topic Ministry

ESF - funding instrument to support people in Europe

The European Social Fund was established in 1957, when the European Economic Community was founded. Since then, it has been creating jobs, supporting people by providing training and qualification, and contributing to reducing discrimination in the labour market. The European Union wants all people to have career prospects. Each Member State and each region is developing its own strategy for this in the form of an operational programme. This is the best way to take local requirements into account.

The European Social Fund is the European Union's central funding instrument in the area of labour market policy. It is contributing to developing employment by promoting employability, entrepreneurship, adaptability and equal opportunities, and by investing in human resources.

The Federal Government's Operational Programme (OP-Bund) pools the BMBF's funding activities in priority B, which focuses on improving human capital, and priority C, which focuses on employment and social integration. The BMBF's activities in this area tie in with national policies.

The BMBF has about €380 million from the ESF at its disposal for the 2007-2013 funding period. Together with national funds (co-financing) the total budget is approximately €700 million.