them.

Socioeconomic context

The  Cross  border  Øresund  project  and  underlying  activities 
took place in the Øresund Region. This dynamic region covers 
the eastern parts of Denmark and the Swedish region of Skåne 
(Scania) and is home to app. 4 million inhabitants. The region is 
physically tied together by the Øresund Bridge which connects 
the Danish capital of Copenhagen with Sweden’s third largest 
city Malmø.

Aims of the project

The  overall  objective  of  the  action  is  to  promote  a  common 
labour market in the region through information and concrete 
recruitment,  matching  and  placement  activities.  To  this  end, 
Cross Border Øresund, as in previous years, supports projects 
and  activities  that  enhance  interregional  and  European 
mobility,  thus  contributing  to  a  diverse  and  qualified  labour 
force in the region.

Four sub-projects were implemented under the project: 1) Young 
jobseekers  sub-project  matched  jobseekers  with  a  concrete 
employer (Scania hotel chain) in Sweden; 2) Construction sector 

(9) 

LinkedIn Group created for the project: ‘Life Science Specialists for the Oresund Region’  
<https://www.linkedin.com/groups/6933858/profile> (08 08 2017). 

 38

 
Overall, through various sub-projects, the Øresund cross border 
partnership provided over 114 placements. The exact number 
of placements is not known, as in the construction sector sub-
project, existing agreements did not allow PES offices to follow 
up on the exact number of placements. In addition, another 2 
600 people benefited from the information and consultations 
provided by project partner organisations.

Lessons learned

Close cooperation between the employers, PES representatives 
and  the  project  partners  is  a  necessary  condition  for  project 
activities  to  succeed.  This  cooperation  should  be  ongoing 
and  cover  all  the  phases  of  the  project:  from  planning  to 
implementation of activities. Moreover, another lesson learned 
is  that  more  than  one  employer  should  be  involved  in  the 
project to ensure a broader recruitment base.

Identification of potential good practices

A  specialised  LinkedIn  group  is  an  excellent  tool  for  EURES 
advisers  whereby  they  can  offer  to  employers  a  constantly 
updated  CV  database  of  international  jobseekers/specialists 
who have expressed their interest in working in the region.

New partnerships created

Under  the  Better  Partnerships  sub-project  Cross  border 
Øresund  has  joined  the  Greater  Copenhagen  Collaboration 
platform. This political platform for fostering collaboration and 
economic growth is led by mayors and regional chairpersons 
of eastern Denmark.

Dissemination strategy

Relevant material and project information were disseminated 
during project events (workshops, job fairs, etc.) and through 
a  coordinated  social  network  campaign  centring  on  the 
specialised LinkedIn group.

Activities implemented

•  Organisation of training courses;
•  Organisation of placement events and job fairs;
•  Study  of  employment  situation  in  Øresund  carried 

out;

•  Regional  Trade  Council  sessions  bringing  together 

relevant stakeholders from the region organised;

•  Creation of specialised LinkedIn group for life-science 

professionals seeking employment in the region.

Coordinator
Styrelsen for Arbejdsmarked og Rekruttering (STAR)

Partners 
LO Skåne (Confederation of Trade Unions), Danish Agency 
for Labour Market and Recruitment (AMS);

Project/organisation website 
www.platsbanken.se; www.workindenmark.dk

Gender equality measures

Roughly the same number of men and women took part in the 
project events, including steering and management meetings. 
Women slightly outnumbered men in most cases, as most of 
the employees in the partner organisations are women.

European added value

The  action  could  not  have  been  carried  out  as  a  cross 
border  project  without  EU  funding.  In  particular,  funding  for 
participation in job fairs and travel plays an important role, as 
there  is  no  national  funding  that  would  cover  regional  cross 
border  attraction  of  specialists  at  European  job  fairs.  Hence, 
the  EU-level  intervention  is  cost  effective  for  taxpayers  as 
one adviser recruits for two countries in the region and makes 
use  of  the  extensive  EURES  network  for  preparation  and 
implementation of the action.

 39

3.3.6. 

Ireland/Northern Ireland Cross Border Partnership

‘A range of common activities for the cross border population, delivered 
by the partners, directly resulted in the employment of 52 people and the 
engagement of 207 long-term unemployed in PES training programmes.’

Call identification number: VP/2015/008
Grant identification number: VS/2015/0283

Policy area: Free movement of workers

Policy sub-area: EURES

Implementation/participation country: The UK 
(Northern Ireland), Republic of Ireland 

Project duration: 1 January 2016-31 December 2016

EU contribution in euros: 190 317.70 

Target  groups:  Higher  education 
institutions  and 
research institutes; National, regional and local authorities; 
Employment  services;  Specialist  bodies  provided  for 
under  Union  law;  Social  partners;  Non-governmental 
organisations.

The  EURES  Cross  Border  Partnership  aimed  to  address  skills 
bottlenecks  and  imbalances  through  the  provision  of  clear 
factual information on living and working to the people of this 
region, supporting employers in finding the skills sets required 
which may contribute towards the stability of the employment 
environment  and  through  supporting  jobseekers  in  cross 
border movement.

The  specific  goals  agreed  by  the  PES  on  both  sides  of  the 
Border are:

•  Promote PES as the recruitment agency of choice in the 
Border region through the provision of enhanced supports 
to employers at a cross border and local level through the 
provision of information and advice on recruiting workers 
from both jurisdictions and the EU;

•  Address  skills  mismatches  and  employment  bottlenecks 

in the region through EU Job Day Online events;

•  Promote the recruitment of people from the Live Register 
and those currently neither in employment, education or 
training with a particular focus on young people and those 
who are experiencing long-term unemployment;

•  Provide 

information, 

counselling,  placement  and 
recruitment service for workers, jobseekers and migrants 
in relation to job vacancies and job applications as well as 
living  and  working  conditions  and  information  on  social 
security, taxation and labour law.

•  Continue  to  develop  and  modernise  information  and 
communication  activities  to  raise  awareness  of  labour 
mobility opportunities and to promote the services of PES 
and EURES.

•  Continue to mainstream EURES activity in the PES.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

The  partners  delivered  a  range  of  common  activities  to 
the  cross-border  population,  which  directly  resulted  in  the 
employment of 52 people and the engagement of 207 long-
term  unemployed  in  PES  training  programmes.  In  addition, 
2  900  people  attended  the  Cross-Border  Jobs  Fairs  and  34 
people attended a Cross-Border Jobs Club.

Special seminars were organised for PES staff and employers 

Socioeconomic context

The  Border  region  has  had  many  challenges  in  recent 
decades  including  violent  civil  conflict,  divided  communities 
resulting  in  lack  of  social  cohesion,  and  high  unemployment 
rates  particularly  among  young  people  in  both  communities. 
The  conflict  also  adversely  affected  the  views  of  employers 
regarding  locating  start-up  businesses  in  the  Border  region 
while  transport  infrastructures  remain  challenging  in  some 
areas. The region is moving on from its recent history of violent 
conflict and communities are committed to working together 
in  practical  ways  and  to  achieving  a  flow  of  employment 
opportunity  and  trade  in  both  directions  across  the  border. 
Currently the potential impacts of Brexit in this cross-border 
region  are  profound  for  those  living,  working  and  running  a 
business in this border region.

Aims of the project

The  objective  of  the  Ireland/Northern  Ireland  Cross  Border 
Partnership  is  to  continue  to  support  the  citizens  living,  job-
seeking, working and recruiting in the Border region. The project 
aimed to offer client services to actual and potential frontier 
and cross-border workers and employers through raising and 
improving  awareness  of  the  benefits  of  cross  border  labour 
mobility for jobseekers and job-changers in the Border region 
of the Island of Ireland.

 40

Activities implemented
•  Job fairs organised;
•  Seminars for employers organised;
•  Cross-border placement programme organised;
•  Thematic  seminars 

for  cross  border  workers 

organised;

•  Trainings for PES representatives organised.

Coordinator
Department of Social Protection (Ireland)

Partners 
Department for Employment & Learning (Northern Ireland);
Confederation  of  British  Industry  (CBI);  Department  for 
communities,  Belfast;  Northern  Ireland  Trade  Union  and 
Social Center; Department for Employment and Learning 
(DEL);  Department  of  Social  Protection  (DSP);  Dundalk 
Chamber  of  Commerce;  Irish  Business  and  Employers 
Confederation  (IBEC);  Irish  Congress  of  Trade  Unions 
(ICTU); Londonderry Chamber of Commerce.

Project/organisation website 
http://www.eures-crossborder.org

addressing the issues of tax, employment and social security 
benefits  for  the  cross-border  workers.  Two  employability 
programmes were organised, while cross-border PES seminars 
were cancelled due to the challenges posed by the restructuring 
of the Northern Ireland Executive in 2016. Overall, more than 
2000 people received counselling on cross-border employment 
opportunities  and  related  advice  under  the  activities  of  the 
project.

Identification of potential good practices

EURES  Cross  Border  Partnership  acted  as  a  laboratory  in 
implementing mainstreaming in both PES through the drafting 
of a discussion paper and the introduction and implementation 
of a EURES Managers network which feeds in and supports the 
work of the Cross-Border Partnership. Following the successful 
model in the Cross-Border Partnership a similar model has also 
been introduced into EURES Ireland.

Dissemination strategy

Project  information  was  disseminated  using  a  variety  of 
means.  Printed  promotional  material  was  handed  out  in  job 
fairs and other events. Radio and newspaper ads were taken 
out to inform jobseekers of project events. Furthermore, a one-
stop-shop  website  for  the  project  was  developed  providing  a 
wide range of relevant information, event calendar and various 
means to contact advisers.

Gender equality measures

Though  no  specific  or  direct  gender  equality  measures  were 
undertaken in the project, in all the project events women and 
men  were  represented  almost  equally,  with  women  slightly 
outnumbering men in most cases.

European added value

The  partnership  has  added  value  at  the  European  level  by 
contributing  to  the  free  movement  of  persons  through  the 
provision  of  information  and  placements.  A  website  http://
www.eurescrossborder.eu/ created during the project provides 
information  on  how  to  access  cross-border  job  opportunities 
in  six  cross-border  counties  of  the  Republic  of  Ireland  and 
throughout Northern Ireland, as well as information on cross 
border  taxation,  social  security,  education,  medical  care  and 
equality issues.

 41

3.3.7.  EURES-T Bayern-Tschechien

‘The project activities directly resulted in 800 placements, while in 2016 the 

number of Czechs working in Bavaria has increased by 5 000 or 25%.’

Call identification number: VP/2015/008
Grant identification number: VS/2015/0284

Policy area: Free movement of workers

Policy sub-area: EURES

Implementation/participation country: Germany, 
Czech Republic 

Project duration: 1 January 2016-31 December 2016

EU contribution in euros: 560 619.94 

Target  groups:  National,  regional  and  local  authorities; 
Employment  offices;  Social  partners;  NGOs;  Higher 
education institutions and research institutes; Experts;
National statistical offices; Media.

information  on  tax  regimes  and  social  benefits  via  Welcome 
Centres  and  other  outreach  campaigns.  Seven  Welcome 
Centres were established in Karlovy Vary, Pilsen, Selb, Cham, 
Weiden,  Deggendorf  and  Passau.  Together,  they  together 
processed  10  354  jobseeker  queries  and  provided  needed 
information to 162 employers.

Additionally,  project  activities  targeted  pupils  and  students 
from the region and helped to enhance their employability by 
offering applied hands-on language training opportunities and 
organising field trips to various employers in Bavaria.

Third,  project  activities  sought  to  facilitate  better  dialogue 
and  information  exchange  between  relevant  stakeholders  in 
the  region  with  the  aims  to  provide  better  information  and 
discuss the means to eliminate existing bottlenecks for labour 
mobility. This involved organising a workshop for teachers and 
school  management,  which  took  place  in  Pilsen.  Additionally, 
the  Methodical  Coordination  Centre  was  established  which 
provided  necessary  information  and  facilitated  a  dialogue 
between  employers  in  Bavaria  and  secondary/vocational 
schools in Pilsen.

Fourth,  preparations  were  made  to  launch  a  bilingual  labour 
market  portal,  which  would  allow  seamless  integration  of 
jobseekers’ profiles from both sides of the region. The portal 
should  allow  for  employers  to  find  needed  skills  and  for 
jobseekers to find placements across the border.

Overall,  the  project  activities  directly  resulted 
in  800 
placements, while in 2016 the number of Czechs working in 
Bavaria has increased by 5 000 or 25 % (from around 20 000 
to 25 000).

Transnational dimension

Though the project was primarily oriented towards the needs 
of the residents of the border region, the established Welcome 
Centres have helped jobseekers from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, 
Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia to find needed 
information  and  employment  advice.  Additionally,  Welcome 
Centres  have  prepared  a  brochure  on  working  conditions 
in  Germany  in  seven  languages  to  aid  the  information 
dissemination efforts.

Identification of potential good practices

The  establishment  of  one-stop-shops  or  Welcome  Centres, 
has proven to be extremely effective. The fact that jobseekers 

Socioeconomic context

The  EURES-T  Bayern-Tschechien  was  the  first  EURES  cross-
border partnership between a new and an old EU Member State: 
the  Czech  Republic  and  Germany.  It  comprises  the  German 
Employment  Agency  districts  of  Hof,  Weiden,  Schwandorf, 
Deggendorf and Passau and the Czech districts of Pilsen and 
Karlovy Vary. The partnership was first founded in 2005.

Aims of the project

The project aims to increase mobility in the border region, to 
break  down  obstacles  to  mobility,  and  to  provide  important 
information  on  living  and  working  conditions  in  the  involved 
countries. More specific objectives for 2016 were to contribute 
to  the  fight  against  youth  unemployment  and  to  strengthen 
the partnerships between the involved actors.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

Most of the project activities were successfully implemented. 
Only the third planned job fair in Schwandorf was cancelled, 
because project partners in Czech Republic asked not to plan 
any major events just before the regional election.

In 2016, young jobseekers were the main focus of the project. 
Job  fairs  in  Weiden  and  Passau  attracted  around  12  000 
attendees.  Overall,  23  000  people  were  informed  about  the 
opportunities  to  work  abroad  and  provided  with  relevant 

 42

Activities implemented

•  Cross  border  training  and  internship  programme 

implemented;

•  Language training programme in schools organised;
•  Information  one-stop-shops 

(Welcome  Centres) 

established;

•  Two job fairs organised;
•  Various thematic seminars organised;
•  Stakeholder  consultation  and  engagement  activities 

carried out;

•  Preparations  for  the  redesign  of  the  labour  market 

portal made.

Coordinator
Regionaldirektion Bayern der Bundesagentur für Arbeit

und 

Leben 

Partners 
Arbeit 
GmbH;  Deutscher 
Gewerkschaftsbund (Bezirk Bayern); Okresní hospodářská 
komora Plzeňského kraje; Úřad práce (Karlovy Vary); Úřad 
práce (Plzen).

Bayern 

Project/organisation website 
www.eures-by-cz.eu

and employers can have all their relevant questions answered 
and needed information provided in one place has encouraged 
further  interest  and  has  granted  additional  visibility  to  the 
project activities.

Dissemination strategy

Project information was disseminated using a wide variety of 
means and innovative outreach strategies. Information about 
the project and its activities was disseminated via the EURES 
adviser  network  and  through  various  affiliated  organisations 
(e.g.  PES  of  the  Czech  Republic).  Information  on  organised 
events was disseminated by taking out ads in local newspapers 
and on local radio stations. Collectively, these ads have reached 
an audience of over 30 000 people. The project has maintained 
a  coordinated  social  media  presence  on  Facebook  and  a 
dedicated  YouTube  channel.  Additionally,  dedicated  project 
website has played an important role; it contained information 
on the project, planned activities, relevant news as well as the 
jobseeker database accessible in both languages.

One  of  the  factors  that  has  helped  to  make  the  established 
Welcome Centres a success was a decision to invite celebrities 
to appear and speak in the Welcome Centres. This campaign 
was largely successful with 87 out of 110 celebrities appearing 
in the Welcome Centres, which generated additional publicity 
and visibility for the project.

Gender equality measures

Roughly the same number of men and women took part in the 
project events (including management and steering meetings). 
However,  no  specific  measures  were  taken  to  ensure  gender 
equality.

European added value

Without  support  from  the  EU,  project  activities  would  have 
been carried out to a much lesser extent (if at all) because the 
human and financial resources of all the partners are already 
fully  committed  and  possibilities  to  undertake  new  activities 
without additional funding are extremely limited.

 43

3.3.8.  EURES Scheldemond 2016

‘Monitoring and reporting is carried out under the project, providing 

quantitative data on the demand and supply of skills on each side of the border, 
labour mobility flows and the most common obstacles for labour mobility.’

Call identification number: VP/2015/008
Grant identification number: VS/2015/0285

Policy area: Free movement of workers

Policy sub-area: EURES

Implementation/participation country: Belgium, The 
Netherlands

Project duration: 1 January 2016-31 December 2016

EU contribution in euros: 164 335.35 

Target groups: Jobseekers; Employers; PES organisations; 
Social partners.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

A wide range of activities were carried out under the project. 
Analysis  demonstrated  that  a  large  number  of  vacancies 
are  advertised  and  filled  via  social  media.  However,  this 
places  large  companies  with  significant  social  media  reach 
at  an  advantage  vis-à-vis  SMEs,  which  are  lesser  known.  In 
order to help SMEs to advertise their vacancies, Jobs Journal 
disseminated through email was launched.

In  addition,  job  fairs  were  organised  on  both  sides  of  the 
border to allow jobseekers to connect with employers. Overall, 
16  recruitment  events  took  place  in  2016.  Together,  these 
activities  accounted  for  over  150  placements  and  around 
2  000  people  were  informed  about  the  possibilities  to  find 
employment abroad. However, estimating the exact number of 
placements resulting from project activities is hard because no 
reliable data exists to determine how the placements occurred.

Furthermore,  the  project  has  facilitated  dialogue  between 
the  relevant  stakeholders,  social  partners  and  employers  by 
organising presentations, meetings and seminars dealing with 
the issues related to cross-border migration. A helpdesk was 
created  to  aid  jobseekers  by  providing  them  with  relevant 
information and processing their queries.

Finally,  the  project  has  initiated  labour  market  monitoring 
activities  to  analyse  cross-border  mobility  flows,  quality  of 
vacancies  and  working  conditions,  as  well  as  existing  skills 
mismatches and bottlenecks on both sides of the border.

Policy evidence generated by the project

Statistical  analysis  of  the  demand/supply  of  skills  on  both 
sides  of  the  border  has  revealed  that  existing  bottlenecks 
are the same on both sides of the border. That is to say that 
existing  shortages  on  one  side  cannot  be  answered  by  the 
existing  supply  on  the  other.  This  limits  the  extent  to  which 
cross-border mobility can grow in the region.

Aims of the project

This project mostly targets cross-border workers and long-term 
unemployed people at risk of poverty and social exclusion. It 
aims to provide information and advice for current or potential 
cross-border  workers  regarding:  job  vacancies/  applications, 
living  and  working  conditions,  other  information  on  social 
security,  taxation,  pension  and  labour  law.  The  project  seeks 
to address the needs of employers by advising them how to 
advertise their vacancies across the border and to develop a 
welcoming culture within their enterprises.

