Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social, ESF Unit

In Spain, the ESF Managing Authority is attached to the Secretariat for Employment in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security through the General Directorate of Social Economy, Self-Employment and European Social Fund.

The ESF Managing Authority (UAFSE)

• promotes actions leading to the achievement of the set ESF objectives in Spain,

• intervenes in negotiating the content of programming for the ESF with the European Commission,

• coordinates national, regional and/or local institutions with competence in the field of resources for the development and implementation of different interventions,

• examines whether payment applications for aid meet the requirements of active regulations within the national employment policy,

• manages the submission of payment requests to the European Commission,

• monitors and evaluates actions that have received aid from the European Social Fund to ensure compliance with the established Community rules,

• ensures compliance with the obligations concerning information and publicity of the various interventions that are co-financed, and

• promotes dissemination of achievements and results.

In the next ESF programming period there will be four pluri-national operational programmes and 19 regional operational programmes. The national programmes will focus on providing support to promote sustainable and quality employment and to support labour mobility: to promote social inclusion and combate poverty and any form of discrimination; to invest in education, training and vocational training for skills development and life-long learning; and to enhance institutional capacity of public authorities and stakeholders and promote efficient public administration.

Special attention will be given to the sustainable integration of young people into the labour market; in particular for those who are not in employment, education or training, including young people at risk of social exclusion and young people from marginalised communities.

This will be realised through the implementation of the Youth Guarantee and the establishment of the biggest operational programme for youngsters. The operational programme will run throughout the next programme period, in the context of combating youth unemployment and of making the ESF work for young people.