Regulation (EU) No 1304/2013 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

CHAPTER I U.K. GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1 U.K. Subject matter

This Regulation establishes the missions of the European Social Fund (ESF), including the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI), the scope of its support, specific provisions and the types of expenditure eligible for assistance.

Article 2 U.K. Missions

1. The ESF shall promote high levels of employment and job quality, improve access to the labour market, support the geographical and occupational mobility of workers and facilitate their adaptation to industrial change and to changes in production systems needed for sustainable developments, encourage a high level of education and training for all and support the transition between education and employment for young people, combat poverty, enhance social inclusion, and promote gender equality, non-discrimination and equal opportunities, thereby contributing to the priorities of the Union as regards strengthening economic, social and territorial cohesion.

2. The ESF shall fulfil the missions set out in paragraph 1 by supporting Member States in pursuing the priorities and headline targets of the Union strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth (the 'Europe 2020 strategy') and by allowing Member States to address their specific challenges with regard to achieving the Europe 2020 strategy objectives. The ESF shall support the design and implementation of policies and actions in connection with its missions, taking account of the relevant Integrated Guidelines and relevant country-specific recommendations adopted in accordance with Article 121(2) and Article 148(4) TFEU and, where appropriate, at national level, the national reform programmes as well as other relevant national strategies and reports.

3. The ESF shall benefit people, including disadvantaged people such as the long-term unemployed, people with disabilities, migrants, ethnic minorities, marginalised communities and people of all ages facing poverty and social exclusion. The ESF shall also provide support to workers, enterprises, including actors in the social economy, and entrepreneurs, as well as to systems and structures with a view to facilitating their adaptation to new challenges including reducing skill mismatches and promoting good governance, social progress, and the implementation of reforms, in particular in the fields of employment, education, training and social policies.

Article 3 U.K. Scope of support

1. Under the thematic objectives set out in points (8), (9), (10) and (11) of the first paragraph of Article 9 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013, which correspond to points (a), (b), (c) and (d) of this paragraph, and in accordance with its missions, the ESF shall support the following investment priorities:

(a) For the thematic objective 'promoting sustainable and quality employment and supporting labour mobility':

(i)

Access to employment for job-seekers and inactive people, including the long-term unemployed and people far from the labour market, also through local employment initiatives and support for labour mobility;

(ii)

Sustainable integration into the labour market of young people, in particular those not in employment, education or training, including young people at risk of social exclusion and young people from marginalised communities, including through the implementation of the Youth Guarantee;

(iii)

Self-employment, entrepreneurship and business creation including innovative micro, small and medium sized enterprises;

(iv)

Equality between men and women in all areas, including in access to employment, career progression, reconciliation of work and private life and promotion of equal pay for equal work;

(v)

Adaptation of workers, enterprises and entrepreneurs to change;

(vi)

Active and healthy ageing;

(vii)

Modernisation of labour market institutions, such as public and private employment services, and improving the matching of labour market needs, including through actions that enhance transnational labour mobility as well as through mobility schemes and better cooperation between institutions and relevant stakeholders;

(b) For the thematic objective 'promoting social inclusion, combating poverty and any discrimination':

(i)

Active inclusion, including with a view to promoting equal opportunities and active participation, and improving employability;

(ii)

Socio-economic integration of marginalised communities such as the Roma;

(iii)

Combating all forms of discrimination and promoting equal opportunities;

(iv)

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

(v)

Promoting social entrepreneurship and vocational integration in social enterprises and the social and solidarity economy in order to facilitate access to employment;

(vi)

Community-led local development strategies;

(c) For the thematic objective 'investing in education, training and vocational training for skills and life-long learning':

(i)

Reducing and preventing early school-leaving and promoting equal access to good quality early-childhood, primary and secondary education including formal, non-formal and informal learning pathways for reintegrating into education and training;

(ii)

Improving the quality and efficiency of, and access to, tertiary and equivalent education with a view to increasing participation and attainment levels, especially for disadvantaged groups;

(iii)

Enhancing equal access to lifelong learning for all age groups in formal, non-formal and informal settings, upgrading the knowledge, skills and competences of the workforce, and promoting flexible learning pathways including through career guidance and validation of acquired competences;

(iv)

Improving the labour market relevance of education and training systems, facilitating the transition from education to work, and strengthening vocational education and training systems and their quality, including through mechanisms for skills anticipation, adaptation of curricula and the establishment and development of work-based learning systems, including dual learning systems and apprenticeship schemes;

(d) For the thematic objective 'enhancing institutional capacity of public authorities and stakeholders and efficient public administration':

(i)

Investment in institutional capacity and in the efficiency of public administrations and public services at the national, regional and local levels with a view to reforms, better regulation and good governance;

This investment priority is applicable only in Member States eligible for support from the Cohesion Fund, or in Member States that have one or more NUTS level 2 regions referred to in Article 90(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013.