Furthermore, it seeks to facilitate a better dialogue between 
the  relevant  local  authorities  in  matters  relating  to  cross-
border workers, such as for taxation, social security rights and 
application  of  labour  legislation  by  establishing  cooperation 
and referral mechanisms.

Finally, monitoring and reporting is carried out under the project, 
providing quantitative data on the demand and supply of skills 
on each side of the border, labour mobility flows and the most 
common obstacles for labour mobility. Additional research is 
carried out on the quality of job vacancies, integration process 
of workers and socioeconomic benefits of cross-border mobility 
to workers, employers and a wider community.

 44

Activities implemented

•  Relevant  information  for  jobseekers  and  employers 

provided;

•  Assistance to cross-border workers provided;
•  Outreach activities (seminars, job fairs) organised;
•  Labour market information monitoring and reporting 

carried out;

•  Dialogue and coordination between the stakeholders 

and social partners facilitated.

Coordinator
Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen (UWV)

Partners 
VDAB; VOKA Chamber of Commerce; IVR Schelde-Kempen;
The  provinces  of  Zeeland,  Noord-Brabant,  Antwerp,  East 
and  West  Flanders;  The  Bureau  of  Belgian  and  German 
Affairs; The municipality of Bergen op Zoom. 

Project/organisation website 
http://www.euresscheldemond.info/home/

Transnational dimension

A  new  integration  programme  targeted  non-native  Dutch 
speakers  with  an  academic  background.  The  programme 
aimed  at  facilitating  their  integration  into  the  labour  market 
by  helping  them  find  employment  that  matches  their  skills/
academic background.

Dissemination strategy

Information  about  the  project  was  disseminated  using  a 
variety  of  measures.  The  most  important  tool  has  been  the 
project  website,  which  provided  information  about  project-
related  news  and  events.  Additionally,  the  website  features 
memos, links to relevant national authority websites, and other 
relevant information for both jobseekers and employers.

Moreover,  project  information  was  disseminated  via  existing 
EURES  adviser  and  PES  networks.  In  both  countries,  EURES 
services, including cross-border placements are integrated into 
standard PES services, thus ensuring a wide reach of project-
related  information.  Leaflets  and  other  printed  material  was 
also handed out during project events and job fairs.

European added value

The EU funding provides direct benefit to citizens in/or out of 
work who are looking for a (new) job in the cross-border region. 
The  cross-border  services  are  provided  free  of  charge  and 
focus on increasing the geographical scope of the job search 
in the border region via the provision of group training and/or 
individualised information and advice. The effect and benefits 
for the tax payer are not directly measurable. However, on the 
basis of the available statistics there is a noticeable effect on 
the level of cross border commuters from the Netherlands to 
Belgium.

Gender equality measures

The project partners did not undertake any specific measures 
to  ensure  gender  equality.  In  all  project  events  women 
participants  slightly  outnumbered  the  men.  However,  such 
imbalance is understandable in many cases, such as steering 
and  management  meetings,  as  women  constitute  a  larger 
share of employees than men in the partner organisations.

Sustainability measures

In  2017,  the  project  seeks  to  focus  on  various  effects  of 
long-term unemployment. The proposed study would analyse 
a  mixed  group  of  potential  cross  border  workers  in  order  to 
gain  a  better  understanding  of  how  successful  transitions 
from  benefits  to  employment  occur,  which  behavioural  and 
psychological barriers inhibit this transition, and how to adjust 
existing  services  to  make  them  more  effective  in  combating 
long-term unemployment.

 45

3.3.9.  EURES-T Oberrhein-Rhin Supérieur 2016

‘The particular strength of the EURES network was its capacity to reach every 
region in the participating countries, while simultaneously being able to provide 
services which are specific and well adapted to the needs of the local labour market.’

Call identification number: VP/2015/008
Grant identification number: VS/2015/0314

Policy area: Free movement of workers

Policy sub-area: EURES

Implementation/participation country: Germany, 
France Switzerland

Project duration: 1 January 2016-31 December 2016

EU contribution in euros: 420 272.63  

Target  groups:  Jobseekers;  Cross-border  commuters; 
Public  employment  services;  Employers’  organisations; 
Trade  union  organisations;  Territorial  communities  and 
state institutions. 

countries, while simultaneously being able to provide services 
which are specific and well adapted to the needs of the local 
labour  market.  In  total,  EURES  advisers  processed  11  544 
individual queries by answering questions on hotlines, job fairs 
and during group discussions or seminars.

Overall, 248 events took place in 2016. Most of them (238) 
were  bilingual  job  search  workshops,  which  attracted  1  700 
job-seekers. Additionally, under the measure ‘Upper Rhine Train’ 
six sessions of coaching and two-month internship attracted 
64 French speakers and resulted in a 65% placement rate.

Moreover, the development of one-stop-shops has helped to 
further optimise the way the applications are processed. This 
has yielded positive results and generated additional interest 
in the project, as the number of emails to the EURES advisers 
has tripled in the first semester of 2016 compared to the last 
six months of 2015.

Measures  were  taken  to  combat  youth  unemployment  by 
offering  cross-border  learning  programmes,  which  involved 
following  a  theoretical  course  in  the  home  country  and  a 
practical  training  programme  across  the  border.  Further 
measures were taken to address the needs of employers by 
the actions of EURES-T Club, which helped German and Swiss 
SMEs  to  receive  counselling  on  the  legal  issues  surrounding 
the hiring of cross-border workers.

Project  activities  have  facilitated  dialogue  and  information 
exchange  between  the  partner  organisations  and  the  social 
partners. In addition to project meetings, additional information 
exchange sessions were organised with the social partners to 
ensure efficient communication.

Finally,  in  2016  the  project  website  was  redesigned  and  is 
regularly updated in order to provide jobseekers and employers 
with up to date information on project news and events, as well 
as a wide array of practical information. Additionally, in 2016 
the project enhanced its social media presence by creating a 
dedicated Facebook page, where information on all new events 
and developments is provided.

Overall,  during  the  project,  partner  organisations  provided 
around  11  500  consultations,  89%  of  which  were  with 
jobseekers  and  the  remaining  11%  with  employers.  Since 
many  of  these  consultations  aimed  to  provide  information 
to  jobseekers  and  encourage  them  to  look  for  employment 
opportunities,  it  is  hard  to  assess  the  exact  number  of 

Socioeconomic context

EURES-T Rhin Supérieur was established in 1999. The region 
covering  the  border  area  between  France,  Switzerland  and 
Germany (Alsace, southern Palatinate, Baden and North-West 
Switzerland) is home to nearly 100 000 people who commute 
to work across the borders on a daily basis.

Aims of the project

The  project  aims  to  encourage  and  support  the  European 
cross-border labour market by providing relevant information 
on  matters  related  to  tax  regimes,  social  and  pension  policy 
and working conditions for cross-border workers. Additionally, 
the project seeks to address existing skills mismatches and to 
help jobseekers and employers to find employment or needed 
skills across the border.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

2016 has been very successful. The number of cross border 
placements has doubled since last year, with 1 271 placements 
being recorded (compared to 635 in 2015).

The  activities  and  experience  of  EURES  advisers  has  been 
recognised  and  highly  valued  by  all  the  labour  market 
stakeholders.  The  particular  strength  of  the  EURES  network 
was  its  capacity  to  reach  every  region  in  the  participating 

 46

placements that occurred. However, the collected data shows 
that  were  at  least  484  placements  with  the  help  of  EURES 
advisers.

Policy evidence generated by the project

Labour  market  monitoring  activities  were  carried  out  under 
the project. An operational monitoring committee was set up 
comprising PES representatives from the three countries and 
the  social  partners.  Together  they  drafted  a  list  of  indicators 
to measure the impact of cross-border activities in a manner 
which would not only provide accurate factual information, but 
would also adequately meet the needs of the key stakeholders. 
The results of the monitoring activities form the basis of EURES 
advisers’ monthly reports and were disseminated among the 
social partners (23 partner organisations).

Dissemination strategy

Project information has been disseminated using a variety of 
measures. The most important role was played by the project 
website, which underwent a significant upgrade and redesign 
in 2016. The need to redesign and upgrade the project website 
became evident, as the total number of visits to the website and 
pages consulted fell by 19 000 connections or roughly 25% of 
the yearly traffic in 2016. Additionally, the project maintains a 
coordinated presence on social media, which allows interested 
jobseekers,  employers  and  other  social  partners  to  be  kept 
up  to  date  on  project  activities.  Finally,  printed  material  was 
distributed during project events and outputs of labour market 
monitoring  activities  were  made  accessible  on  a  number  of 
platforms, including mobile.

European added value

Project activities could not have been implemented without the 
EU funding. The visibility of the EU Contribution was enhanced 
by the activities of the EURES adviser network, which facilitated 
a number of project activities.

Gender equality measures

Equal numbers of men and women attended the project events. 
Project partners managed to ensure adequate representation 
of women even though no explicit measures to promote gender 
equality were undertaken.

Activities implemented

•  Labour market monitoring organised;
•  Job search workshops organised;
•  Seminars organised;
•  Training and internship programme organised;
•  Information to jobseekers and employers provided.

Coordinator
Regionaldirektion  Baden-Württemberg  der  Bundesa- 
gentur für Arbeit

Partners 
Pôle emploi (Alsace); Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB), 
Bezirk Baden-Württemberg; Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund 
Rechtsschutz GmbH; MEDEF Alsace; Regierungspräsidium 
Freiburg;  Schweizerische  Eidgennossenschaft  Secrétariat 
d’Etat  à  l’économie  SECO;  Bundesagentur  für  Arbeit 
Regionaldirektion Baden-Württemberg; Bundesagentur für 
Arbeit Regionaldirektion Rheinland-Pfalz-Saarland; Kanton 
Basel  Stadt  Amt  für  Wirtschaft  und  Arbeit  (AWA);  Basel 
Landschaft  Kantonales  Amt  für  Industrie,  Gewerbe  und 
Arbeit  (KIGA);  Kanton  Aargau;  Kanton  Solothurn  Amt  für 
Wirtschaft und Arbeit; Republique et kanton du Jura

Project/organisation website 
https://www.eures-t-rhinsuperieur.eu/

Sustainability measures

A number of measures undertaken in 2016 have contributed 
to  the  sustainability  of  project  activities.  First,  coordination 
between  partner  organisations  has  deepened  and  allowed 
for  more  optimal  use  of  project  resources,  by  avoiding 
compartmentalisation and duplications of efforts. Development 
of  One-Stop-Shops  has  made  it  possible  to  process  queries 
and  requests  in  a  more  optimal  manner  thus  increasing 
responsiveness and the overall efficiency of project activities.

The cross-border training programme has attracted substantial 
interest from the young people in the region and has proven 
itself  to  be  an  effective  way  to  address  the  issue  of  youth 
unemployment.

 47

3.3.10.  EURES in den Grenzregionen Rhein-Waal, Rhein-Maas-nord, Maas-Rhein 2016

‘Project representatives organised presentations to final-year students about 
work possibilities abroad and introduced them to a number of potential employers. 
This action attracted substantial attention not only from the target group, but also 
from employers, local SMEs and universities, which sought to introduce final-year 
students to opportunities to continue their education abroad.’

Call identification number: VP/2015/008
Grant identification number: VS/2015/0281

Policy area: Free movement of workers

Policy sub-area: EURES

Implementation/participation country: Germany, 
Belgium, The Netherlands

Project duration: 1 January 2016-31 December 2016

EU contribution in euros: 485 609.78   

Target  groups:  Businesses  and  jobseekers;  Students; 
Pensioners;  National,  regional  and  local  authorities; 
Employment  offices;  Bodies  specialising  in  the  EU  law; 
Social  partners;  NGOs;  Higher  education  and  research 
institutions; Experts; National statistical offices; Media.

across the border that are looking for skilled employees in their 
area of expertise.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

Most of the planned activities were implemented successfully 
and  only  some  minor  variations  have  occurred.  Most  of  the 
implemented  project  activities  sought  to  provide  relevant 
information  for  jobseekers  and  employers  and  to  match 
existing  skill  supply  with  demand  across  the  border.  To  this 
end,  the  project  website,  featuring  a  wide  array  of  practical 
information for both jobseekers and employers, was redesigned 
in 2016. In the new version of the website interested parties 
can find relevant information on project news and events and 
get in touch with EURES advisers for further help. Additionally, 
a jobseeker database was also launched to help employers to 
recruit employees from across the border.

In  addition  to  the  online  means,  EURES  advisers  offered 
individual  consultations 
jobseekers, 
organised  events  in  municipalities  and  took  part  in  job  fairs. 
Overall, in 2016, 15 350 individual queries were processed by 
EURES advisers related to the project activities.

to  employers  and 

Moreover,  additional  effort  was  put  into  raising  general 
awareness  among  the  general  public  about  the  possibilities 
of working abroad in the region, seeking to address the issues 
of long-term unemployment, targeting those at risk of poverty 
and  social  exclusion.  Brochures  and  checklists  for  working 
abroad  were  prepared  under  the  project  and  disseminated 
both  in  printed  form  and  online.  These  efforts  were  further 
aided  by  the  establishment  of  ‘Border  Information  Points’  – 
one-stop-shops, which allowed interested parties to receive all 
the relevant project-related information from one place.

Furthermore,  in  2016  special  focus  was  paid  to  students 
and  recent  graduates.  Project  representatives  organised 
presentations to final-year students about the possibilities to 
work  abroad  and  introduced  them  to  a  number  of  potential 
employers. This action attracted substantial attention not only 
from the target group, but also from the employers, local SMEs 
and universities, which sought to introduce final-year students 
to opportunities to continue their education abroad.

Socioeconomic context

The project covers an area where the borders of Belgium, the 
Netherlands  and  Germany  meet.  More  precisely,  provinces 
of  Limburg  and  Liège  in  Belgium,  Oost-Nederland  and  Zuid-
Limburg  in  the  Netherlands,  and  Krefeld,  Kreisfreie  Stadt, 
Mönchengladbach, Kreisfreie Stadt, Kleve, Wesel, Städteregion 
Aachen, Coesfeld in Germany. Cooperation between the local 
employment  offices,  trade  unions,  Chambers  of  Industry  and 
Trade, employers’ associations and Chambers of Craft Trades 
started in 1995 and has been successfully implemented since.

Aims of the project

The primary aim of the project is to address the needs of the 
(potential)  cross-border  workers  in  the  region  by  providing 
them  with  needed  information  on  labour  market  policies, 
tax  regimes,  social  security  benefits  and  pensions  in  the 
neighbouring countries.

Additionally,  the  project  aims  to  address  existing  labour 
mobility  bottlenecks  and  skills  mismatches  in  the  region  by 
matching jobseekers with employers across the border. Finally, 
the  project  contributes  to  reducing  youth  unemployment  by 
matching  students  and  recent  graduates  with  employers 

 48

Activities implemented

•  Information provided to jobseekers and employers;
•  Project website redesigned;
•  Border Information points established;
•  Awareness about the possibilities of working abroad 

raised;

•  Monitoring activities carried out;
•  Dialogue  between  stakeholders  and  social  partners 

facilitated. 

Coordinator
Regionaldirektion  Nordrhein-Westfalen  der  Bundesag-
netur für Arbeit (Germany)

Partners 
Arbeitsamt der deutssprachigen Gemeinschaft (Belgium); 
Deutschen Gewerkschaftsbund (Germany); Euregio Rhein-
Maas-Nord  (Germany);  Euregio  Rhein-Waal  (Germany); 
I.V.R.  –  EURES  (Belgium);  Zweckverband  Region  Aachen 
(Germany);  LE  FOREM  (Belgium);  Euregio  Maas-Rijn 
(The  Netherlands);  Stichting  samenwerkende  Kamers 
van  Koophandel  en  economische  (The  Netherlands); 
Uitversorgingsinstituut  Werknemersverzekeringen 
(The 
Netherlands); Vlaamse Dienst voor Arbeitsbemiddeting en 
Beroepsobieiding (Belgium) 

Project/organisation website 
http://euregio.org/
http://www.euregio-mr.com/de
http://www.eures-emr.org/de/

Additional  efforts  were  made  to  monitor  labour  market 
situation  and  cross-border  labour  mobility.  Special  attention 
was paid to identifying existing obstacles for labour mobility in 
the region and proposing possible solutions to address them. 
Among other things, monitoring activities included agreement 
to periodically exchange statistical data between the national 
and local PES, trade unions and employers’ organisations.

Finally, the project has contributed to deepening partnerships 
and  fostering  dialogue  between  the  key  stakeholders  in  the 
region, including PES, tax and social service authorities. Regular 
thematic  meetings  were  held  between  partner  originations, 
which included information exchange as well as identification 
and dissemination of the best practices.

Dissemination strategy

Project information was disseminated using a variety of means. 
Printed brochures, guides and leaflets were available or were 
handed out during project events. Additionally, online versions 
of these materials were available to download from the project 
website.  In  addition  to  these  functions,  the  project  website 
played a critical role in maintaining project visibility online and 
directing  interested  parties  to  further  information  relating  to 
their queries. Finally, the project has maintained a coordinated 
social media presence and has regularly updated information 
on  its  Facebook  page  and  shared  news  and  information  on 
project-related events on Twitter.

An  important  role  in  disseminating  project  information  was 
played by the network of EURES advisers and the project’s social 
partners,  who  ensured  that  project-related  information  was 
provided to all the interested parties. Finally, the dissemination 
efforts  were  aided  by  the  establishment  of  one-stop-shops 
‘Border  Information  Points,’  which  provided  information  to 
current and potential cross-border worker and employers.

European added value

The EU funding has helped to greatly enhance the quality of 
services  offered  under  the  project.  The  EU’s  contribution  was 
especially  valuable  because  it  allowed  for  existing  networks 
and partnerships to be maintained, strengthened and expanded. 
Some of the project activities would not have been carried out 
in the absence of EU funding.

Gender equality measures

Project  partners  did  not  undertake  any  special  measures 
to  promote  gender  equality.  Even  though  men  slightly 
outnumbered women in all the project events, the difference 
was rather small and therefore negligible.

Sustainability measures

The  project  activities  are  set  to  continue  in  2017  with  the 
inclusion of new partners: the state of North Rhine-Westphalia 
in  Germany  and  Maastricht  municipality  in  the  Netherlands. 
A New Border Information Point will be opened in Maastricht, 
which will allow employers and jobseekers seamless access to 
the existing project network.

 49

3.3.11.  EURES-T Beskydy Activity Plan 2016

‘The focus in 2016 was on the young people in the region. A total of 10 job fairs 

featuring mobile information points for jobseekers to learn about the project and 
possibilities of working across the border were organised.’

Call identification number: VP/2015/008
Grant identification number: VS/2015/0287

Policy area: Free movement of workers

Policy sub-area: EURES

Implementation/participation country: Poland, Czech 
Republic, Slovakia

Project duration: 1 January 2016-31 December 2016

EU contribution in euros: 117 955.54   

Target groups: National and regional authorities; Social 
partners;  Employers;  Trade  unions;  Jobseekers;  Young 
people.

Additionally, project partners met with employer organisations 
and other social partners to learn more about the obstacles to 
labour mobility in the region, the possible means to address 
them, and to discuss how the labour market monitoring system 
could  be  created  and  what  information  it  should  provide. 
Further focus was paid to the needs of employers in the region 
in  order  to  learn  more  about  existing  skills  mismatches  and 
labour mobility bottlenecks.

