| EU Structural Funds |
The Structural funds work towards the goal of achieving economic and
social cohesion in the European Union. Resources are targeted
at actions which help bridge the gaps between the more and the less
developed regions and which promote equal employment opportunities
between different social groups. |
Structural Funds contributions to a member state's region are
organised through negotiated multi-annual programmes -
for 2000-2006 in Northern Ireland these are:
- The Programme for Building Sustainable Prosperity;
- The EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation (Peace II) which is a joint programme with the Border Region of Ireland;
- The four European Community Initiatives in Northern Ireland:
- INTERREG III A(Joint programme with the Border Region of Ireland);
- LEADER +;
- URBAN; and
- EQUAL
|
There are four Structural Funds:
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
The European Social Fund (ESF)
The European Agricultural guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF)
The Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG) |
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) aims to reduce
regional disparities in the Union while at the same time
encouraging the development and conversion of regions. |
The European Social Fund (ESF) aims to prevent and
combat unemployment, as well as developing human
resources and promoting integration into the labour market. |
The European Agricultural guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF)
supports rural development and the improvement of
agricultural structures, within the framework of European
economic and social cohesion policy. |
The Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG)
aims to contribute to achieving a sustainable balance
between fishery resources and their exploitation. It also
seeks to strengthen the competitiveness of the sector
and the development of areas dependent upon it. |
The activities which may be funded are described in the Operational Programmes and the Programme Complements. |