(ii)

Capacity building for all stakeholders delivering education, lifelong learning, training and employment and social policies, including through sectoral and territorial pacts to mobilise for reform at the national, regional and local levels.

2. Through the investment priorities listed in paragraph 1, the ESF shall also contribute to the other thematic objectives listed in the first paragraph of Article 9 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013, primarily by:

(a) Supporting the shift towards a low-carbon, climate-resilient, resource-efficient and environmentally sustainable economy, through the improvement of education and training systems necessary for the adaptation of skills and qualifications, the up-skilling of the labour force, and the creation of new jobs in sectors related to the environment and energy;

(b) Enhancing the accessibility of, and use and quality of, information and communication technologies through the development of digital literacy and e-learning, and investment in e-inclusion, e-skills and related entrepreneurial skills;

(c) Strengthening research, technological development and innovation through the development of post-graduate studies and entrepreneurial skills, the training of researchers, networking activities and partnerships between higher education institutions, research and technological centres and enterprises;

(d) Enhancing the competitiveness and long-term sustainability of small and medium-sized enterprises, through promoting the adaptability of enterprises, managers and workers, increased investment in human capital, and support for bodies providing practice-oriented vocational education and training.

Article 4 U.K. Consistency and thematic concentration

1. Member States shall ensure that the strategy and actions set out in their operational programmes are consistent with, and respond to, the challenges identified in their national reform programmes, as well as, where relevant, in their other national strategies that aim to fight unemployment, poverty and social exclusion, and also in the relevant Council recommendations adopted in accordance with Article 148(4) TFEU, in order to contribute to achieving the headline targets of the Europe 2020 strategy on employment, education and poverty reduction.

2. At least 20 % of the total ESF resources in each Member State shall be allocated to the thematic objective "promoting social inclusion, combating poverty and any discrimination" set out in point (9) of the first paragraph of Article 9 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013.

3. Member States shall pursue thematic concentration according to the following modalities:

(a) For more developed regions, Member States shall concentrate at least 80 % of the ESF allocation to each operational programme on up to five of the investment priorities set out in Article 3(1).

(b) For transition regions, Member States shall concentrate at least 70 % of the ESF allocation to each operational programme on up to five of the investment priorities set out in Article 3(1).

(c) For less developed regions, Member States shall concentrate at least 60 % of the ESF allocation to each operational programme on up to five of the investment priorities set out in Article 3(1).

4. The priority axes referred to in Article 11(1) shall be excluded from the calculation of the percentages specified in paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article.

Article 5 U.K. Indicators

1. Common output and result indicators, as set out in Annex I to this Regulation, and, where relevant, programme-specific indicators shall be used in accordance with Article 27(4) and Article 96(2)(b)(ii) and (iv) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013. All common output and result indicators shall be reported for all investment priorities. The result indicators set out in Annex II to this Regulation shall be reported in accordance with paragraph 2 of this Article. Where applicable, data shall be broken down by gender.

For common and programme-specific output indicators, baselines shall be set at zero. Where relevant to the nature of the operations supported, cumulative quantified target values for those indicators shall be set for 2023. Output indicators shall be expressed in absolute numbers.

For those common and programme-specific result indicators for which a cumulative quantified target value for 2023 has been set, baselines shall be fixed using the latest available data or other relevant sources of information. Programme-specific result indicators and related targets may be expressed in quantitative or qualitative terms.

2. In addition to paragraph 1, result indicators set out in Annex II to this Regulation shall be used for all operations supported under the investment priority referred to in Article 3(1)(a)(ii) for the implementation of the YEI. All indicators set out in Annex II to this Regulation shall be linked with a quantified cumulative target value for 2023 and a baseline.

3. Together with annual implementation reports, each managing authority shall transmit electronically structured data for each priority axis broken down by investment priority. The data shall be submitted for the categories of intervention referred to in Article 96(2)(b)(vi) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013and the output and result indicators. By way of derogation from Article 50(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013, data transmitted for output and result indicators shall relate to values for partially or fully implemented operations.