In  2016,  particular  focus  was  paid  to  the  young  people  in 
the  region.  Altogether  10  job  fairs  (5  in  Poland,  3  in  Czech 
Republic  and  2  in  Slovakia)  were  organised;  these  featured 
mobile information points where jobseekers could learn more 
about the project and possibilities to work across the border. 
Overall, more than 2000 people have been informed about the 
possibilities of working abroad and received counselling under 
the project.

Further  efforts  were  dedicated  to  fostering  dialogue  and 
information exchange between the project partners and other 
labour market stakeholders. To this end, an annual conference 
and  three  steering  group  meetings  were  organised,  where 
project  partners  agreed  to  strengthen  their  cooperation  and 
further  their  efforts  to  share  information  and  optimise  the 
functioning of the project network.

Finally,  the  project  website  received  an  upgrade.  It  aimed 
to  provide  seamless  integration  between  the  website  and 
jobseeker  and 
job-vacancy  databases.  Additionally,  the 
information on the website was constantly updated to include 
the latest information about project-related news and events 
as  well  as  key  information  relevant  to  jobseekers,  students 
and  employers  in  the  region.  Finally,  the  website  offered  an 
opportunity to get directly in touch with a EURES adviser, who 
could further process relevant queries.

Aims of the project

The  project  aims  to  foster  the  free  movement  of  workers  in 
the Beskydy region and to reduce the remaining barriers and 
obstacles to labour mobility. Special focus is paid to the young 
people  to  encourage  them  to  further  pursue  education  and 
acquire expertise currently lacking in the labour market.

This  is  achieved  by  providing  jobseekers  and  employers  in 
the  region  with  relevant  information  about  working  abroad/
hiring people from across the border, including information on 
taxes,  social  security  and  pensions.  Additionally,  the  project 
aims  to  foster  dialogue  between  the  relevant  stakeholders 
in  the  region,  including  local  PES,  trade  unions,  employer 
organisations, schools and other social partners.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

Identification of potential good practices

Most  of  the  activities  planned  for  2016  were  successfully 
implemented.  Three  training  courses  were  organised  for 
the  employees  of  the  partner  institutions,  during  which  they 
were  provided  with  information  about  the  possibilities  of 
doing  business  in  Poland,  Czech  Republic  and  Slovakia  and 
available financial support. Together these sessions attracted 
72 participants. This information was then disseminated using 
project networks to inform jobseekers and employers about the 
possibilities  to  work/conduct  businesses  in  project  countries. 

The  project  has  demonstrated  that  the  key  condition  for 
cross-border  partnership  success  is  efficient  dialogue  and 
information  exchange  between  the  project  partners.  As  the 
cooperation under the project is fairly new, substantial efforts 
were  put  into  establishing,  deepening  and  institutionalising 
these partnerships. All the major achievements of the project 
occurred  when  this  dialogue  functioned  well  and  all  the 
deviations from the planned activities occurred when this this 
communication encountered some problems

 50

Activities implemented
•  Job fairs organised;
•  Meetings with social partners organised;
•  Information exchange between partners organised;
•  Preparations  for  labour  market  monitoring  system 

implementation made;

•  Trainings for PES employees organised.

Coordinator
Voivodeship Labour Office in Katowice

Partners 
Ministry  of  Labour  and  Social  Affairs  of  the  Republic  of 
Poland;  Regional  Council  of  Independent  Self-Governing 
Trade  Union  ‘Solidarity’;  Council  National  Alliance  of 
Trade Unions Silesian Province; Education and youth work 
volunteer corps WORK Bielsko – Biala; Training center in 
Katowice;  Labour  Office  of  the  Czech  Republic;  Regional 
Council of Trade Unions ČMKOS Moravia, Olomouc and Zlín 
Region; Regional Chamber of Commerce of Moravia; Office 
of Labour, Social Affairs and Family; Regional Council KOZ 
in Žilina Region; Federation of Employers’ Associations of 
the Slovak Republic.

Project/organisation website 
http://www.eures-tbeskydy.eu/en/

Sustainability measures

All  project  partners  have  expressed  their  commitment  to 
the  project  and  acknowledged  the  need  to  strengthen  the 
existing  partnership.  The  experience  of  2016  has  served  to 
demonstrate  that  it  is  more  effective  to  focus  on  a  smaller 
number of activities (fewer working packages, fewer activities 
per  package),  but  to  commit  to  them  fully.  Furthermore,  it 
was  acknowledged  that  preliminary  consultations  with  key 
stakeholders have to be carried out before planning the project 
activities.

Transnational dimension

Though  the  project  activities  primarily  targeted  the  local 
residents  of  the  region,  efforts  were  made  to  make  project 
services  inclusive  and  available  to  all  interested  parties.  To 
this  end,  most  of  the  information  on  the  project  website  is 
also  available  in  English.  Additionally,  printed  materials  and 
brochures  produced  during  the  project  are  also  available  in 
English as well as Polish, Czech and Slovak.

Dissemination strategy

Project-related  information  was  disseminated  in  a  variety  of 
ways. First, the most important role was played by the project 
website  which  contains  key  information  for  all  the  project’s 
target  groups:  young  people  and  students;  jobseekers;  and 
employers. The information provided covers key issues related 
to labour mobility, including FAQs, information on tax regimes, 
social  policy,  workers’  rights  and  pensions.  During  2016, 
around  2000  information  bulletins  were  disseminated  to 
those interested by the project partners and during the project 
events. Additionally, 500 printed copies of the project activity 
reports were produced and disseminated in various forms. An 
online  version  of  the  activity  report  is  also  available  on  the 
project website (10).

Furthermore,  advertising  time  on  local  radio  stations  was 
bought to advertise project events, especially job fairs. During 
these  fairs,  printed  information,  including  specially  prepared 
brochures was disseminated.

Finally,  the  project  network  plays  the  most  important  role  in 
disseminating project information. Due to ongoing partnership 
and  information  exchange  between  the  project  partners, 
all  the  relevant  information  about  the  cross-border  mobility 
opportunities can be disseminated throughout the region and 
beyond.

European added value

Most of the project activities could not have been implemented 
without the EU funding. Project partner organisations operate 
under significant resource constraints and most of their budgets 
are already committed, thus undertaking new activities without 
additional funds would have been very difficult.

Gender equality measures

Project partners were successful in ensuring equal participation 
and inclusion of both men and women in the project events. 
Though no specific actions were planned or implemented, men 
and women were included in the project activities and events 
in almost equal numbers.

(10) 

Eures T-Beskydy Annual Activity Report for 2016  
<http://www.eures-tbeskydy.eu/assets/files/podstranky/broszura_info.pdf> (08.0.2017).

 51

 
 
3.3.12.  EURES Cross-border Galicia-North Portugal

‘Two job fairs (one online and one on-site) were organised in 2016, which 

together had over 200 stands and attracted around 5 000 visitors.’

Call identification number: VP/2015/008
Grant identification number: VS/2015/0279

Policy area: Free movement of workers

Policy sub-area: EURES

Implementation/participation country: Spain, 
Portugal

Project duration: 1 January 2016-31 December 2016

EU contribution in euros: 161 198.37   

Target groups: National and local authorities; Universities; 
Jobseekers;  Employers;  Cross-border  workers;  Social 
partners; NGOs; Employment services.

website has been completely redesigned and upgraded. A new 
version  of  the  website  features  an  interactive  jobseeker  and 
vacancy  database  as  well  as  key  information  for  employers 
and jobseekers. Additionally, all project-related activities and 
events  are  advertised  on  the  website  and  a  new  function 
allowing  EURES  advisers  to  be  contacted  directly  has  been 
launched.

Two  job  fairs  (one  online  and  one  on-site)  were  organised 
in  2016,  which  together  had  over  200  stands  and  attracted 
around  5  000  visitors.  Special  efforts  were  made  to  meet 
the  needs  of  employers  in  the  region.  Project  partners  met 
with  the  biggest  employers  as  well  as  the  biggest  employer 
organisation representatives (together around 150 enterprises 
took  part  in  the  meetings).  During  these  meetings,  the  most 
pressing  labour  market  problems  as  well  as  possible  means 
to address them were discussed. Additionally, project partners 
offered  tailored  consultations  to  employers  interested  in 
hiring  people  or  expanding  their  activities  across  the  border. 
Moreover,  labour  market  monitoring  was  carried  out  under 
the  project,  which  included  monitoring  labour  mobility  flows, 
existing  mobility  bottlenecks  and  skills  mismatches  in  the 
region.

Special efforts were also made to combat youth unemployment. 
To  this  end,  project  partners  organised  job  events  in  the 
universities  where  they  informed  university  students  about 
the situation in the labour market, current needs of employers, 
skills 
in  demand  and  future  employment  possibilities. 
Additionally, training/internship programme was organised to 
facilitate  seamless  transition  from  the  education  institutions 
to the labour market.

Finally, project partners met regularly to share their experience 
and discuss the most recent challenges and developments in 
the  regional  labour  market  though  round  tables,  seminars, 
discussions  and  workshops.  During  these  meetings  partners 
exchanged  information  and  best  practices  related  to  the 
project  activities.  Among  other  things,  the  one-stop-shop 
approach  to  project  information  and  EURES  services  was 
discussed; this received broad support and it was decided to 
implement it in the future. Overall, in 2016, project partners 
processed 2 200 queries related to cross-border mobility and 
shared information on 480 vacancies.

Socioeconomic context

The  cross-border  partnership  was  set  up  in  1997  with  the 
aim  to  improve  the  situation  in  the  labour  market  in  Galicia 
and North Portugal and to create a transparent employment 
market  which  would  encourage  the  cross-border  mobility  of 
workers and employers. Since then, the project has served as 
a  productive  platform  for  dialogue  between  labour  market 
stakeholders and state institutions.

Aims of the project

The  project  aims  to  create  a  single  seamlessly  functioning 
labour market in the Galicia-North Portugal region. To this end, 
the  project  facilitates  a  dialogue  between  national  and  local 
labour market authorities that are active in the region as well 
as other labour market stakeholders (universities, trade unions, 
employer organisations) and social partners. Furthermore, the 
project aims to facilitate labour market mobility by providing 
employers  and  jobseekers  with  all  the  relevant  information 
about  working  abroad,  including  tax  regimes,  social  policies 
and benefits. Finally, project partners carry out labour market 
monitoring activities and disseminate the information gathered 
among the stakeholders.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements

Lessons learned

2016  was  a  very  active  year,  during  which  project  partners 
have  implemented  a  variety  of  activities.  First,  the  project 

Fostering labour mobility is a serious challenge which requires 
coordination  at  both  national  and  regional  levels  with  the 

 52

involvement of actors from many policy spheres. Despite the 
efforts from the project partners, cross-border mobility has not 
yet reached its full potential, because jobseekers from North 
Portugal  still  struggle  to  find  job  vacancies  in  Galicia,  as  the 
unemployment  rate  there  is  higher.  Meanwhile,  jobseekers 
from  Galicia  are  unwilling  to  work  in  Portugal  because  the 
average  wage  in  north  Portugal  is  not  much  higher  than  the 
unemployment  benefits  in  Spain.  Due  to  difficult  economic 
situation  in  the  region,  many  employers  are  considering 
lay-offs  and  show  little  interest  in  attracting  cross-border 
workers. Finally, high unemployment rates on both sides have 
contributed to negative attitudes towards cross-border workers 
from the local population.

Identification of potential good practices

Two  bulletins  (bulletin  and  addenda)  were  published  during 
2016  with  relevant  information  on  the  region  regarding  how 
services  that  aim  to  facilitate  the  mobility  of  workers  were 
provided. Special focus was paid in these bulletins to identifying 
the most dynamic economic sectors in the region and mapping 
out the most demanded skills. These bulletins were identified as 
one of the best practices by the Association of European Border 
Regions and are available on the Association’s website (11).

Policy evidence generated by the project

Periodical  labour  market  monitoring  activities  have  been 
carried out in the region since 2009, in 2016 these efforts were 
expanded to include a set of new indicators related to cross-
border  mobility.  This  information  is  available  on  the  project 
website.

In  addition,  the  University  of  Minho  has  produced  a  report 
‘Update  of  two  indicators  of  mobility  on  the  northern  border 
of  Portugal-Galicia’  featuring  a  range  of  qualitative  and 
quantitative evidence regarding the labour market situation in 
the region. The report is available at the CEG website  (12), as 
well as on the project website.

Dissemination strategy

The  main  tool  for  disseminating  project  information  is  the 
project  website,  which  features  a  calendar  of  project-related 
events as well as a vast amount of practical information for 
cross-border  workers  and  employers.  In  2016,  the  project 
website was redesigned to ensure optimal functionality. During 
the course of the year, it received around 3 500 unique visitors. 
Additionally,  each  of  the  project  partners  commands  its  own 
dissemination  network,  through  which  project  information  is 
also shared. These include periodical magazines, TV channels, 
live-streaming  project  events  on  the  web  and  uploading  the 
recordings  on  YouTube.  The  project  partners  also  maintain  a 
substantial  social  media/  social  network  presence  through 

Activities implemented

•  Project website redesigned;
•  Job fairs organised;
•  Consultations with employers carried out;
•  Information sessions with students carried out;
•  Workshops for project partners organised.

Coordinator
INSTITUTO DO EMPREGO E FORMAÇÃO PROFISSIONAL, I.P.

Partners 
Associacao empresarial de Viana Do Castelo; Associacao 
industrial do Minho; Comunidade intermunicipal do Minho-
Lima; Confederacion de empresarios de Galicia; Consellería 
de Traballo e Benestar - Xunta de Galicia; Servicio Público 
de  empleo  estatal;  Uniao  geral  de  trabalhadores  UGT; 
Universidade do Minho; Universidad de Vigo.

Project/organisation website 
http://www.eures-norteportugal-galicia.org/

dedicated  pages  on  Facebook,  Twitter  and  LinkedIn.  Finally, 
project news and an event calendar is published and sent to 
the target audience directly through the project newsletter.

European added value

Due to the challenging economic situation in the region, public 
services are operating under significant strain, characterised by 
the high demand for services and limited resources. Therefore, 
most of the project activities could not have been implemented 
without the EU funding.

Gender equality measures

Project  partners  did  not  plan  or  implement  any  measures 
aimed at promoting gender equality. Men slightly outnumbered 
women  in  the  project  events.  However,  this  might  be  due 
in  part  to  the  project’s  focus  on  young  jobseekers,  as  the 
unemployment rates for men under the age of 25 in the region 
is higher than that of women (13).

Sustainability measures

Project  partners  are  committed  to  furthering  their  efforts  in 
the future. All the relevant labour market stakeholders in the 
region  acknowledge  that  free  movement  of  workers  is  one 
of  the  best  measures  to  address  the  persisting  problems  of 
unemployment, especially among youth, in the region and that 
the  project  activities  constitute  a  significant  effort  towards 
addressing these problems.

(11) 

(12) 

(13) 

Association of European Border Regions: ‘Information services for cross-border workers in European border regions’  
<http://www.aebr.eu/files/publications/121030_Final_Report_EN_clean.pdf> (2017 08 08)
Confederation de Empresarios de Galicia: ‘Update dos Indicadores de Mobilidade na fronteira Norte de Portugal-Galiza’  
<http://www.ceg.es/docs/8/1_update_indicadores.pdf?lang=1> (2017 08 08)
Eurostat Data on: Regional unemployment rates by age and gender  
<http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/regions/data/database> (2017 08 08)

 53

 
 
 
3.3.13.  Support to Cooperation on Intra-EU Mobility in the EEA Countries: Norway

‘EURES in Norway provided information to employers on labour markets 
in EU/EEA countries, including shortages and surpluses of workers and 
opportunities for recruitment.’

Call identification number: VP/2015/008
Grant identification number: VS/2015/0269

Policy area: Free movement of workers

Policy sub-area: EURES

Implementation/participation country: Norway

Project duration: 1 January 2016-31 December 2016

EU contribution in euros: 100 453.51   

Target groups: Jobseekers; Young people; Employers;
National and regional authorities; Social partners; NGOs.

in the EEA countries and to provide relevant information about 
working conditions, social security, tax regimes, and pensions 
in Norway to interested jobseekers as well as to match them 
with employers currently looking for workers. The project also 
aimed to foster dialogue between labour market stakeholders 
and  state  institutions  to  address  skills  mismatches  and 
shortages  in  the  labour  market.  Finally,  the  project  sought 
to  promote  EURES  activities  and  to  increase  the  visibility  of 
EURES services in the labour market.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

In 2016, a number of activities have been undertaken by the 
project. Project partners have learned from the experience of 
the previous years and adjusted their planned activities to the 
situation in the labour market, characterised by the decreased 
demand  for  cross-border  workers.  Most  of  the  planned 
activities were implemented successfully and deviations from 
the planned activities were insignificant.

First, project partners have participated in a number of local 
job  fairs  in  Norway  and  informed  transnational  jobseekers 
about  possible  employment  opportunities  and  disseminated 
information  about  working  and  social  conditions  in  Norway. 
Project representatives attended a number of international job 
fairs abroad with the aim of promoting labour mobility and to 
provide jobseekers with information about possible employment 
opportunities and conditions in Norway. Furthermore, an online 
job  fair  was  organised  targeting  both  jobseekers  currently 
residing  in  Norway  and  those  currently  living  abroad  with  a 
special aim of attracting highly-skilled workers currently; there 
is currently a shortage of such workers in the labour market. 
Project  representatives  and  EURES  advisers  have  met  with 
jobseekers either during one-to-one or in group meetings and 
provided  them  with  needed  information.  In  total,  around  30 
000  individual  queries  have  been  processed  by  the  project 
staff.

Moreover,  EURES  in  Norway  provided  general  information  to 
employers  on  labour  markets  in  EU/EEA  countries,  including 
shortages  and  surpluses  of  workers  and  opportunities  for 
recruitment,  in  particular  for  filling  bottleneck  professions. 
EURES Norway has provided general information and help to 
prepare employers actively looking to recruit from another EU/
EEA  country.  They  registered  and  disseminated  information 
on  job  vacancies  to  all  EURES  partners  and  jobseekers  in 
the  EU/EEA  countries  through  the  EURES  portal  and  other 
communication channels.

Socioeconomic context

EURES is an integrated part of the Public Employment Service 
in  Norway.  EURES  Norway  consists  of  a  national  EURES 
Coordination Office situated in the Directorate of Labour and 
Welfare. The EURES service is accessible in all 19 counties in 
Norway and through the NAV Service Centre EURES (National 
Single Point of Contact).

Norway is an attractive destination for jobseekers from various 
fields because of its high standard of living and well-developed 
social security system. Consequentially, for a number of years 
a  relatively  large  number  of  workers  from  EU/EEA  countries 
were attracted to work in Norway.

In  2016  23  496  persons  from  EU/EEA  were  registered;  this 
figure  does  not  include  persons  from  the  Nordic  countries, 
working  in  Norway.  This  is  a  slight  decrease  from  26  593 
persons in 2015 and even more from 34 244 persons in 2014. 
This underlines the trend of reduced demand from employers 
to  recruit  from  another  EU/EEA  country.  The  workers  came 
mainly  from  Lithuania,  Poland,  Romania,  Spain  and  United 
Kingdom.  As  neighbouring  countries,  where  language  is  less 
of an obstacle, there has always been labour mobility between 
Sweden, Denmark and Norway.

