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We remain
committed to helping ensure a smooth transition from the previous European
Structural Funds Programme to the next one.
The current funding round – worth £10 million for
projects in the Lowlands and Uplands, and £10 million for projects in the
Highlands and Islands.
Deputy Enterprise Minister
Allan Wilson has called for applications for a shadow funding round for
projects focused on employability and social inclusion under the European
Structural Funds (ESF) programme, because of delays in getting the official
EU funding underway.
The current funding round – worth £10 million for projects in the Lowlands
and Uplands, and £10 million for projects in the Highlands and Islands –
will run from 2007 to 2013.
Calling for applications, Wilson said:
“We remain committed to helping ensure a smooth transition from the previous
European Structural Funds Programme to the next one. I fully appreciate that
the delay in starting the 2007-2013 programme, combined with the decline in
EU funding overall, has led to anxiety for those involved in projects
reliant on ESF funding.
“That is why I announced in November that a shadow funding round, aimed at
bringing some stability to organisations, would open at the start of this
year. Today that application process begins - and I remain committed to
making decisions on successful projects by Easter. We have come a long way
since November when several organisations expressed concerns about their
future. Late last year we successfully recycled underspends in the Objective
3 European Social Fund Programme - funding all 161 projects who applied for
resources, including 51 voluntary sector projects,” he said.
NOTES:
1. The Executive is committed to providing up to £12 million in programme
support - £10 million for Lowlands and Uplands Scotland, £2 million for the
Highlands and Islands – to bridge the gap caused by the delayed start to the
2007-13 Structural Funds programmes. The round will be limited to Priority 1
in the Highlands and Islands and the Lowlands and Uplands Scotland ESF
programmes, which focuses on social inclusion/employability activities. Full
details, including eligibility criteria and application forms are available
at www.esep.co.uk for the Lowlands and Uplands Scotland area, and
www.hipp.org.uk for the Highlands and Islands area.
2. European Structural Funds help reinforce and add value to a number of the
Scottish Executive’s key policies such as the Framework for Economic
Development in Scotland, Workforce Plus – An Employability Framework for
Scotland, Closing the Opportunity Gap, Regeneration Policy Statement, the
NEET Strategy, More Choices More Chances, Smart Successful Scotland, and the
Lifelong Learning Strategy.
3. Over £1.1 billion of European funding has been available across all the
European Structural Fund Programmes over the 2000-06 period. The Scottish
Executive acts as the Managing Authority for all of the Programmes and a
number of Community Initiatives.
4. The Objective 3 (O3) European Social Fund programme has now run two
prolongation rounds since November, as funding becomes available. The
initial round was for any O3 projects due to finish in December 2006.
Applications were received for 161 projects, including 51 voluntary sector
organisations. All 161 projects were approved to continue for a further six
months at a total cost of £5.46 million, including an additional £1.85
million to the voluntary sector.
5. The current O3 Round is for projects with an end date up to 31 March
2007. Again it is hoped that all the projects will be funded, and that the
remaining reserve lists of projects waiting for funding will be cleared
under the last round.
6. Scotland will have four new Structural Funds programmes operating from
2007-2013 – a European Regional Development Fund and a European Social Fund
programme in the Highlands and Islands, and a European Regional Development
Fund and a European Social Fund programme in Lowlands and Uplands Scotland.
The programmes went out to public consultation and details can be found at
www.scotland.gov.uk/structuralfunds.
7. At this stage the start date of the new programmes cannot be predicted as
it is subject to negotiation with the European Commission. However the
Executive is working to achieve a start date by autumn at the latest.
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