EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS (EXTERNAL COM) - CARE initiative helps regions provide Ukrainian refugees with emergency services, including VET & education

The European Commission adopted on 08 March a proposal for a Cohesion’s Action for Refugees in Europe (CARE) under the 2014-2020 Cohesion policy to provide support through cohesion funding to persons fleeing from the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.

The European Social Fund (ESF) can already in its current shape extend support to refugees and migrants, as it is the European Commission’s main tool for investing in people and for promoting inclusion into the labour market. The temporary protection directive further widens the scope of who and how soon ESF-funded actions can help persons fleeing from Ukraine, so that they can have immediate access to the labour market.

date: 25/03/2022

Measures that the ESF can fund specifically are actions linked to social inclusion, employment, and education. For migrants and refugees, this may include language courses, notably job-oriented language courses provided at the earliest stage possible after arrival for rapid integration.

The ESF can also help fund mainstream education, adult-learning systems, as well as vocational training that respond to labour market demands and fund methods and instruments to recognise migrants’ qualifications in the recipient Member States.

The CARE proposal aims to increase flexibility to cohesion funding, specifically through the ESF and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to make the most of existing resources and address challenges arising from the Ukrainian crisis

For further information, see Ukraine: Cohesion funding to support people fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine | European Social Fund Plus.
Also read: Measures in support of pupils and educational staff fleeing Ukraine following the Russian invasion.