Aims of the project

The project aims to promote transnational mobility of workers 

 54

Activities implemented

•  Job fairs organised and attended;
•  Information to jobseekers provided;
•  Consultations with employers/employer organisations 

held;

•  Dialogue  between  state 

institutions  and  social 

partners facilitated;

•  EURES service promotion activities undertaken.

Coordinator
The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV)

Partners 
Norwegian Public Employment Service;
Norwegian Directorate of Labour and Welfare

Project/organisation website 
www.nav.no

Finally, the project aimed to promote the visibility of EURES in 
Norway and to strengthen information exchange and dialogue 
between the social partners and relevant state institutions. To 
this end meetings and consultations with PES employees were 
organised to inform them how EURES services could help them 
in  their  day-to-day  activities.  Additional  consultations  were 
carried  out  with  NGOs,  universities,  employer  organisations 
and chambers of commerce. The total number of such external 
contacts  in  2016  was  36  265.  These  contacts  resulted  in 
around 1 400 confirmed placements.

Transnational dimension

The transnational dimension was inherent to all the activities 
provided  by  EURES  Norway.  The  aim  of  the  activities  was  to 
enhance mobility in the EU/EEA by organising and participating 
in meetings and seminars, as well as job fairs.

Dissemination strategy

Project  information  was  disseminated  in  a  variety  of  ways. 
Printed leaflets containing practical information about working 
in Norway, social life and cultural differences were disseminated 
in job fairs both locally and abroad. Local job fairs and project 
activities were publicised by taking out ads in local media.

An  important  role  was  played  by  the  project  website,  which 
contained  project  news  and  events  as  well  as  a  wide  range 
of  practical  information  for  both  employers  and  jobseekers. 
NAV  website  also  allowed  interested  parties  to  contact  NAV 
employees  directly  by  telephone  or  online  chat.  The  overall 
visual imprint of EURES Norway received an upgrade in 2016, 
which made it possible to produce coherent messages to the 
end-users using a variety of means, such as posters, roll-ups 
and short videos.

Project information was further disseminated using the EURES 
network and by engaging social partners. The wide range and 
presence in many EU/EEA countries allowed project information 
to be widely disseminated to interested jobseekers over a wide 
geographic area.

Gender equality measures

There are no gender disaggregated data on the participation 
rates in project events, as national laws only allow such data to 
be collected with the explicit consent of the participant.

European added value

The  European  added  value  was  inherent  to  all  activities 
implemented by EURES Norway, as their aim was to enhance 
the free movement of people in the EEA.

 55

3.3.14.  Support to Cooperation on Intra-EU Mobility in the EEA Countries: Iceland

‘In 2016, goals for placements and advertised vacancies were reached and exceeded. 

Initially, project partners sought to advertise 200 vacancies and facilitate around 100 
placements in the tourism sector. By the end of the year, 723 vacancies were published 
and 268 placements with jobseekers from 25 EURES countries were facilitated.’

Call identification number: VP/2015/008
Grant identification number: VS/2015/0271

Policy area: Free movement of workers

Policy sub-area: EURES

Implementation/participation country: Iceland

Project duration: 1 January 2016-31 December 2016

EU contribution in euros: 45 430.46   

Target  groups:  Jobseekers;  Young  people;  Unemployed 
people; NGOs; PES; Employers

reached  and  exceeded.  Initially,  project  partners  sought  to 
advertise 200 vacancies and facilitate around 100 placements 
in the tourism sector. By the end of the year, 723 vacancies 
were published and 268 placements with jobseekers from 25 
EURES countries were facilitated.

Additionally,  three  meetings  were  organised  to  promote 
working  in  Iceland.  Originally,  two  meetings  (one  in  Norway 
and  one  in  Denmark-Sweden)  were  planned,  but  as  the 
number  of  interested  jobseekers  and  employers  looking  for 
workers exceeded expectations, a third meeting was organised 
in  Iceland  targeting  newly  arrived  jobseekers  from  EU/EEA 
countries.  Together,  these  meetings  attracted  92  interested 
jobseekers.

Further efforts were put into promoting the internal visibility of 
EURES services in Iceland. Three meetings were held targeting 
the employees of the Directorate of Labour who could either 
participate  physically  or  stream  the  events  online.  During 
these  meetings  opportunities  and  benefits  offered  by  the 
EURES network were discussed and received generally positive 
reactions from the employees.

Project  activities  also  directly  reached  out  to  employers, 
especially  in  the  tourism  sector.  Though  limited  resources 
did  not  allow  the  planned  number  of  direct  employer  visits 
to  be  carried  out,  efforts  to  reach  them  by  email,  telephone 
or  regular  mail  were  generally  successful,  as  the  number  of 
posted vacancies doubled since 2015 (from 368 to 723).

The  greater  than  expected  interest  from  jobseekers  and 
employers  has  led  to  the  expansion  of  EURES  services  in 
Iceland. Due to increased demand for EURES services two new 
employees were hired. In total, 2 236 queries were processed 
by the project partners in 2016.

Transnational dimension

The transnational dimension was inherent to all the activities 
provided  by  EURES  Iceland.  The  aim  of  the  activities  was  to 
enhance mobility in the EU/EEA by organising and participating 
in meetings, information sessions and providing consultations 
to interested jobseekers and employers.

Dissemination strategy

Aims of the project

The  general  goal  of  the  action  was  to  facilitate  mobility 
between  (and  within)  the  EEA  countries  and  the  European 
Union, and to increase the number of successful placements 
of foreign jobseekers in Iceland. This was to be done through 
bilateral recruitment projects with the neighbouring countries 
with a special emphasis on young jobseekers.

To  support  this  general  goal  one  of  the  project’s  main 
objectives was to mainstream EURES IS further into PES and 
improve access of jobseekers and employers to updated and 
well-structured information and advice.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

The  project’s  main  goal  was  met  as  the  national  employers 
in  Iceland  have  managed  to  hire  foreign  jobseekers  through 
EURES. Many of those employers were in the tourism sector 
and over half of those employed were under 30 years of age. 
Though the project activities were generally successful, some 
of the planned activities were not implemented and in some 
others had to be significantly adjusted to meet the demands 
and needs of the employers and jobseekers.

In 2016, goals for placements and advertised vacancies were 

The most important tool for disseminating project information 

 56

is  the  project  website.  Interested  parties  can  thereby  find 
relevant information about working in Iceland, social services, 
taxes,  as  well  as  useful  information  for  moving  abroad.  The 
website also features an event calendar, a list of vacancies and 
means to arrange a private counselling service. Furthermore, 
project  activities  and  vacancies  were  advertised  through  the 
EURES network, while material was also disseminated during 
the  meetings  and  project  events.  Project  partners  had  set  a 
goal for the number of yearly visits to the project website at 
100 000. By the end of the year, this goal was well surpassed 
with 166 444 visits.

Gender equality measures

Project partners collected data on the gender of the participants 
only if they consented to disclose their gender. Altogether 66% 
of the participants did so, with an equal number of women and 
men doing so.

European added value

EU funding was used for most of the services provided by the 
project in 2016. In 2015, when no EU funding was available, 
activities had slowed down dramatically, as it was only possible 
to carry out the most basic functions with the amount of locally 
available resources.

Activities implemented

•  Meetings with jobseekers organised;
•  Consolations with employers carried out;
•  Three promotional events organised;
•  Efforts  to  increase  the  internal  visibility  of  EURES 

services taken. 

Coordinator
Vinnumalastofnun (Directorate of Labour)

Partners 
Fjölmenningarsetur (Multicultural and Information Centre);
ÚTLENDINGASTOFNUN (Directorate for Immigration). 

Project/organisation website 
http://www.eures.is

 57

3.3.15.  EURADRIA 2016

‘In 2016, the project website has been completely redesigned in order to turn it into a 
one-stop-shop, capable of meeting all the needs of the target groups in one place.’

Call identification number: VP/2015/008
Grant identification number: VS/2015/0272

Policy area: Free movement of workers

Policy sub-area: EURES

Implementation/participation country: Italy, Croatia, 
Slovenia

Project duration: 1 January 2016-31 December 2016

EU contribution in euros: 145 633.07    

Target groups: National, regional, and local authorities; 
PES;  Social  partners;  Higher  and  vocational  education 
institutions; Media; Experts in policy evaluation and impact 
assessment; National statistical offices.

in 2016. Special effort was put into addressing the needs of 
jobseekers  in  Italy,  as  a  guide  book  to  cross  border  workers 
seeking  employment  in  Italy  was  published  in  2016  and 
presented in promotional events abroad.

Second,  project  partners  have  put  substantial  efforts  into 
monitoring labour mobility flows in Euradria region, directions 
of labour mobility and sectoral composition of vacancies filled 
by the cross-border workers. These efforts are summarised in 
the  ‘Cross-border  Analysis  Report,’  which  is  available  on  the 
project website.

Third, in 2016, the project website was completely redesigned 
in order to turn it into a one-stop-shop, capable of meeting all 
the needs of the target groups in one place. In addition to a 
wide range of information for jobseekers, employers and state 
institutions, the website also features information on project 
events as well as ways of contacting project staff directly.

Fourth,  the  project  aimed  to  strengthen  dialogue  and 
information  exchange  between  labour  market  stakeholders 
and social partners in the region. To this end, five meetings of 
project partners were organised, during which implementation 
activities  were  planned  and  discussed.  Two  meetings  with 
PES representatives and social partners took place to further 
mainstream  EURES  services  into  the  activities  of  the  public 
employment  offices  and  to  facilitate  deeper  cooperation 
between  the  involved  institutions.  Finally,  two  networking 
sessions  for  EURES  advisers  were  organised  to  discuss 
persisting obstacles to labour mobility in the region and other 
pressing challenges.

Finally,  meetings  with  employers  in  the  region  were  planned 
for  2016,  but  did  not  take  place,  as  the  partner  responsible 
(CONFCOMMERCIO  FVG)  could  not  carry  out  the  planned 
activities due to internal reasons.

Identification of potential good practices

Project  partners  have  put  substantial  effort  into  making  the 
project  website  into  a  one-stop-shop  for  jobseekers  and 
employers  in  the  region.  In  particular,  the  project  website 
features a very sizeable amount of information covering all the 
relevant aspects, from statistical information to an overview 
of  the  collective  agreements  between  the  trade  unions  and 
employer organisations in the region. The information on the 
website is constantly updated and presented in a very user-
friendly manner.

Aims of the project

The  general  objective  of  the  project  is  to  contribute  to 
the  promotion  of  workers’  geographical  mobility  and  to 
boosting  cross-border  employment  opportunities  both  for 
jobseekers  and  employers.  The  project  seeks  to  improve  the 
job-matching  process  in  the  Euradria  region,  while  ensuring 
qualified counselling to Euradria clients, with the final aim of 
contributing to the creation of a common labour market. These 
objectives  have  been  achieved  through  (i)  targeted  actions 
aimed at the identification and removal of mobility obstacles 
for workers; (ii) better definition, identification and monitoring 
of labour mobility flows in the Euradria region; (iii) boosting of 
the  EURES  network  and  enhancement  of  its  visibility  among 
the beneficiaries, in line with the goals of EURES reform.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

In 2016, project partners planned a wide range of activities, 
most of which have been successfully implemented. First, the 
project aimed to provide information to cross-border workers 
about various aspects of working abroad, such as tax regimes, 
social security policy, pensions as well as a number of practical 
tips for moving abroad. This was done by answering questions 
from  individual  jobseekers  and  employers,  meeting  people 
at project events, and publishing relevant information on the 
project  website.  Overall,  1  744  individual  queries  related  to 
cross-border mobility have been processed by EURES advisers 

 58

Policy evidence generated by the project

One  analytical  ‘Cross-border  Analysis  Report’  based  on  the 
monitoring information was produced. It contains information 
on:  the  overall  volume  of  labour  mobility  flow  in  the  region; 
current  and  perspective  labour  market  demand  for  skills; 
information on various demographic characteristics of cross-
border  workers;  and  recommendations  on  how  to  address 
existing obstacles and problems related to labour mobility in 
the region. The report is available on the project website and 
has been presented to a group of 30 labour market stakeholder 
in a transnational event.

Dissemination strategy

Project  information  was  disseminated  using  a  variety  of 
means, the most important of which was the project website. 
Additionally,  a  guide  for  cross-border  workers  in  Italy  was 
printed  and  disseminated  in  promotional  events.  Project 
partners  maintained  a  strong  social  media  presence  on 
LinkedIn,  where  articles  covering  the  most  important  project 
events were published.

European added value

Activities implemented

•  Information to cross-border workers provided;
•  Project website redesigned;
•  Guide book for cross-border workers in Italy published;
•  Dialogue between social partners facilitated.

Coordinator
Regione autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia

Partners 
ANPAL - National Coordination Office EURES; CONFCOM-
MERCIO  FVG;  CONFARTIGIANATO 
IMPRESE  FVG;  UIL 
–  Unione  Italiana  del  Lavoro  FVG;  Consiglio  Sindacale 
Interregionale  Italo-Croato  Alto  Adriatico  CGIL,  CISL,  UIL, 
SSSH; PUBLIC WORK OF SLOVENIA - ZRSZ Zavod Republike 
Slovenije  za  Zaposlovanje;  PRIMORSKA  GOSPODARSKA 
zbornica  -  PGZ  KOPER;  ASSOCIATION  OF  TRADE  UNIONS 
OF  SLOVENIA  -  ZSSS  zveza  SVOBODNIH  sindikatov 
SLOVENIJE;  CROATIAN  ASSOCIATION  OF  TRADE  UNIONS 
-  SSSH  samostalnih  Sindikata  Savez  Hrvatske;  PUBLIC 
WORK  OFFICE  of  CROATIA  -  HZZ  HRVATSKI  ZAVOD  ZA 
ZAPOSLJVANJE.

Funding  from  the  EU  has  provided  the  impetus  to  undertake 
more and more ambitious tasks, which would not have been 
possible otherwise.

Project/organisation website 
http://www.euradria.org/it/il-progetto/il-parternariato/

Gender equality measures

The project partners did not take any specific steps to ensure 
gender  equality.  Women  outnumbered  men  in  all  the  project 
events.  The  unequal  participation  rates  mostly  resulted  from 
the  fact  that  more  women  than  men  are  employed  in  the 
project partner organisations.

Sustainability measures

Project  partners  aim  to  sustain  and  strengthen  their 
collaboration in 2017. The kick-off meeting for Euradria 2017 
already took place in Trieste on 7 April.

 59

4.  EaSI-funded organisations

The  EaSI  programme  has  a  crucial  role  to  play  in  promoting  the  involvement  of  civil  society,  in  particular  through  financial 
support for the key EU-level NGO networks. The programme supports these networks with the aim of boosting their capacity 
to participate in and influence decision-making and policy implementation at both EU and national levels. Furthermore, such 
involvement fosters accountability and transparency of authorities and increases the relevance of policy responses.

Below the report describes activities implemented in 2016 by 9 EaSI-supported organisations active in the promotion of social 
inclusion,  poverty  reduction,  microfinance  and  social  enterprise  finance  (14).  These  organisations  are  major  EU-level  networks 
working  in  different  areas  of  social  policy  and  holding  four-year  Framework  Partnership  Agreements  with  the  European 
Commission.

The overall goal of the funded organisations is to support the Commission’s social investment approach at national and local 
levels  as  well  as  the  implementation  of  the  Social  Investment  Package,  the  Social  Business  Initiative  and  the  Europe  2020 
Strategy. The organisations also contribute to a number of key principles set out in the new European Pillar of Social 
Rights, including gender equality, work-life balance, support to children, the inclusion of people with disabilities and long-term 
care, as well as to targets of Europe’s 2020 Strategy in terms of employment and fighting poverty and social exclusion. To this 
end, the following types of activities were implemented in 2016:

•  support  for  the  Commission  in  the  development,  implementation,  monitoring  and  evaluation  of  initiatives 
undertaken towards the policy objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy and in particular the Social Investment Package 
and the Social Business Initiative; support for the main EU-driven processes such as the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) 
on social protection and social inclusion and the European Semester;

•  support  for  stakeholders’  involvement  in  the  policy  process,  including  voicing  the  concerns  and  expectations  of 
organisations facilitating access for (potential) entrepreneurs from disadvantaged and under-represented groups and social 
enterprises to finance;

•  strengthening the capacity of the networks’ members;
•  providing data and a strong evidence base on policy developments and trends as well as collecting relevant information 
about citizens’ concerns and good practices in the social policy field in the Member States, so as to contribute to better 
policy-making.

Maps indicating the geographical coverage of actions are not provided in the project fiches of organisations, since most of them 
cover the whole of Europe and beyond.

(14) 

Funded as a result of the Call for Proposals for Operating Grants Open to EU-Level NGO Networks that have signed a Framework 
Partnership Agreement for 2014-2017 and are active in the Area of Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction or Microfinance and Social  
Enterprise Finance (VP/2015/010).

 60

 
 
4.1.1.  Eurochild

‘The Eurochild network contributes to EU policy debate by bringing the perspective of 

children and the organisations working with and for children.’

Call identification number: VP/2015/010

Grant identification number: VS/2016/0041

Implementation/participation country: 165 
organisations and individuals in 33 countries
Project duration: 1 January 2016-31 December 2016

Policy area: Social protection and social inclusion

EU contribution in euros: 874 710.86   

Policy sub-area: Fight against poverty and social exclusion;
Promotion of equality between women and men; Promotion of 
a high level of quality and sustainable employment; Guarantee 
adequate and decent social protection; Combat discrimination;
Transnational dimension.

Target  groups:  National,  regional  and  local  authorities; 
Non-governmental  organisations;  Higher  education 
institutions  and  research  institutes;  Media;  Children  & 
young people.

Established  in  2004,  Eurochild  is  a  network  of  organisations 
working with and for children throughout Europe and striving 
for a society that respects the rights of children. It advocates 
for children’s rights and well-being to be at the heart of EU and 
national  policy-making.  The  UN  Convention  on  the  Rights  of 
the Child is the foundation of all Eurochild’s work.

Aims of the project/organisation

The action called ‘Eurochild operating grant’ aims to mobilise 
the  network’s  members  towards  better  implementation  of 
Europe 2020, and more particularly, the EC Recommendation 
on Investing in Children and broader Social Investment Package. 
Its overarching strategic goals include putting children at the 
heart of EU policy-making; building a community of children’s 
rights  professionals;  giving  a  voice  to  children  and  young 
people;  and  building  the  network  to  be  a  powerful  force  for 
change.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

Eurochild  contributes  to  EU  policy  debate  by  bringing  the 
perspective of children and the organisations working with and 
for  children.  About  270  participants  from  34  countries  took 
part in its biannual conference ‘Children’s Rights Matter: Why 
Europe Needs to Invest in Children’ co-organised with children 
and young people. In 2016, Eurochild provided two inputs to the 
European Pillar of Social Rights, including a briefing paper and 
a webinar for members. It participated in EC-led stakeholder 
dialogue  on  child  poverty  and  suggested  amendments  to 
the EP report on the European Semester for economic policy 
coordination. It also provided input to EU policy and legislation 
on  migration  through  a  round  table  on  migrant  children,  a 
report on children on the move and the EU Child Rights Forum. 
Eurochild signed a joint statement calling for 7 priority actions 
to protect all refugee and migrant children in advance of the 
Child  Rights  Forum  and  relaunched  a  campaign  on  ending 
institutional care and strengthening families to include focus 
on  migrant  and  refugee  children.  Finally,  it  supported  efforts 
of the Dutch Presidency of the EU Council to give high political 
priority  to  tackling  child  poverty  and  promoting  integrated 
approaches,  and  provided  input  via  a  working  paper  to  the 
European  Parliament  agreement  on  a  Preparatory  Action  for 
a child guarantee.

