Policy instruments
Discover the policy instruments that the partners of this project are tackling.
A means for public intervention. It refers to any policy, strategy, or law developed by public authorities and applied on the ground to improve a specific territorial situation. In most cases, financial resources are associated with a policy instrument. However, an instrument can also sometimes refer to a legislative framework with no specific funding. In the context of Interreg Europe, operational programmes for Investment for Growth and Jobs as well as Cooperation Programmes from European Territorial Cooperation are policy instruments. Beyond EU cohesion policy, local, regional, or national public authorities also develop their own policy instruments.
The Education and Employment Operational Programme 2021-2027 (POEO 2021-27) is fully in line with PO4 More social Europe - (i) labour markets & employment. It aims to capitalise on human potential in fair conditions.
The final version of the POEO (after negotiation and subsequent submission in May 2022) will be approved by the end of 2022. The delegated function agreement from the Managing Authority (AM POEO) will be signed after programme approval.
The POEO national policy objective on education and employment is: "A more social Romania with equal access to sustainable, quality employment, to an education system relevant to the labour market, stimulating for lifelong learning, a society based on solidarity and better living conditions for all citizens".
It has 2 main objectives:
(i) Optimising education and training systems to meet the demands of the labour market while promoting equal access to education and fostering lifelong learning;
(ii) "Strengthening the effective functioning of the labour market and facilitating inclusive and equal access to and participation in quality and sustainable employment for the labour resource.
The POEO strategy is funded by ESF, so selected ESF+ specific objectives, will contribute to achieving Specific objectives (SO). The SO that we wish to adress in MICROFUTURE is Priority 7 - Entrepreneurship and social economy. This SO can fund collaboration tools to promote social economy, grants for start ups and support to microcredit instuments.
Partners working on this policy instrument
The Metropolitan Strategic Plan (PSM2.0) is the main policy instrument of the Metropolitan City. It is updated with each political mandate to define Strategic Policy Plans, the newest being 2022-2027. PSM2.0 has the overarching objective to make the metropolitan city more inclusive. It puts citizens, from all social backgrounds, at the heart of education, public works and support to entrepreneurship and innovation.
PSM2.0 identifies 7 strategic lines of intervention. Particular relevant to MICROFUTURE is objective 4.2, which involves:
• promotion of entrepreneurship and start ups, in connection with education and research;
• supply chain innovation;
• innovation of manufacturing through new production models and new business creation in the metropolitan area.
PSM2.0 should help to turn Bologna into a Start Up Valley, by stimulating the development of innovative companies with high potential for growth and employment absorption, enhancing the strategic link with training and research. Creation of micro-enterprises in priority sectors is at the heart of this. The relevant target group to MICROFUTURE includes young entrepreneurs (male and female) and social enterprises.
PSM2.0 foresees development of alternative financial support tools, fostering the dissemination of microcredit and the creation of a metropolitan hub for information and support on microcredit activities. PSM2.0 is funded by a range of sources, directly from the public budget for the Metropolitan City of Bologna.
Partners working on this policy instrument
Development Centre of the Heart of Slovenia is coordinator of the Local Action Group in the Heart of Slovenia. It is a local contractual partnership, to encourage comprehensive and balanced development in the territory by »bottom-up« approach.
LAG priorities in 2021-27 are promoting employment in maintaining rural jobs, raising quality and developing rural services and infrastructure, strengthening social inclusion, cooperation and networking of rural people and promoting integrated and inclusive social, economic and environmental local development, culture, natural heritage, sustainable tourism and security in non-urban areas. These priorities are confirmed. LAG will publish calls starting from 2024 and local organisations, municipalities, SMEs, associations, NGOs, etc. apply with their projects to be funded (65% co-financing rate).
LAG Heart of Slovenia 2014-20 was officially approved in August 2016. In the 2021-27 period, establishment of LAGs and approval of Local Development Strategies will begin in 2nd half of 2022, with approval by the end of 2023.
This timeline is dictated by the funding schemes. LAGs are financed from EAFRD (up to 85%) and ERDF (80%). For the EAFRD- LEADER, the Slovenian Draft CAP Strategic Plan 2023-27 was submitted to the EC in Dec.2021 and meetings with the EC were held in May 2022. The draft ERDF was submitted to the EC in Feb.2022. Approval of both programmes (which both explicity include funding of the LAG) is foreseen before the end of 2022.
Partners working on this policy instrument
The overall goal of the regional development strategy is strong competitiveness, a high and equal quality of life and good resource efficiency. The strategy has 10 priority areas. They are business and entrepreneurship; power of innovation and specialisation; knowledge promotion and education; skills supply and matching; social cohesion and democracy; health promotion and health care; climate, environment and energy; housing supply and attractive environments; transport and infrastructure as well as experiences and events.
Two areas are particularly relevant to the MICROFUTURE project:
• Business and entrepreneurship: the strategy states that access to financing opportunities needs to be strengthened. Enterprises’ ability to live up to their potential depends on them receiving financing. The public sector in particular has a role to play in supporting sustainable business ideas and enterprises in the early stages.
• Social cohesion and democracy: social cohesion benefits from the fact that welfare benefits everyone, but also from everyone having the opportunity to participate in society, influence their living environment and shape their lives. Therefore, it is important to strengthen the conditions for social enterprises that work with people, who are far from the labour market.
The implementation of the development strategy is financed by complementary regional, national and international funding opportunities.
Partners working on this policy instrument
Since 2018, the County of Seine-Saint-Denis (CSSD) has helped over 400 RSA beneficiaries per year to become self-entrepreneurs by financing a microfinance programme. The programme contributes to employment, local development and inclusion. Entrepreneurship is a path to professional integration, but also life experience and know-how of underserved communities.
To implement the strategy, CSSD cooperates with many partners including Adie (Association pour le Droit à l'Initiative Economique). Inspired by Yunus’ microcredit model, Adie is a non-profit microfinance institution that helps people to initiate economic activity. Microloans are a solution to support self-entrepreneurs financially excluded from the mainstream banking system, who cannot invest to start a business. Each year, Adie supports over 900 micro entrepreneurs in SSD, including 50% of unemployed people.
During the 2020 crisis, CSSD released 400.000€ for exceptional micro credits to help most fragile entrepreneurs. Many could not have accessed national economic recovery policies. Thanks to this, 200 micro-entrepreneurs have been able to maintain their activity.
CSSD defines the policy and invests c.760K€ per year. CSSD provides a subsidy of 279K€ to Adie to support microfinance actions.
CSSD considers stepping up significantly micro finance solutions by developing new programmes to reach poorest communities. These would offer personal loans to access employment, to facilitate mobility or to support informal economy.