Nicolas Schmit, European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights and Elisa Ferreira, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, were in Poland on 8 February 2023 for the official launch of the country’s €76.5 billion Cohesion Policy programmes for the 2021-2027 programming period.
The Commissioners officially opened the new programming period in Warsaw, together with the Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and the Minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy Grzegorz Puda.
Strong social funding
Poland will benefit significantly from ESF+ investments over the coming seven years, with a total allocation of €12.9 billion for 2021-2027 – including funding to ‘European Funds for Social Development’ (FERS), the second largest of all European ESF+ programmes. With a budget of over €4 billion, FERS will ensure people from all backgrounds – including persons with disabilities, vulnerable children and persons from a migrant background – are able to benefit from dedicated measures to integrate into the society. FERS will strengthen and expand social services’ capabilities, including childcare, and invest in workers – focusing on the green and digital transitions – to ensure they are ready for the dynamic shifts in skills needed to compete in today’s labour market. Investments in skills, aligned with the European Year of Skills, will receive nearly €1.9 billion, and FERS will support a pilot of individual learning accounts.
The ESF+ will also focus on meeting the material needs of the most vulnerable through the ‘European Funds for Food Aid’ national programme. With nearly €600 million, the programme aims to ensure vital aid to over 1 300 000 people.
Each of the 16 Voivodship (Regions) has its own programme, co-financed by both the ESF+ and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). They cover a wide range of measures, from labour-market support, to education, to social services, to skills. For instance, 8 of them will implement the ALMA (Aim, Learn, Master, Achieve) initiative for disadvantaged young people.
Essential involvement of local actors
While in Warsaw, the Commissioners met with non-governmental organisations providing assistance to people fleeing Ukraine, thanking them for their valuable engagement and discussing the challenges they face.
In the 2021-27 programming period, €230 million from the ESF+ will be allocated from regional programmes for the integration of refugees from Ukraine, ensuring those fleeing the conflict are able to not just find housing and immediate support, but are empowered to find employment, develop their skills and fully integrate into the Polish society.