One  of  the  lessons  learned  by  Eurochild  in  2016  was  that 
the  expected  outcomes  outlined  in  the  work  programme  are 
difficult  to  measure  and  monitor,  and  to  a  large  extent  are 
outside  the  control  of  Eurochild.  Therefore,  with  the  help  of 
organisational  consultants,  Eurochild  started  to  revise  its 
monitoring and evaluation framework and will operationalise 
it in 2017.

Policy evidence generated by the project

In  2016,  a  flagship  Eurochild  Report  on  the  European 
Semester ‘Is Europe Doing Enough to Invest in Children?’ built 
knowledge on the extent to which the European Commission 
‘Recommendation on Investing in Children: Breaking the Cycle 
of Disadvantage’ (2013) had been implemented across the EU 
and  whether  the  European  Semester  process  had  helped  or 
hindered  the  achievement  of  positive  outcomes  for  children. 
The report was based on the assessment of 28 contributors 
from 20 Member States. Its key finding is that while most of 
the  2016  National  Reform  Programmes  (NRPs)  make  some 
reference to children, this is predominantly through the lens of 
parents’ access to the labour market. Apart from a few positive 
examples, the Recommendation on Investing in Children had 
relatively little influence on the political agenda.

Eurochild launched phase 2 of the Opening Doors campaign, 
which aims to strengthen families and end institutional care in 
Europe. The campaign involves new international and national 
partners  from  Austria,  Belgium  and  Spain  and  expands 
geographically from 12 countries to 16. The campaign website 
provides  facts  and  figures  on  children  in  alternative  care  in 
15  countries;  the  facts  and  figures  are  regularly  updated  by 
national  coordinators.  In  the  context  of  the  current  refugee 
and  migrant  crisis,  the  campaign  focuses  on  quality  care 
alternatives to institutional care for migrant, unaccompanied 
and separated children.

Dissemination strategy

Outputs of Eurochild were disseminated through direct email 
messages, the website, newsletters and social media channels 
as  well  as  during  key  events.  Eurochild’s  monthly  e-news 
bulletin had 351 new users, 8 new videos were produced and 
gained 4 325 views on YouTube. The number of followers on 
Twitter  increased  by  31%,  and  the  number  of  supporters  on 
Facebook increased by 39%.

 61

European added value

Activities implemented

•  15 reports: surveys, studies, analyses and expertise;
•  2 evaluation and impact assessments;
•  1  monitoring  and  assessment 

report  on 
transposition and implementation of Union law;
•  1 training session of legal and policy practitioners;
•  2  exchanges  of  good  practice,  peer  reviews  and 

the 

mutual learning events;

•  6 conferences, seminars and other high-level events;
•  3 guides, educational material;
•  51 information system developed and maintained;
•  56 other information and communication actions;
•  5 events supporting capacity building actions;
•  1  event  supporting  networking  and  cooperation 

meeting.

Coordinator
EUROCHILD AISBL (Belgium) 

Partners 
-

Project/organisation website 
http://www.eurochild.org/ 

The  key  added  value  of  Eurochild’s  activities  was  achieved 
through  networking  between  organisations  working  in  the 
field  of  children’s  well-being  in  different  countries.  A  number 
of activities aimed at improving the network’s outreach to its 
members and improving the advocacy capacities of members 
were carried out, including 3 events led by Eurochild members 
in  Ireland,  Northern  Ireland  and  Slovakia,  2  meetings  of 
National Partner Networks and 2 seminars co-organised with 
the European Expert Group on the transition from institutional 
to  community-based  care  in  Poland  and  Greece.  Feedback 
from  participants  shows  that  these  events  had  the  potential 
to  strengthen  national  efforts  to  address  child  poverty  and 
exclusion.

Sustainability measures

To  sustain  its  policy  and  advocacy  work  in  2017,  Eurochild 
will  work  so  that:  (1)  EU  governance  and  coordination  tools 
support efforts of the Member States to reduce child poverty 
and promote children’s well-being; (2) national child protection 
systems are developed in countries where Eurochild is active, 
leveraging EU funding and policy influence; (3) the EU invests 
more and better in children; and (4) children’s rights are better 
reflected in EU policy and legislative initiatives.

Gender equality measures

The total number of participants in Eurochild events included 
684 women and 283 men.

 62

4.1.2.  Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM)

‘In 2016 PICUM made a notable contribution to ensuring effective 

implementation and application of EU legislation which uphold the dignity and rights 
of undocumented migrants.’

Call identification number: VP/2015/010

Grant identification number: VS/2016/0043

Policy  area:  Social  Protection  and  Social  Inclusion  and 
Employment
Policy  sub-area:  Youth  employment;  Combat  long-term 
unemployment;  Fight  against  poverty  and  social  exclusion; 
Promotion of equality between women and men; Promotion of 
a high level of quality and sustainable employment; Guarantee 
adequate and decent social protection; Combat discrimination;
Transnational dimension.

Implementation/participation country: 155 member 
organisations in 30 countries across Europe and beyond
Project duration: 1 January 2016-31 December 2016

EU contribution in euros: 637 359.10   

Target  groups:  National,  regional  and  local  authorities; 
Employment  services;  Specialist  bodies  provided  for 
under  Union  law;  Social  partners;  Non-governmental 
organisations; Higher education institutions and research 
institutes; Experts in evaluation and in impact assessment;
Media.

Established  in  2001,  PICUM  is  a  network  of  individuals  and 
organisations  working  to  ensure  social  justice  and  human 
rights  for  undocumented  migrants.  It  provides  a  direct  link 
between  the  grassroots  level  and  the  European  level  by 
reporting on issues regarding undocumented migrants through 
its  members’  experiences  and  by  simultaneously  monitoring 
developments within the European institutions.

Aims of the project/organisation

The action titled ‘Transnational Solutions to Local Challenges: 
Addressing  the  Social  Inclusion  Needs  of  Undocumented 
Migrants to Build a More Cohesive Europe’ aimed to monitor 
and evaluate social progress and policy changes with regard 
to EU objectives in the areas of employment, social affairs and 
inclusion; to support frontline organisations working to address 
the urgent social protection needs of undocumented migrants; 
and  to  advance  informed  effective,  and  non-discriminatory 
social policies.

Innovativeness of the project/activities

PICUM’s  collection  of  undocumented  children’s  testimonies 
‘Hear  Our  Voices’  was  highly  welcomed  by  the  network 
members  as  an  innovative  method  to  bring  the  experiences 
of vulnerable migrant youth to the attention of media, policy-
makers and the general public. PICUM members are now using 
this publication as a popular education tool, targeting different 
audiences, including schools, and using it for media requests 
to give visibility to the realities of undocumented migrants and 
humanise the debate on migration.

Policy evidence generated by the project

PICUM  has  updated  its  Case-Law  database,  which  is  a  tool 
to  monitor  how  law  and  legislation  is  applied  to  ensure 
undocumented migrants’ rights at the national, European and 
international  level.  Its  report  ‘The  Sexual  and  Reproductive 
Health  Rights  of  Undocumented  Migrants.  Narrowing 
the  Gap  between  their  Rights  and  the  Reality  in  the  EU’ 
provides  evidence  on  the  international  context  and  national 
situation  across  the  EU  on  the  access  of  health  services  to 
undocumented migrants. It also provides recommendations to 
service providers and  policy-makers at  the  national, regional 

and local levels. The report reveals that despite the protection 
of  sexual  and  reproductive  health  rights  in  the  international 
human rights law and considerable political consensus on it, 
an  overwhelming  trend  is  towards  shutting  undocumented 
migrants out of the public health system.

New partnerships created

In  2016  PICUM  strengthened  its  partnership  with  cities  on 
the EU policy issues of migration. By collaborating with cities, 
which are vital stakeholders, PICUM was able to shape policy 
processes and outcomes that address social inclusion needs of 
undocumented migrants. During the year PICUM participated 
in dialogues organised by DG Regio and UNESCO, and worked 
closely  with  the  City  of  Amsterdam  to  organise  a  workshop 
on  undocumented  migrants  in  the  context  of  the  EU  Urban 
Agenda.

PICUM  also  strengthened  its  partnership  with  the  Women 
Against Violence Europe (WAVE) in 2016 by working together 
for  the  first  time  in  the  context  of  the  Step  Up!  Campaign 
to  improve  access  to  services  for  undocumented  victims  of 
crime. The collaboration included joint advocacy and capacity-
building initiatives such as webinars.

Dissemination strategy

All PICUM outputs were shared through its website, which had 
80 000 visits and 156 000 page views in 2016. The network 
relies  on  over  200  dedicated  volunteers  who  compile  news, 
translate and proofread newsletters and publications, so the 
website’s  content  is  available  in  seven  languages.  In  2016 
PICUM’s  quarterly  newsletter  in  seven  languages  gained  an 
additional 700 subscriptions, thus, reaching 9 250 subscribers. 
Active engagement in social media has resulted in a significant 
increase of followers (1 800 new Facebook ‘likes’ and 850 new 
Twitter followers).

Throughout  the  year,  PICUM  also  disseminated  its  key 
messages  in  one-to-one  meetings  with  policy-makers,  local 
and  regional  authority  representatives  and  other  actors  as 
well as during events organised by partners where PICUM was 
given  a  speaking  role.  During  the  ‘Words  Matter’  campaign 

 63

Activities implemented

•  2  newly  developed/maintained  quantitative  and 

qualitative databases;
•  1 common methodology;
•  34 reports: surveys, studies, analyses and expertise;
•  7 evaluation and impact assessments;
•  5  monitoring  and  assessment  reports  on  the 

transposition and implementation of Union law;
•  1 training session of legal and policy practitioners;
•  1 exchange of good practice, peer review and mutual 

learning event;

•  5 conferences, seminars and other high-level events;
•  1 guide, educational material;
•  6 information systems developed and maintained;
•  74 other information and communication actions;
•  37 provisions of information, counselling, placement 

and recruitment services;

•  11 events supporting capacity-building actions.

Coordinator
Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented 
Migrants ASBL (Belgium)

Partners 
-

Project/organisation website 
http://picum.org/ 

hundreds  of  pocket-sized  leaflets  were  disseminated  across 
Europe,  while  by  participating  in  TEDxBrusselsWomen  2016, 
PICUM’s  Director  Michele  LeVoy  spread  a  message  of  the 
use  of  fair  terminology  on  migrants  to  a  very  mainstream 
audience. In addition, PICUM regularly responded to information 
requests from media, researchers, policy-makers, students and 
undocumented migrants themselves.

European added value

In  2016  PICUM  made  a  notable  contribution  to  ensuring 
effective  implementation  and  application  of  EU  legislation 
on  the  rights  of  undocumented  migrants,  specifically,  the 
Employers Sanctions Directive, the Fundamental Rights Charter 
and the EU Victims’ Directive. It systematically identified and 
highlighted ‘best practices’ existing at EU and national levels, 
which improve the social inclusion of all migrants irrespective 
of their residence status, for example, the EU Victims’ Directive 
and  the  Council  of  Europe  Istanbul  Convention,  the  Spanish 
legislation on gender-based violence, and cities’ good practices 
in health care for undocumented migrants. PICUM’s activities 
also  allowed  for  benchmarking  with  regard  to  the  laws  and 
standards existing in the Member States, in particular the rights 
provisions through the Employers’ Sanctions Directive and the 
Return Directive. Finally, PICUM developed a common evidence 
base on undocumented migrant workers (a report published in 
2017) and on access to healthcare for undocumented migrants 
in the EU. It regularly shared relevant and timely information 
with key EU policy-makers and stakeholders.

Sustainability measures

To sustain the action, PICUM will focus on the following themes 
in  2017:  EU,  children’s  rights,  addressing  health  inequalities, 
living and working conditions of third country nationals, access 
to justice and services for migrant women, engaging cities on 
inclusive integration approaches, and the UN Global Compact 
on Migration.

Gender equality measures

PICUM has ensured a greater gender balance of its Executive 
Committee  with  representatives  from  two  migrant  women 
organisations  joining  the  board  in  2016.  In  addition,  PICUM 
provided extensive input to the UN Convention on the Elimination 
of  all  Forms  of  Discrimination  Against  Women  (CEDAW)  and 
on  the  planned  revision  of  General  Recommendation  No.  19 
on violence against women. Through its involvement with the 
Women in Migration Network, PICUM provided recommendations 
to CEDAW on women’s human rights. With a particular focus 
on women and girls, PICUM addressed the challenges around 
sexual and reproductive health, publishing a report on the issue. 
It  also  stepped  up  its  active  engagement  and  partnerships 
with  violence  against  women  support  services  and  women’s 
rights organisations. The total number of participants in PICUM 
events included 426 women and 206 men.

 64

4.1.3.  European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA)

‘A strong focus on membership resulted in 32 new members from 19 countries 

joining the network in 2016.’

Call identification number: VP/2015/010

Grant identification number: VS/2016/0061

Implementation/participation country: Over 210 
members in 29 countries, mainly based in Europe.
Project duration: 1 January 2016-31 December 2016

Policy area: Social enterprise finance

EU contribution in euros: 587 129.14   

Policy sub-area: Fight against poverty and social exclusion; 
Promotion  of  equality  between  women  and  men;  Combat 
discrimination; Transnational dimension.

The EVPA was formally launched in 2004 to promote venture 
philanthropy and social investment in Europe. It brings together 
organisations interested in or practising venture philanthropy 
(VP)  and  social  investment  (SI)  across  Europe,  such  as 
foundations  (either  independent,  or  linked  to  a  corporation), 
charities  or  companies  with  a  charitable  status.  The  EVPA 
defines venture philanthropy as an approach to build stronger 
investee  organisations  with  a  societal  purpose  by  providing 
them with both financial and non-financial support in order to 
increase their societal impact.

Aims of the project/organisation

The  action  titled  ‘Strengthening  and  supporting  a  European 
eco-system  for  social  enterprise  finance’  aimed  to  increase 
the  impact  of  the  network  and  of  the  partnership  with  the 
Commission, and thereby contribute to the targets of Europe’s 
2020  Strategy  in  terms  of  employment  and  fighting  poverty 
and social exclusion.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

The  third  year  of  EVPA’s  partnership  with  the  European 
Commission led to an increased interest and activities in the 
social investment space all over Europe, expressed in growing 
numbers  of  EVPA  website  visits,  downloads  of  publications, 
participation  in  events  and  speaking  opportunities.  In  2016 
EVPA focused on 4 priorities aligned with its overall objectives.

First,  it  supported  the  Commission  in  its  outreach  activities 
through regular exchanges with EU and multilateral authorities, 
the first EVPA high-level policy round table on social enterprise 
funding, 3 EU webinar sessions and the coverage of EU news 
in its monthly newsletter and the website.

Second, EVPA reinforced the capacity of its members through 
the 12th annual conference ‘Moving beyond Boundaries’ held 
in Paris in November 2016, two modules of the EVPA’s training 
academy,  sector  events  and  regular  encounters  with  the 
members. As a result, 525 participants shared best practices, 
discussed  trends  and  debated  different  approaches  to  EU 
related topics in over 20 sessions during the annual conference. 
The training academy offered practical guidance to both social 
investors and social purpose organisations, and promoted best 
practices. A strong focus on membership resulted in 32 new 

Target  groups:  National,  regional  and  local  authorities; 
Employment  services;  Specialist  bodies  provided  for 
under  Union  law;  Social  partners;  Non-governmental 
organisations; Higher education institutions and research 
institutes; Experts in evaluation and in impact assessment;
Media.

members  from  19  countries  joining  the  network  in  2016.  In 
addition,  the  EVPA  website  was  relaunched,  with  a  detailed 
online directory (including 1 389 contacts), which led to a web 
traffic increase of 35% in comparison with 2015 with over 400 
active users.

Third, EVPA voiced concerns and expectations of organisations 
facilitating  access  to  finance  for  vulnerable  groups/social 
enterprises  through  the  development  of  the  ‘National  Policy 
Nexus,’  18  exchanges  with  EVPA  members,  6  articles  in  a 
finance  blog  and  participation  in  20  conferences.  Concerns 
and  expectations  of  practitioners  were  communicated  to  EU 
and  national  authorities  through  3  European  consultations 
and proactive involvement in the European Commission Expert 
Group on Social Entrepreneurship. This led to a set of concrete 
policy recommendations adopted in 2016.

Finally, EVPA provided data/ research on developments in the 
social enterprise finance field and on priority topics through the 
Annual Industry Survey, an event for corporates and corporate 
foundations,  the  production  and  distribution  of  a  publication 
‘VP  in  a  nutshell  -  Case  studies  and  good  practices,’  the 
dissemination of best practices at the EVPA Training Academy 
webinar  ‘Commit  time  not  only  money,’  and  by  participating 
in academic conferences and developing an academic online 
database.

Identification of potential good practices

To facilitate access to learning possibilities for EVPA members 
with  limited  resources,  e.g.  start-ups  and  members  from 
the  Central  and  Eastern  Europe  Region,  the  Partnership  has 
established a scholarship which covers travel costs and entrance 
fees to the Training Academy and the Annual Conference. Clear 
scholarship criteria were defined and 14 applicants (out of 19) 
were granted a full scholarship. This practice can serve as an 
example for other networks on how to foster participation of 
disadvantaged members in learning activities.

Policy evidence generated by the project

The  EVPA’s  Policy  Nexus  2016  maps  the  national  policy 
landscapes  in  support  of  social  enterprises  of  five  European 
countries  (France,  Germany,  Italy,  Portugal  and  the  United 
Kingdom).  It  includes  a  snapshot  of  national  ecosystems,  an 

 65

Activities implemented

•  1  newly  developed/maintained  quantitative  and 

qualitative databases;

•  1 report;
•  1 training session of legal and policy practitioners;
•  1 exchange of good practice, peer reviews and mutual 

learning events;

•  20 conferences, seminars and other high-level events;
•  3 information systems developed and maintained;
•  1 other information and communication action;
•  1 event supporting capacity building actions;
•  5  events  supporting  networking  and  cooperation 

meetings;

•  18 exchanges of personnel between national, regional 

and local administrations.

Coordinator
European Venture Philanthropy Association (Belgium) 

Partners 
-

Project/organisation website 
http://evpa.eu.com/ 

overview of national law, funding programmes and a selection 
of key reports. The Policy Nexus was designed to allow EVPA 
members  have  a  comprehensive  overview  of  their  national 
policy  landscape,  develop  a  community  of  policy  experts, 
identify  best  practices  and  allow  benchmarking  between 
countries in terms of policy-making.

