Two publications released earlier this week by the European Commission confirm the effectiveness of the Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) program in addressing the current and future challenges related to the labour market.
A Mid-term evaluation report published by the European Commission shows that the program helps to find solutions by providing support to vulnerable groups like young people, long-term unemployed, people with disability, migrants, ethnic minorities and women. The European added value of the program lies in its capacity to support projects with a larger scope and scale compared to what is possible at the national or regional level.
Another report monitoring good practices in the area of EaSI-funded projects includes 24 examples of outstanding initiatives made possible by EU funding. The purpose of the report is to improve learning among the national authorities, civil society organisations, and private actors. It serves as a guide for applying for EU funding, as well as, providing inspiring ideas and case studies of what can be achieved with future policy designs.
Marianne Thyssen, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills, and Labour Mobility highlights that “since launching the EaSI program in 2014, employment in the EU has never been so high with over 241 million people at work”. While youth unemployment is still too high, Ms. Thyssen is optimistic about reaching the goal of 75% employment rate in 2020.
Find out more about EaSI’s mid-term report please visit the European Commission’s website.
To read about examples of EaSI-funded projects please visit the European Commission’s website.
If you are interested in Eurodiaconia’s work on employment and youth, or would like to know more about EU funding, please visit our website.