This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Structural Fund Programme 2007-2013
22/01/2007
A funding round that will allow projects focused on employability and social inclusion issues to access funding ahead of the formal start of the new European Structural Funds programmes opened today for applications.
A fund - worth £10 million for projects in the Lowlands and Uplands and £2 million in the Highlands and Islands - has been established by Ministers to ensure that projects which help some of the most vulnerable groups in society can apply for resources despite delays in the start of the new European programmes which will run from 2007-2013.
Deputy Enterprise Minister Allan 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 organisaions 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.
"The opening of this shadow funding round should provide further evidence of the Executive's commitment to protect vulnerable groups."
European Structural Funds aim to reinforce and add value to a number of the 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.
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.
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.
The current O3 Round is for projects with an end date up to March 31. 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.
In line with the rest of the UK, Scotland's level of Structural Funds is declining from £1.1 billion between 2000 and 2006 to £490 million between 2007 and 2013.