The 5th report on the annual EVPA Industry Survey is a unique 
source of data for practitioners to gauge the state of the sector, 
identify new trends and help organisations interested in social 
impact speed up their activities. It highlights the overall growth 
of  the  sector,  with  a  30%  increase  in  the  budget  allocated 
for social investment in Fiscal Year (FY) 2015, in comparison 
with FY 2013. Co-investment between peers has risen sharply, 
and a number of smaller players (with budgets under EUR 2.5 
million) have entered the space. VP/SI organisations have no 
shortage of investment opportunities and are improving their 
deal screening process. Over FY 2015, respondents screened 
7  520  potential  opportunities  and  selected  9  investees.  All 
evidence is available on the network’s webpage.

Dissemination strategy

EVPA disseminated its outputs and other information relevant 
to  the  sector  through  the  newsletter  (7  156  recipients), 
social channels and online publications database. In addition, 
printed  copies  of  the  report  on  the  Industry  Survey  and  the 
booklet  ‘VP  in  a  nutshell  –  Case  studies  and  good  practices’ 
were disseminated during the Annual Conference. The survey 
report was visited online by 1 028 unique users (in the period 
from November to December), and the ‘VP in a nutshell’ was 
visited by 766 unique users. EVPA also organised a webinar to 
share best practices and produced a multimedia format of the 
Industry Survey. Over 2016, 29 reports were disseminated in 
9  newsletters  and  selected  social  media  channels  (LinkedIn, 
Twitter). The newsletters reached 49 893 people in total.

European added value

The action has added value at EU level by national networking 
activities, which led to an increased number of EVPA members 
in 19 countries, by identifying and publishing key practices of 
venture  philanthropy,  which  is  a  great  practical  tool  for  new 
practitioners interested in the VP and SI method, and a useful 
reference  for  those  already  familiar  with  the  practices.  The 
EVPA’s Policy Nexus allows benchmarking national policies in 
support of social enterprises among the Member States.

Sustainability measures

In  2017,  the  network  will  build  on  its  strengths:  in-depth 
market  knowledge,  credibility  as  a  transparent  and  reliable 
organisation,  and  broad  membership.  EVPA  will  focus  more 
on local support to members by strengthening the system of 
regional  representatives,  increase  its  investment  in  learning 
and output dissemination, and strengthen its digital presence 
through targeted communication.

Gender equality measures

The total number of participants in EVPA events included 322 
women and 340 men.

 66

4.1.4.  COFACE Families Europe

‘With its policy outputs COFACE has bridged the gap between the EU and the 

local level, highlighting the emerging needs of families to be taken into account in 
EU law and policy.’

Call identification number: VP/2015/010

Grant identification number: VS/2016/0073

Policy  area:  Social  Protection  and  Social  Inclusion  and 
Gender Equality
Policy sub-area: Fight against poverty and social exclusion; 
Promotion of equality between women and men; Promotion of 
a high level of quality and sustainable employment; Guarantee 
adequate and decent social protection; Combat discrimination;
Transnational dimension.

Implementation/participation country: 60 
organisations in 23 Member States
Project duration: 1 January 2016-31 December 2016

EU contribution in euros: 429 455.69   

Target  groups:  National,  regional  and  local  authorities; 
Specialist  bodies  provided  for  under  Union  law;  Social 
partners;  Non-governmental 
organisations;  Higher 
education  institutions  and  research  institutes;  Experts  in 
evaluation and in impact assessment; Media.

COFACE  Families  Europe,  originally  founded  in  1958,  is  a 
network of civil society associations representing the interests 
of all families. It focuses on policies and legislation that impact 
the  lives  of  children  and  families,  in  particular  in  the  fields 
of social protection and inclusion, safeguarding the rights of 
disabled and dependent persons, prevention and fighting child 
poverty,  reconciling  family  and  work-life,  migration,  inclusive 
education and early childhood education and care, parenting 
support services to families, information and communications 
technologies, health and consumer policies and other relevant 
policy areas.

Aims of the project/organisation

Action titled ‘2016 – New Policies for 21st Century Families’ 
aimed to contribute to better policy-making at EU level to bring 
about a positive change in the lives of millions of families in 
Europe.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

This aim was achieved through coordination between COFACE 
Member  organisations  to  assess  the  needs  of  families  at 
grassroots  level,  to  gather  evidence  and  trends,  and  to  link 
these  needs  to  the  appropriate  mechanisms  at  EU  level, 
such as the European Semester process, the social OMC and 
the  future  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights.  The  main  issues 
addressed by COFACE in 2016 were services to families, time 
arrangements and resources.

Policy evidence generated by the project

In 2016 COFACE assessed the impact of the EC Recommendation 
for Investing in Children through a strategic dialogue meeting 
of  the  European  Commission,  by  analysing  and  highlighting 
the family-friendly CSRs of the EU Semester, and by provoking 
debate  on  the  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights  through  a 
reflection  seminar  in  Brussels.  It  also  examined  the  impact 
of  digitalisation  on  21st  century  families  and  social  policies 
through a stocktaking conference, which resulted in six policy 
briefs.

A  wide  range  of  policy  outputs  (analyses,  reports,  position 
joint 
papers,  responses  to  consultations, 

joint  reports, 

statements,  presentations  at  conferences)  generated  by  the 
action in 2016 provided the perspective of families and their 
needs, and were disseminated through the network members 
and partners, and were published and referenced in different 
publications. For example, the study ‘Toy catalogues in Europe: 
Making  or  Breaking  Stereotypes?’  examined  toy  catalogues 
across 9 countries through a diversity lens and looked closely 
at the portrayal of gender, ethnicity and disability. It served as 
a  basis  for  6  guiding  principles  on  Toys  and  Diversity  aimed 
at raising the awareness of stakeholders on their influence on 
making  or  breaking  stereotypes  through  their  products  and 
approaches to marketing them.

Finally,  by  being  a  member  of  the  advisory  boards  in  5  EU 
research  projects,  COFACE  mainstreamed  the  perspective  of 
families into the research and made sure it took into account 
EU policy needs and realities, mainly in the area of work-life 
balance.

Transnational dimension

Mutual  learning  and  transfer  of  knowledge  is  a  key  tool  of 
the  network  to  involve  national  civil  society  in  European 
policy-making, drive innovation in local communities and build 
common positions for EU advocacy. To this end, COFACE has 
used online communication channels, organised public events, 
internal expert meetings and strategic statutory meetings.

New partnerships created

In 2016 COFACE continued bilateral cooperation with partners 
of  the  Alliance  for  Reconciling  Work  and  Family  Life  to  keep 
work-life  balance  high  on  EU  agenda,  using  the  European 
Reconciliation  Package  as  a  basis  for  cooperation.  It  worked 
closely with the AGE Platform Europe, the European Women’s 
Lobby and Eurochild.

Dissemination strategy

COFACE disseminated its outputs by distributing physical copies 
of its reports at meetings and events, by sending 11 electronic 
newsletters  to  more  than  3  000  contacts,  via  media  (16 
press releases), 3 digital platforms (1 website and 2 blogs), 3 
communication publications, 6 social media communities and 
7 videos on a new playlist called ‘Digital Families’ on YouTube. 

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Activities implemented

•  2  common  methodologies,  classifications,  micro-

simulations, indicators and benchmarks;

•  30 reports: surveys, studies, analyses and expertise;
•  7  monitoring  and  assessment  reports  on  the 

transposition and implementation of Union law;

•  2  exchanges  of  good  practice,  peer  reviews  and 

mutual learning events;

•  5 conferences, seminars and other high-level events;
•  12 guides, educational material;
•  5 information systems developed and maintained;
•  32 other information and communication actions;
•  31 provisions of information, counselling, placement 

and recruitment services;

•  7 events supporting capacity-building actions;
•  4  events  supporting  networking  and  cooperation 

meetings.

Coordinator
Confédération  des  Organisations  Familiales  de  l’Union 
Européenne AISBL (COFACE) (Belgium)

Partners 
-

Project/organisation website 
http://www.coface-eu.org/ 

The  network  also  targeted  specific  stakeholders  (participants 
of events, key policy-makers, MEPs) via email to disseminate 
its reports.

European added value

With its policy outputs COFACE has bridged the gap between 
the  EU  and  the  local  level,  highlighting  the  emerging  needs 
of  families  to  be  taken  into  account  in  EU  law  and  policy.  It 
has  also  added  value  to  the  EU  by  establishing  networking 
systems for the regular exchange of information and actions 
with member organisations on the common European issues 
of  reconciliation,  diversity  and  disability,  as  well  as  reaching 
out  to  individuals  who  support  COFACE’s  mission.  In  2016,  it 
closely monitored four areas of legislation proposed by the EU: 
the European Accessibility Act, the EU Blue Card Directive, the 
Audio-Visual Media Services Directive and the Fitness Check of 
EU Consumer law to ensure that the needs of the target groups 
are  considered.  The  network  also  published  two  European 
benchmarks:  Toy  and  Diversity  principles  and  Benchmark 
principles for the future European Pillar of Social Rights.

Sustainability measures

Sustainability of EU advocacy work has been ensured by building 
the capacity of the COFACE network members to understand 
and  influence  policy  process  in  the  target  areas.  During 
membership  meetings  and  other  events  COFACE  members 
have  exchanged  knowledge  on  family  support  services  and 
programmes  at  local  level  and,  thus,  have  gained  ideas  on 
family policy which could be fed into national policy processes. 
Being  a  member  of  the  advisory  boards  in  five  EU  research 
projects, COFACE will continue to mainstream the perspective 
of  families  in  these  research  areas,  and  by  centralising  all 
information on EU family matters in a new website, will create 
a hub to be used by all interested stakeholders.

Gender equality measures

The  action  covered  the  gender  equality  theme  through  the 
promotion  of  work-life  balance  policies  to  support  more 
women to enter the labour market and more men to take up 
their family/caring roles. During key meetings in 2016 COFACE 
presented the content of its European Reconciliation Package, 
developed  in  2014  and  based  on  three  pillars:  resources, 
services and time arrangements. It also used this document to 
build its response to the EC consultation on work-life balance. 
In  addition,  COFACE  organised  the  international  conference 
on  Sustainable  Development  Goals  and  Gender  Equality  in 
Amsterdam  (April  2016)  with  more  than  100  participants 
from  all  over  Europe  and  different  high-level  speakers.  The 
conference  provided  transnational  exchange  opportunities  on 
family/social  policy  and  resulted  in  a  position  paper  as  well 
as  social  media  and  online  coverage.  The  total  number  of 
participants in COFACE events included 458 women and 296 
men.

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4.1.5.  European Roma Grassroots Organisations Network (ERGO)

‘Through the involvement in the DG EMPL policy process ERGO brought the 

views of beneficiaries from the grassroots level to the table, feeding in the views of 
Europe’s largest minority.’

Call identification number: VP/2015/010

Grant identification number: VS/2016/0029

Policy  area:  Social  Protection  and  Social  Inclusion  and 
Diversity and Anti-Discrimination
Policy  sub-area:  Youth  employment;  Fight  against  poverty 
and  social  exclusion;  Combat  discrimination;  Transnational 
dimension.

Implementation/participation country: 28 
organisations in 20 European countries
Project duration: 1 January 2016-31 December 2016

EU contribution in euros: 323 282.20    

Target  groups:  National,  regional  and  local  authorities; 
Employment  services;  Non-governmental  organisations; 
Higher  education  institutions  and  research  institutes; 
Media; Others.

The ERGO Network was established in 2008 to empower Roma 
in  Europe.  Its  members  aim  to  convince  policy-makers  that 
positive  change  for  Roma  is  possible  when  Antigypsyism  is 
recognised and tackled as a root cause of the inequality they 
face, and when the preconditions are in place for Roma to take 
part in civic life as equal stakeholders.

Socioeconomic context

Roma people, the single largest minority in Europe, have been 
marginalised for centuries. Many Roma have suffered from the 
lack of economic perspective, low employment and educational 
levels, health care problems, sub-standard housing as well as 
discrimination and hatred. Roma face many obstacles to equal 
citizenship: they are often uneducated, lack insight in political 
and decision-making processes, have low internet and media 
skills  and  financial  means.  In  combination  with  inadequate 
public policies, this results in the exclusion of Roma from wider 
society.

Aims of the project

The  action  titled  ‘Roma  included:  Roma  recognised  as  equal 
stakeholders  in  the  policies  targeting  them’  aimed  to  create 
opportunities for Roma to shape the policies affecting them.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

In 2016 ERGO contributed to the civil society recommendations 
on the EPSCO Council Conclusions on Roma under the Slovak 
Presidency  and  provided  the  European  Commission  with  an 
assessment  of  how  the  EU  Framework  for  National  Roma 
Integration  Strategies  (NRIS)  is  implemented.  It  specifically 
focused on mainstream policies and how they can be better 
designed to contribute to the social inclusion of Roma.

Through  involvement  in  the  DG  EMPL  policy  process,  ERGO 
brought the views of Roma people to the table at the Annual 
Convention on Inclusive Growth and fed them into long-term 
unemployment measures and the new solidarity corps. ERGO 
representatives  worked  as  experts  on  ESF  funding  and  their 
views on the use of ESF funds for social inclusion were taken 

into  account  by  the  DGs  involved.  It  also  provided  input  into 
the  Strategic  Dialogue  on  the  implementation  of  the  Youth 
Guarantee,  Youth  Employment  Initiative  and  the  Quality 
Framework  for  Traineeships  and  the  Annual  Convention  for 
Inclusive Growth.

ERGO  supported  the  national  advocacy  work  of  partners  by 
preparing  summaries  of  Roma-related  issues  in  the  Country 
Specific  Recommendations  of  five  core  countries  (Bulgaria, 
Czech  Republic,  Hungary,  Romania,  and  Slovakia).  National 
member  organisations  contributed  to  the  implementation  of 
the  European  Roma  Policy  Framework  by  advocating  at  the 
national  level,  often  together  with  the  national  civil  society 
coalitions. Such national partnerships are particularly strong in 
Czech Republic and Bulgaria.

ERGO network has fostered the dialogue between civil society 
and the European Commission by organising a European (pro) 
Roma  Coalition,  by  preparing  the  consultation  meetings  and 
by  being  involved  in  the  preparation  of  the  10th  EU  Roma 
Platform.  In  2016  ERGO  initiated  the  first  Roma  Week  and 
organised a public event ‘Countering Shrinking Space of Roma 
Civil Society,’ both in the European Parliament.

in  2016  ERGO 

Finally, 
launched  the  Alliance  against 
Antigypsyism, which brings together a great number of local 
and  international  civil  society  organisations  in  order  to  put 
Antigypsyism on the agenda of policy-makers.

Identification of potential good practices

In  2016  ERGO  organised  the  first  ERGO  Academy  for  young 
staff members and volunteers from member organisations to 
learn  together  and  from  each  other,  and  develop  leadership 
competences.  During  the  Academy,  a  methodology  of 
Participatory  Leadership  was  introduced  to  support  Roma  in 
devising political messages, to gather input on policy processes 
and to strengthen their confidence to become actors for Roma 
inclusion.  Young  Roma  activists  learned  about  EU  policies 
and  processes  and  gathered  ideas  for  common  inclusion 
projects as well as ways to pass on their knowledge in Roma 
communities. In addition, the Youth Advocacy Training was an 
investment into the capacity of young Roma to advocate for 
better implementation of Roma policy measures.

 69

Policy evidence generated by the project

In  2016  ERGO  conducted  a  qualitative  research  project  on 
the inclusion of beneficiaries in the evaluation of ESF-funded 
projects to improve their effectiveness. ERGO staff supported 
its  members  in  gathering  evidence  on  Community-Led  Local 
Development and on Roma inclusion at the local level through 
the Quality Audit. It also carried out fact-finding on how Roma 
are targeted and included in local plans and strategies through 
the  Online  Local  Scorecard  (www.romareact.org).  Network 
members  conducted  national  research  on  segregation  in 
schools, local public leadership and the distribution of ESF with 
a focus on Roma.

Transnational dimension

ERGO  Network  has  28  member  organisations  across 
Europe  and  is  the  biggest  European  Roma  network.  Sharing 
experiences, learning from each other and developing common 
European advocacy strategies are the main working methods 
of  the  network.  It  also  collaborated  with  strategic  European 
and international partners such as the TernYpe Youth Network, 
OSI,  ENAR,  Amnesty  International,  World  Bank,  Fundacion 
Secretariado Gitano and the Social Platform.

Activities implemented

•  1  newly  developed/maintained  quantitative  and 

qualitative database;

•  2  common  methodologies,  classifications,  micro-

simulations, indicators and benchmarks;

•  5 reports: surveys, studies, analyses and expertise;
•  1 evaluation;
•  14  monitoring  and  assessment  reports  on  the 

transposition and implementation of Union law;

•  15 training sessions of legal and policy practitioners;
•  9  exchanges  of  good  practice,  peer  reviews  and 

mutual learning events;

•  3 conferences, seminars and other high-level events;
•  2 information systems developed and maintained;
•  13 other information and communication actions;
•  2  EU  multilingual  digital  platform  and  electronic 

exchange system;

•  47 events supporting capacity building actions;
•  9  events  supporting  networking  and  cooperation 

meetings.

Coordinator
Stichting ERGO Network (the Netherlands)

Dissemination strategy

Partners 
-

Project/organisation website 
http://www.ergonetwork.org/ergo-network/ 

Gender equality measures

Gender  equality  was  not  an  issue  directly  addressed  by  the 
action  in  2016,  but  it  was  considered  in  the  activities  of  the 
network.  The  total  number  of  participants  in  ERGO  events 
included 842 women and 913 men.

ERGO Network and its members have disseminated its products 
through  personalised  emails,  articles  on  the  official  website 
and  the  ERGO  blog,  through  the  quarterly  ERGO  newsletter, 
Roma-related  newsletters  and  mailing  lists  (including  1  200 
institutions, NGOs and individuals), in-person meetings and at 
conferences and events. News is regularly published through 
the ERGO Facebook page (1 260 followers) and Twitter account 
(600  followers),  which  is  also  used  to  report  directly  from 
advocacy meetings in Brussels.

European added value

ERGO networking activities add value to the EU by bridging the 
gap  between  Roma  grassroots’  organisations  and  European 
institutions.  On  the  one  hand,  ERGO  Network  informs  local 
Roma actors about the possibilities offered by EU policies and 
programmes, and builds their capacity to engage and monitor 
their  implementation.  On  the  other  hand,  it  brings  evidence 
from the local level to national and European policy-makers in 
order to improve policies and programmes, e.g. by participating 
in  shadow  reporting  on  NRIS,  fact-finding  missions  on  ESF-
funded  projects  and  monitoring  the  community-led  local 
development process.

Sustainability measures

ERGO  will  continue  representing  and  advocating  the  Roma 
perspective  in  EU  policies  by  providing  alternative  and 
complementary data to feed into national and EU-level policy 
process,  by  giving  recommendations  for  the  post-2020  EU 
Roma strategy, and by raising awareness of Antigypsyism as a 
root cause for the social exclusion of Roma.

 70

4.1.6.  SOLIDAR

‘During 2016 SOLIDAR strengthened 14 national EU strategy groups that were 
created in 2015 and set up a new national EU strategy group in the Czech Republic.’

Call identification number: VP/2015/010
Grant identification number: VS/2016/0030

Policy area: Social Protection and Social Inclusion

Policy  sub-area:  Youth  employment;  Combat  long-term 
unemployment;  Fight  against  poverty  and  social  exclusion; 
Promotion  of  a  high  level  of  quality  and  sustainable 
employment;  Guarantee  adequate  and  decent  social 
protection; Combat discrimination.

Implementation/participation country: Over 60 
member organisations in 27 countries, of which 22 are 
EU countries
Project duration: 1 January 2016-31 December 2016

EU contribution in euros: 366 235.78   

Target  groups:  National,  regional  and  local  authorities; 
Social partners; Non-governmental organisations; Higher 
education institutions and research institutes.

SOLIDAR was founded in 1948 by European social democratic 
and  labour  organisations  to  ease  the  hardships  endured  by 
workers  and  strengthen  the  belief  in  international  solidarity. 
Now  it  is  a  European  network  of  civil  society  organisations 
working to advance social justice in Europe and worldwide.

Aims of the project/organisation

The action titled ‘Together for Social Europe (T4SE): Investment 
in Social Innovation and Quality Employment’ aims to promote 
investment in social innovation and quality employment with 
a focus on the most vulnerable groups such as young people 
and migrants.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

During 2016 SOLIDAR strengthened 14 national EU strategy 
groups that were created in 2015 and set up a new national 
EU  strategy  group  in  the  Czech  Republic.  This  was  achieved 
through the Training Academy 2016 on the topic of integration, 
intercultural  dialogue  and  peaceful  coexistence,  and  two 
study  visits  to  member  organisations  in  Italy  and  Estonia. 
Furthermore,  two  round  tables  were  organised  on  the  topics 
of  labour  mobility,  citizenship  and  migrant  integration.  They 
inspired  the  development  of  a  briefing  paper  assessing  the 
EU  action  plan  on  Integration  of  Third  Country  Nationals. 
Finally, the results of the Social Progress Watch 2016 and the 
network’s recommendations for a stronger social Europe were 
presented during the final conference ‘European Pillar of Social 
Rights – Achieving Upward Social Convergence with a Rights-
Based Approach?’

Identification of potential good practices

The input to the network’s activities by an academic body (the 
scientific  advisory  group)  as  well  as  the  exchange  between 
academia,  civil  society  and  political  decision-makers  in  the 
framework  of  the  Social  Progress  Lab  is  a  new  approach 
practised  by  the  SOLIDAR  network  in  2016.  Although  it 
requires  a  significant  amount  of  work  to  be  maintained  and 
strengthened,  the  academic  input  to  the  network’s  activities 
has reportedly proven to be very useful so far.

Policy evidence generated by the project

Evidence on progress made by the Member States to achieve 
the  EU2020  strategy’s  headline  targets,  to  implement  the 
Social Investment Package and the political guidelines of the 
European  Commission  were  assessed  in  15  countries  by  the 
national  EU  strategy  groups.  The  results  of  this  monitoring 
and evaluating work were presented in the 3rd annual report 
‘Social Progress Watch 2016 – a Guideline to a Rights-Based 
Approach for the European Pillar of Social Rights.’ Based on this 
evidence,  policy  recommendations  were  developed  and  used 
for SOLIDAR’s advocacy work at European and national levels. 
In addition, 18 case studies developed during 2016 provided 
evidence on the work of SOLIDAR’s members and partners to 
strive for social justice, the inclusion of people in society and 
the labour market as well as more cohesion within societies. 
Finally,  with  the  supervision  and  support  of  the  EU  advisory 
group on migration, the book From Europe to Local: Migrating 
Solidarity was produced. It presented policy solutions to turn 
the challenges linked to migration and integration into social 
and  economic  opportunities  for  the  European  Union  and  its 
Member States.

Dissemination strategy

SOLIDAR  has  established  a  comprehensive  database  of 
European  and  national  contacts  to  reach  decision-makers 
and stakeholders and disseminate publications, case studies, 
fact  sheets,  updates  and  information  developed  during  the 
action. Outcomes are distributed internally through electronic 
newsletters (about 2 500 subscribers) and externally via the 
SOLIDAR  Online  Knowledge  Hub  on  the  SOLIDAR  homepage 
and  social  media  (Twitter,  Facebook).  In  addition,  SOLIDAR 
keeps publishing paper copies of the main outcomes, such as 
the Social Progress Watch Report, Country Studies etc.

European added value

As  indicated  in  the  external  evaluation  report  of  the  action, 
18  case  studies  developed  in  2016  present  some  flagship 
projects of SOLIDAR members and partners at the local level. 
The case studies add European value by showcasing concrete 
interventions which can have a positive impact on vulnerable 
groups. For the members, the promotion of their work increases 

 71

their commitment to the network, while for the other members 
the case studies serve as examples for replication and space 
for potential cooperation within the network.

Sustainability measures

Activities  implemented  in  2016  by  SOLIDAR  together  with 
its  members  and  partners  on  the  topic  of  migration  and 
integration laid the foundation for its continued work in 2017 
in  these  fields.  It  will  focus  on  the  development  of  solutions 
for effective labour market and social integration of the third 
country nationals. In 2017 SOLIDAR will continue its advocacy 
work for a strong Pillar of Social Rights in the framework of the 
White Book consultation.

Gender equality measures

Gender  equality  was  not  directly  addressed  by  the  action  in 
2016,  but  it  was  considered  in  the  activities  of  the  network. 
The total number of participants in SOLIDAR events included 
189 women and 131 men.

Activities implemented

•  5  common  methodologies,  classifications,  micro-

simulations, indicators and benchmarks;

•  58 reports: surveys, studies, analyses and expertise;
•  1 evaluation report;
•  15  monitoring  and  assessment  reports  on  the 

transposition and implementation of Union law;
•  1 training session of legal and policy practitioners;
•  2  exchanges  of  good  practice,  peer  reviews  and 

mutual learning events;

•  3 conferences, seminars and other high-level events;
•  1 guide, educational material;
•  2 information systems developed and maintained;
•  250 other information and communication actions;
•  3  events  supporting  networking  and  cooperation 

meetings

Coordinator
SOLIDAR AISBL (Belgium)

Partners 
-

Project/organisation website 
http://www.solidar.org/

 72

 
4.1.7.  Eurocarers – European Association Working for Carers

‘Supporting informal carers represented a sound investment, with a return not 
only for carers themselves but also for their careers and society as a whole from a 
social and economic point of view.’

Call identification number: VP/2015/010
Grant identification number: VS/2016/0047

Policy area: Social Protection and Social Inclusion

Policy  sub-area:  Youth  employment;  Combat  long-term 
unemployment;  Fight  against  poverty  and  social  exclusion; 
Promotion of equality between women and men; Promotion of 
a high level of quality and sustainable employment; Guarantee 
adequate and decent social protection; Combat discrimination;
Transnational dimension.

Established  in  2006,  Eurocarers  brings  together  carers’ 
organisations  as  well  as  relevant  universities  and  research 
institutes,  a  combination 
that  enables  evidence-based 
advocacy. The network works to ensure that care is valued and 
unpaid  care  is  recognised  as  central  to  the  sustainability  of 
health and long-term care systems.

Socioeconomic context

There  are  more  than  100  million  informal  carers  in  the  EU 
today, and their number is likely to increase due to demographic 
ageing. Informal carers across the EU provide over 80% of all 
care, with women providing approximately two thirds of it. The 
economic value of unpaid informal care is huge. In EU Member 
States its share of the overall cost of formal long-term care 
provision  ranges  from  50%  to  90%.  Being  a  significant  part 
of  the  provision,  organisation  and  sustainability  of  health 
and  social  care  systems,  carers  often  suffer  from  physical 
and  mental  health  impairment,  face  difficulties  in  balancing 
paid work with care responsibilities, challenges to the natural 
socialisation  processes  as  well  as  formal  education,  family 
relationships  and  employment  prospects,  especially  young 
carers.

Aims of the project/organisation

The  action  titled  ‘Addressing  the  Needs  of  Informal  Carers 
throughout the EU with Particular Reference to Social Inclusion, 
Poverty  Reduction  and  the  Development  of  Sustainable  and 
Inclusive Long-term Care Systems in Europe’ aimed to advance 
the issue of informal care at both national and EU levels.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

to 

In  2016  Eurocarers  contributed 
the  development, 
implementation, monitoring and evaluation of relevant social 
initiatives  through  its  analytical  and  networking  activities. 
It  supported  stakeholder  involvement  in  the  policy  process 
through publishing activities and meetings, strengthened the 
capacity  of  its  members  through  study  visits  and  regional 
seminars,  and  collected  evidence  on  informal  carers  by 
participating in five research projects. Eurocarers’ contribution 
to the European Commission’s Consultation on the European 
Pillar of Social Rights in December 2016 highlighted that:

Implementation/participation country: 59 member 
organisations and individuals and 5 partners throughout 
Europe and beyond
Project duration: 1 January 2016-31 December 2016

EU contribution in euros: 269 892.64    

Target  groups:  National,  regional  and  local  authorities; 
Specialist  bodies  provided  for  under  Union  law;  Non-
governmental organisations; Higher education institutions 
and research institutes; Media; Informal carers themselves.

•  the  social  right  to  provide  informal  care  to  a  relative 

should be formally recognised;

•  supporting informal caregivers is a sound investment for 

employment;

•  supporting informal carers is a sound investment for the 
sustainability  of  European  health  and  long-term  care 
systems;

•  supporting  informal  caregiving  should  be  a  transversal 

priority for a carer-friendly society.

Evidence shows that supporting informal carers and ensuring 
their access to the services they need is a sound investment, 
with a return not only for carers themselves, but also for their 
careers  and  society  as  a  whole  from  a  social  and  economic 
point of view.

Innovativeness of the project/activities

In  2016  Eurocarers  launched  an  online  EU  Information  Hub 
on  Informal  Care  called  ‘Informcare.’  It  offers  carers,  care 
professionals and employers of selected countries, in their own 
national  language,  information  and  advice  about  caregiving 
activities  as  well  as  useful  contacts  and  interactive  tools  to 
communicate  with  other  peers,  exchange  experiences  and 
provide mutual support.

Policy evidence generated by the project

The  Eurocarers  Research  Working  Group  formed  in  2015 
developed a comprehensive document on Eurocarers research 
priorities. It focuses on 8 key topics and will be used as part of 
the network’s advocacy strategy. In 2016 the network developed 
12  position  papers  and  2  responses  to  EC  consultations,  9 
policy  briefings,  released  4  joint  calls  for  action,  published  1 
editorial in a scientific journal and 2 articles in national media, 
and  disseminated  8  press  releases.  It  also  launched  a  new 
online repository of research and good practices.

Dissemination strategy

implemented 
Eurocarers’  communication  strategy  was 
through its main website, bi-monthly newsletter and position 
papers. The network also relies on a database of more than 
3  000  contacts  to  disseminate  relevant  information  about 
carers’  added  value  and  needs.  The  network  organised  12 

 73

Activities implemented

•  4  newly  developed/maintained  quantitative  and 

qualitative databases;

•  12 reports: surveys, studies, analyses and expertise;
•  1 evaluation report;
•  1  EU  multilingual  digital  platform  and  electronic 

exchange system;

•  7 events supporting capacity building actions;
•  10  events  supporting  networking  and  cooperation 

meetings.

Coordinator
Eurocarers  –  Association  Européenne  Travaillant  Avec  Et 
Pour Les Aidants Non-professionnels (Belgium)

Partners 
-

Project/organisation website 
http://www.eurocarers.org/ 

peer-learning events for 142 participants, and 5 conferences 
and seminars attracting 313 participants. It also disseminated 
11 issues of guides and educational material, and developed/
maintained 3 information systems.

European added value

Eurocarers  is  the  only  EU-level  network  that  supports  all 
carers,  and  EaSI  is  its  main  source  of  funding.  Therefore,  a 
clear  European  value  added  comes  from  the  fact  that,  in 
the  absence  of  EU  funding,  the  network’s  activities  would 
be  severely  limited.  The  EaSI  funding  ensures  economies  of 
scale and efficient use of money, leading to better services for 
citizens due to the work of Eurocarers.

Sustainability measures

Eurocarers will continue to support the European Commission in 
its efforts to create a political environment that is favourable for 
sustainable, equitable and quality long-term care services and 
where carers are recognised and supported. The organisation’s 
action  plan  for  2017  includes  advocacy,  communication  and 
capacity-building activities focusing on the implementation of 
the Europe 2020 strategy’s objectives, the European Semester, 
the Work-life balance package, the Pillar of social rights, the 
blueprint on innovation for active and healthy ageing and any 
other carer-friendly policy developments.

Gender equality measures

Gender  issues  are  indispensable  from  informal  care  issues, 
since women provide approximately two thirds of care, mainly 
as  daughters  (in-law)  and  wives/partners.  Thus,  all  policy 
measures proposed and advocated by Eurocarers are directly 
targeted  at  women.  With  regard  to  specific  activities  of  the 
network in 2016, women and men were equally included in the 
events, with women representing a bigger share of participants 
(614 women and 420 men in total).

 74

4.1.8.  Microfinance Centre (MFC)

‘Owing to the EU support, MFC has strengthened its relationship with the 

European Microfinance Network and other networks for the benefit of the 
microfinance sector development.’

Call identification number: VP/2015/010
Grant identification number: VS/2016/0017

Policy area: Social Protection and Social Inclusion

Policy  sub-area:  Youth  employment;  Combat  long-term 
unemployment; Fight against poverty and social exclusion

Implementation/participation country: 104 
organisations (including 77 microfinance intermediaries) 
in 33 countries of Central Europe and Asia

The  Microfinance  Centre  (MFC)  is  a  regional  microfinance 
resource  centre  and  network. 
It  brings  together  104 
organisations  (including  77  microfinance  intermediaries)  in 
33 countries of Central Europe and Asia, which serve over 1 
million low-income clients. The Centre’s mission is to contribute 
to poverty reduction and the development of human potential 
by promoting a socially oriented and sustainable microfinance 
sector  that  provides  adequate  financial  and  non-financial 
services  to  a  large  number  of  poor  families  and  micro-
entrepreneurs.

Aims of the project/organisation

The  action  titled  ‘Financial  Inclusion  for  Inclusive  Growth  in 
Europe’ aimed to further advance the inclusive finance agenda 
in  the  EU,  to  stimulate  practitioners  and  policy-makers  into 
action, and to ensure wider and deeper financial inclusion of 
all EU citizens.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

Owing to the EC support, MFC has strengthened its relationship 
with the European Microfinance Network and other networks 
for the benefit of the microfinance sector development. Among 
its key achievements in 2016 the following can be mentioned:

1.  Cooperation  with  the  European  Microfinance  Network 
(EMN), the European Financial Inclusion Network (EFIN) 
and  the  Child  and  Youth  Finance  International  (CYFI) 
resulted  in  a  position  paper  on  over  indebtedness 
inclusive 
indicators 
and 
the 
entrepreneurship, 
challenges to implementing the European Code of Good 
Conduct and other issues. All outputs were presented to 
the European Commission and the European Investment 
Bank.

8 
re-definition  of  microcredit, 

notes/papers 

on 

Project duration: 1 January 2016-31 December 2016

EU contribution in euros: 162 930.43  

Target  groups:  National,  regional  and  local  authorities; 
Non-governmental  organisations;  Media;  Microfinance 
institutions

12 countries and a summary event in Brussels attended 
by  representatives  of  the  European  Commission, 
practitioners and media.

3.  Through  a  dialogue  with  the  European  Commission, 
MFC provided feedback on the EU microfinance support 
instruments  and  discussed  obstacles  to  the  sector 
development and its future.

4.  As a result of research conducted in 2016, MFC gained 
a deeper insight into the role that microfinance can play 
in job creation. Specifically, it observed that despite high 
expectations, the current form of microfinance practiced 
in the EU area, with a strong focus on self-employment, 
personal  loans  and  very  small  and  micro-businesses, 
has a limited, however socially important, contribution to 
job creation. The role of microfinance in job creation can 
be enhanced by introducing new types of soft financing 
instruments  that  microfinance  institutions  could  utilise 
to  support  the  growth-oriented  start-ups.  Based  on 
the  collected  evidence,  MFC  developed  a  policy  paper 
‘Demystifying the Role of Microfinance in Job Creation.’
5.  During the annual Borrow Wisely Campaign 2016, which 
took place from 1 October to 31 October, MFC and its 
partners  engaged  directly  and  virtually  with  473  660 
clients and potential clients in 14 countries to promote 
global client protection standards.

Policy evidence generated by the project

One  of  the  major  evidence  outputs  in  2016  was  a  biennial 
survey on microfinance in Europe conducted by MFC together 
with  EMN.  Data  collected  from  at  least  10  countries  show 
that microfinance in Europe is gradually being consolidated as 
an essential tool of social policy. Results of the survey were 
summarised in a report and presented to relevant policy- and 
decision-makers.

2.  Building on the success of the first European Microfinance 
Day  in  2015,  MFC  and  EMN  organised  the  2nd 
Microfinance  Day  on  20  October  2016  titled  ‘Creating 
Opportunity  beyond  Microcredit.’  It  included  31  local 
events  organised  by  27  members  of  EMN  and  MFC  in 

Building  on  research  conducted  in  2015,  MFC  developed  2 
research papers ‘Financing Gap and SME Employment Growth: 
Beyond  Access  to  Finance  and  Measuring’  and  ‘Financial 
Inclusion in the EU: Financial Inclusion Score Approach.’ It also 
addressed  the  topic  of  youth  employment  and  combating 
long-term  unemployment  through  research  which  analysed 

 75

Activities implemented

•  15 reports: surveys, studies, analyses and expertise;
•  4 evaluations and impact assessments;
•  14  exchanges  of  good  practice,  peer  reviews  and 

mutual learning events;

•  3 conferences, seminars and other high-level events;
•  3 guides, educational material;
•  33 other information and communication actions;
•  55  events  supporting  networking  and  cooperation 

meetings.

Coordinator
Fundacja Microfinance Centre (Poland)

Partners 
-

Project/organisation website 
http://www.mfc.org.pl/ 

Gender equality measures

The  gender  equality  issue  was  not  directly  addressed  by  the 
action, but it was considered in the activities of the network. 
The total number of participants in MFC events included 102 
women and 122 men.

the  role  of  the  microfinance  sector  in  supporting  start-ups 
in  Bulgaria,  Hungary  and  Romania.  As  a  result,  a  number  of 
recommendations  for  policy-makers  regarding  the  need  to 
support  Micro  Finance  Institutions  were  developed  and  three 
case  studies  about  each  country  published.  All  evidence 
generated by the action is available on the MFC website.

Dissemination strategy

Policy and research papers and case studies were sent via email 
to around 6 000 MFC contacts either through a dedicated press 
release in a newsletter or a personal update for members. They 
were also promoted through the MFC social media and during 
the MFC Annual Conference and country meetings. Additionally, 
MFC disseminated its papers through communication channels 
of  its  partners:  EFIN,  EMN  and  Microfinance  Gateway.  Some 
research was presented during thematic webinars. The notes 
and  recommendations  for  specific  institutions  such  as  DG 
GROW, DG EMPL, DG FISMA and EIB were shared via email and 
discussed during face-to-face meetings.

European added value

The European added value was achieved by MFC in two main 
ways:  networking  among  national  and  EU  organisations,  and 
the identification and dissemination of good practice. In 2016, 
collaboration  of  the  two  European  microfinance  networks, 
MFC  and  EMN,  covered  the  areas  of  advocacy  (through  the 
Advocacy  Think  Tank),  research  (through  the  Research  Think 
Tank)  and  social  performance  management  (SPM)  (through 
the SPM Think Tank). It resulted in a number of joint activities 
and  policy  papers  for  microfinance  sector  development.  The 
MFC  also  continued  its  cooperation  with  other  international 
networks active in increasing access to finance, CYFI and EFIN, 
to achieve higher effectiveness of programmes and activities, 
and avoid duplication of efforts and resources.

An  initial  exploratory  research  on  the  start-up  enterprise 
landscape in Europe carried out by MFC in Bulgaria, Hungary 
and  Romania  identified  good  practice  among  microfinance 
service  providers  serving  start-ups.  It  helps  understand  the 
future  potential  role  of  microfinance  with  regard  to  start-
ups and proposes practical steps to attract more support for 
them. MFC plans to continue this research in other countries of 
Eastern and Western Europe in 2017.

Sustainability measures

To sustain the action’s results, MFC has planned the following 
policy follow-up for 2017: 1) continue cooperation with EMN on 
the joint advocacy agenda; 2) continue discussion and provide 
recommendations  on  the  role  of  microfinance  in  supporting 
start-ups  by  expanding  the  research  to  8  new  countries;  3) 
continue the dialogue with the members of the international 
consortium formed before submitting COSME (EU programme 
for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-
sized  Enterprises)  proposal  for  migrant  and  refugee  support; 
and  4)  explore  overlaps  between  social  enterprise  and 
microfinance strategies.

 76

4.1.9.  European Platform for Rehabilitation (EPR)

‘In 2016 EPR cooperated with more EU-level organisations and their national 
members than in the previous years, particularly through public events and by 
participating in Social Services Europe activities.’

Call identification number: VP/2015/010
Grant identification number: VS/2016/0052

Policy area: Social Protection and Social Inclusion

Policy  sub-area:  Youth  employment;  Combat  long-term 
unemployment;  Fight  against  poverty  and  social  exclusion; 
Promotion  of  a  high  level  of  quality  and  sustainable 
employment; Combat discrimination; Transnational dimension.
Implementation/participation country: 25 
organisations in 17 EU countries

Established in 1993, EPR is a network of European providers 
of rehabilitation services to people with disabilities and other 
disadvantaged  groups.  Its  members  deliver  services  in  the 
fields  of  vocational  training  and  education,  reintegration  of 
service  users  into  the  labour  market  and  improvement  of 
their  employability,  physical  rehabilitation  and  social  care. 
The  ultimate  goal  of  the  network  is  to  assist  its  member 
organisations 
improvement, 
in  continuous  professional 
identification of best practices and sustainable growth through 
mutual learning.

Aims of the project/organisation

The action aimed to enhance the understanding of EU policy 
developments  among  EPR  members,  identify  policy  priorities 
and formulate recommendations, benchmark and bench-learn 
to improve the quality and effectiveness of services.

Project results, measured impacts, achievements, 
lessons learned

In  2016  EPR  enhanced  the  understanding  of  its  members 
of  EU  policy  developments  through  the  mapping  of  relevant 
policy  processes  and  initiatives,  online  training  sessions,  the 
coordinators meetings and by updating the online platform on 
the European Semester. It screened NRPs and Country Specific 
Recommendations, and drafted a note focusing on the analysis 
of key recommendations in the field of employment, education 
and training as well as social protection. The screening also led 
to provision of policy proposals to the Commission.

The EPR members organised four national awareness-raising 
and training events for national and local civil society or social 
partner  organisations  on  the  topics  of  employment,  mental 
health,  community-based  services  and  the  quality  of  social 
services. The Annual Conference organised by EPR in Portugal 
offered a space for mutual learning through plenary speeches 
and  expert-led  workshops,  site  visits  and  innovative  learning 
methodologies,  and  provided  opportunities  for  networking. 
In  addition,  EPR  developed  an  e-learning  module  focusing 
on mainstreaming services for people with disabilities in the 
three key areas: employment, care and education. The network 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  web-based  meetings  are  very 
successful and can be used more often to engage more people 
and organisations.

Project duration: 1 January 2016-31 December 2016

EU contribution in euros: 97 420.04   

Target  groups:  National,  regional  and  local  authorities; 
Employment services; Social partners; Non-governmental 
organisations; Higher education institutions and research 
institutes;  Media;  Users  of  services,  particularly  people 
with disabilities; Employers/companies.

Transferability element(s) of the project/activities

In  2016  EPR  carried  out  two  benchlearning  exercises  to 
transfer  new  tools  and  methodologies  among  its  members. 
First,  the  benchlearning  on  the  Quality  Culture  Survey  (a 
tool  developed  by  a  consultant  to  assess  the  cultural  and 
organisational  obstacles  to  the  provision  of  quality  social 
services)  allowed  participants  to  share  and  evaluate  how 
conducive  their  organisational  culture  is  to  quality  services 
and develop improvement plans. Second, the benchlearning on 
the  Wellness  Recovery  Action  Planning  (WRAP)  methodology 
enhanced participants’ understanding of how people, including 
those with mental health problems, can be more empowered 
and  have  greater  self-knowledge.  The  benchlearning  and 
training on the WRAP were very well received by participants, 
who  claimed  that  they  could  apply  the  method  to  their  own 
lives as well as in their daily work with clients. One of the tools 
piloted  in  2016,  ‘Por  Talento,’  turned  out  to  be  too  complex 
to replicate, but this exercise led EPR to the conclusion that it 
should focus on small/medium tools that are easy to transfer 
to other contexts.

Innovativeness of the project/activities

The  EPR  launched  an  Innovation  Prize  contest  as  a  way  to 
promote exchange of innovative practices within the network. 
In total, 14 practices were submitted. The EPR Innovation Prize 
2016 went to an interdisciplinary educational tool developed 
by  the  Greek  organisation  Theotokos  and  called  ‘Serious 
Games,’  which  helps  the  development  of  communication 
and social skills in individuals with autistic spectrum disorder 
and  intellectual  disability.  Another  noteworthy  example  of 
innovation was brought to the network from Norway. It is the 
‘FROG Online Identity’ method and a programme, which aims 
to provide self-leadership and identity-training, especially for 
disadvantaged young people, with a view to returning to school 
and work. A training workshop on the use of this method was 
organised for the EPR members, who admitted it was useful 
and could be applied in their daily work.

Policy evidence generated by the project

In  2016  EPR  produced  three  analytical  papers  on  topical  EU 
policy initiatives and developments in service delivery for people 
with disabilities. The paper ‘Challenges and Opportunities for 
the  Integration  of  Migrants  in  Europe’  highlights  similarities 

 77

Activities implemented

•  3  common  methodologies,  classifications,  micro-

simulations, indicators and benchmarks;

•  18 reports: surveys, studies, analyses and expertise;
•  8  monitoring  and  assessment  reports  on  the 

transposition and implementation of Union law;
•  5 training sessions of legal and policy practitioners;
•  4  exchanges  of  good  practice,  peer  reviews  and 

mutual learning events;

•  5 conferences, seminars and other high-level events;
•  21 guides, educational material;
•  1 information system developed and maintained;
•  118 other information and communication actions;
•  2  EU  multilingual  digital  platform  and  electronic 

exchange system.

Coordinator
European Platform for Rehabilitation (Belgium)

Partners 
-

Project/organisation website 
http://www.epr.eu/ 

Gender equality measures

The  gender  equality  issue  was  not  directly  addressed  by  the 
action, but it was considered in the activities of the network. 
The total number of participants in EPR events included 237 
women  and  142  men.  In  addition,  special  care  was  taken  to 
ensure gender balance of speakers in events.

between  migrants  and  people  with  disabilities  in  accessing 
social and health care services, education and labour market, 
as well as the main challenges that they face to integration. 
The  paper  ‘Long-Term  Care:  Older  People  and  Disability’ 
and  the  ‘Study  on  Co-production  in  Services  for  People  with 
Disabilities’  presents  examples  of  the  involvement  of  people 
with disabilities in service planning and delivery, and provides 
recommendations  on  the  development  of  future  initiatives 
using co-productive approaches.

Transnational dimension

EPR  is  founded  on  the  principle  of  transnational  mutual 
learning  and  unites  25  organisations  from  17  EU  Member 
States plus Norway. In 2016, it cooperated with more EU-level 
organisations and their national members than in the previous 
years, particularly through public events and by participating in 
Social Services Europe activities.

Dissemination strategy

All  analytical  outputs  were  disseminated  through  EPR 
communication  channels  at  organisational,  national  and 
European  level:  personal  emails,  9  e-bulletins,  EPR  website, 
EPR Facebook page, LinkedIn page and on partners’ newsletters 
or  websites  (Social  Services  Europe  and  Social  Platform). 
Printed copies were distributed within the network and during 
main  internal  and  external  events.  They  were  presented  and 
discussed during benchlearning and training activities. Articles, 
press  releases,  video  and  posts  were  published  in  local 
newspapers, members’ websites and social media.

European added value

The  external  evaluation  of  the  action  in  2016  shows  that 
EPR  members  see  its  added  value  first  of  all  in  the  position 
it  has  acquired  at  the  European  level  as  a  trustworthy  and 
representative  public  body  for  disability  service  providers. 
Second,  the  membership  of  service  providers  in  the  EU 
network strengthens their position at the national level. Third, 
the benchmarking of services and the exchange of innovative 
practices  helps  EPR  members  improve  the  quality  of  their 
services.

Sustainability measures

EPR will continue to work alone and with Social Services Europe 
to  promote  the  social  dimension  of  the  European  Semester 
process and make recommendations to ensure effective social 
protection systems, and social and labour market inclusion of 
people  with  disabilities  and  other  disadvantaged  groups.  Its 
members  will  apply  good  practices  and  innovative  methods 
that they learned during 2016, particularly the Quality Culture 
Survey, the WRAP and FROG methodologies, and the ‘Serious 
Games’ tool. The network will further explore the transferability 
of  innovative  practices  collected  during  the  Innovation  Prize 
contest.

 78

5 

Afterword

This  report  has  provided  a  review  of  projects  and  organisations  funded  by  the  EU  Programme  for  Employment  and  Social 
Innovations (EaSI) and its predecessor PROGRESS. A total of 31 project/organisation fiches, which can be read as stand-alone 
documents, were produced by the research team and presented in the report.

Analysing  and  disseminating  information  about  the  results  of  supported  projects  and  organisations  form  part  of  EaSI 
performance monitoring for 2014-2020. The programme’s monitoring approach foresees biannual reports presenting projects 
and organisations supported by EaSI and its predecessor programme PROGRESS. This is the seventh such report. It follows the 
first six issued in 2014-2017.

It is expected that this report will be beneficial to public authorities of the Member States, civil society organisations and private 
actors in at least two ways. First, it will serve as guidance for public, private and civil society actors wishing to apply for EU 
funding in the future. Second, it will provide policy-makers with ideas that can inform the design and implementation of new 
policy interventions in the covered policy areas.

In  addition  to  these  key  aims,  the  results  are  expected  to  contribute  to  further  EaSI  monitoring  of  evaluation  activities.  In 
particular, the developed project/organisation fiches will feed into preparing the EaSI Performance Monitoring Report for 2017-
2018. Finally, the report team believes that the results will be useful for the evaluators of the programme.

 79

3.3.12

52

EURES Cross-border Galicia-North Portugal

EaSI-EURES

161 198.37

http://www.eures-

3.3.13

54

Support to cooperation on intra-EU mobility 

EaSI-EURES

100 453.51

www.nav.no 

in the EEA countries: Norway

in the EEA countries: Iceland

3.3.15

58

EURADRIA 2016

EaSI-EURES

145 633.07

http://www.eures-

tbeskydy.eu/en/ 

norteportugal-galicia.org/ 

http://www.euradria.

org/it/il-progetto/il-

parternariato/ 

4.1.1

61

Eurochild

EaSI-PROGRESS

874 710.86

http://www.eurochild.org/ 

Key EU-level NGO networks

4.1.2

63

Platform for International Cooperation on 

EaSI-PROGRESS

637 359.10

http://picum.org/ 

Undocumented Migrants (PICUM)

4.1.3

65

European Venture Philanthropy Association 

EaSI-PROGRESS

587 129.14

http://evpa.eu.com/ 

4.1.4

67

COFACE Families Europe

EaSI-PROGRESS

429 455.69

http://www.coface-eu.org/ 

4.1.6

71

SOLIDAR

EaSI-PROGRESS

366 235.78

http://www.solidar.org/

4.1.7

73

Eurocarers – European Association Working 

EaSI-PROGRESS

269 892.64

http://www.eurocarers.

for Carers

org/ 

4.1.8

75

Microfinance Centre (MFC)

EaSI-PROGRESS

162 930.43

http://www.mfc.org.pl/ 

4.1.9

77

European Platform for Rehabilitation (EPR)

EaSI-PROGRESS

  97 420.04

http://www.epr.eu/ 

Annex I – List of projects and organisations included in this report

3.3.11

50

EURES-T Beskydy Activity Plan 2016

EaSI-EURES

117 955.54

No. in 
the 
report

Page

Title of the project /organisation

Funding source

EU contribution 
in euros

Website

1.1.1.  Social Protection

3.1.1

16

Mobilitza’t-Mobile

PROGRESS

581 214.03

-

3.3.14

56

Support to cooperation on intra-EU mobility 

EaSI-EURES

  45 430.46

http://www.eures.is 

3.1.2

18

ESPY – Experimentation on Social Policy for 
Youth

PROGRESS

726 769.85

3.1.3

20

Towards a cost-effective housing policy for 
Flanders and Europe

PROGRESS

145 843.61

https://www.espyproject.
eu/home

https://www.
wonenvlaanderen.
be/woononderzoek-
en-statistieken/
towards-cost-effective-
housing-policy-flanders-
and-europe 

Working conditions

3.2.1

23

Posting of workers: enhancing access 
to information and effective practical 
collaboration of administrative and social 
partners among 3 Baltic States

EaSI-PROGRESS

332 053.64

http://www.lps.lt/ 

(EVPA)

3.2.2

24

ENACTING - Enable cooperation and mutual 
learning for a fair posting of workers

EaSI-PROGRESS

302 678.47

http://www.adapt.it/
enacting/abstract.html 

4.1.5

69

European Roma Grassroots Organisations 

EaSI-PROGRESS

323 282.20

http://www.ergonetwork.

Network (ERGO)

org/ergo-network/ 

3.2.3

26

Posting of Workers: Sharing Experiences, 
Promoting Best Practices and Improving 
Access to Information

3.2.4

28

POUR UN DETACHEMENT EQUITABLE ET 
RESPONSABLE’ 

EaSI-PROGRESS

279 607.00

http://www.
napotenidelavci.si/sl/

EaSI-PROGRESS

451 332.82

http://construction.cgt.fr/
reder/

3.3.1

30

Targeted Mobility Scheme - Your first EURES 
job (YfEj 4.0)

EaSI-EURES

2 682 568.51

EURES

https://www.
arbetsformedlingen.
se/Globalmeny/Other-
languages/Your-first-
EURES-job.html

3.3.2

31

Targeted Mobility Scheme - Your first EURES 
job (TMS-YfEj)

EaSI-EURES

2 349 462.93 www.yourfirsteuresjob.se. 

3.3.3

34

EURES-TriRegio 2016

EaSI-EURES

201 616.22

3.3.4

36

EURES-T Pannonia Cross-Border 
Partnership’s Activity Plan for 2016

EaSI-EURES

273 211.66

http://www.eures-triregio.
eu/ueber-uns.html 

http://www.eures-
pannonia.hu/hu/ 

3.3.5

38

EURES Cross-border Øresund 2016

EaSI-EURES

154 179.55  www.platsbanken.se

3.3.6

40

Ireland/Northern Ireland Cross Border 
Partnership

EaSI-EURES

190 317.70

http://www.eures-
crossborder.org/ 

3.3.7

42

EURES-T Bayern-Tschechien

EaSI-EURES

560 619.94

www.eures-by-cz.eu 

3.3.8

44

EURES Scheldemond 2016

EaSI-EURES

164 335.35

3.3.9

46

EURES-T Oberrhein-Rhin Supérieur 2016

EaSI-EURES

420 272.63

http://www.
euresscheldemond.info/
home/ 

https://www.eures-t-
rhinsuperieur.eu/ 

3.3.10

48

EURES in den Grenzregionen Rhein-Waal, 
Rhein-Maas-nord, Maas-Rhein 2016

EaSI-EURES

485 609.78

http://euregio.org/

 80

3.3.11

50

EURES-T Beskydy Activity Plan 2016

EaSI-EURES

117 955.54

3.3.12

52

EURES Cross-border Galicia-North Portugal

EaSI-EURES

161 198.37

http://www.eures-
tbeskydy.eu/en/ 

http://www.eures-
norteportugal-galicia.org/ 

3.3.13

54

Support to cooperation on intra-EU mobility 
in the EEA countries: Norway

3.3.14

56

Support to cooperation on intra-EU mobility 
in the EEA countries: Iceland

EaSI-EURES

100 453.51

www.nav.no 

EaSI-EURES

  45 430.46

http://www.eures.is 

3.3.15

58

EURADRIA 2016

EaSI-EURES

145 633.07

http://www.euradria.
org/it/il-progetto/il-
parternariato/ 

4.1.1

61

Eurochild

EaSI-PROGRESS

874 710.86

http://www.eurochild.org/ 

Key EU-level NGO networks

4.1.2

4.1.3

63

65

Platform for International Cooperation on 
Undocumented Migrants (PICUM)

European Venture Philanthropy Association 
(EVPA)

EaSI-PROGRESS

637 359.10

http://picum.org/ 

EaSI-PROGRESS

587 129.14

http://evpa.eu.com/ 

4.1.4

67

COFACE Families Europe

EaSI-PROGRESS

429 455.69

http://www.coface-eu.org/ 

4.1.5

69

European Roma Grassroots Organisations 
Network (ERGO)

EaSI-PROGRESS

323 282.20

http://www.ergonetwork.
org/ergo-network/ 

4.1.6

71

SOLIDAR

EaSI-PROGRESS

366 235.78

http://www.solidar.org/

4.1.7

73

Eurocarers – European Association Working 
for Carers

EaSI-PROGRESS

269 892.64

http://www.eurocarers.
org/ 

4.1.8

75

Microfinance Centre (MFC)

EaSI-PROGRESS

162 930.43

http://www.mfc.org.pl/ 

4.1.9

77

European Platform for Rehabilitation (EPR)

EaSI-PROGRESS

  97 420.04

http://www.epr.eu/ 

 81

Getting in touch with the EU

ONLINE

Information in all the official languages of the European Union is available on the Europa website:
europa.eu

IN PERSON

All over Europe there are hundreds of local EU information centres.
You can find the address of the centre nearest to you at:
europa.eu/contact

ON THE PHONE OR BY EMAIL

Europe Direct is a service that answers your questions about the European Union. You can contact this 
service by freephone:
00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (certain mobile telephone operators do not allow access to 00 800 numbers or 
may charge for these calls), or
by payphone from outside the EU: +32 22999696, or by email via europa.eu/contact

READ ABOUT EUROPE

Publications about the EU are only a click away on the EU Bookshop website:
bookshop.europa.eu

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doi: 10.2767/4020