Germany, Slovakia and Bulgaria will receive an additional €111.5 million through REACT-EU under the European Social Fund (ESF) to help workers and jobseekers, support healthcare services and achieve a sustainable socio-economic recovery.
- 19 September 2022
In Germany, Schleswig-Holstein will receive an additional €4.6 million to improve vocational training, skills development, the digitalisation of the labour market and education services. The support will focus on groups particularly affected by the pandemic, such as unemployed people, self-employed individuals, micro and small businesses, and people in transition from education to the workplace.
North Rhine-Westphalia will receive €34 million to support apprentices, trainings in commerce and trade, professional counselling and matching skilled workers with businesses.
In Slovakia, €17.9 million will support healthcare and civil protection workers and services that were in the first line of response during the most critical phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, bonuses will be distributed to help them ensure that at least 90% of critical personnel stay in their jobs.
In Bulgaria, €18.6 million will cover basic needs, such as food, of vulnerable groups. Vouchers will also be distributed to people who have fled Russia's invasion of Ukraine that can be exchanged for food and everyday necessities, such as clothing and school supplies for children. In addition, €36.4 million will be allocated for post-pandemic recovery measures aimed at job retention and improvement of care services for persons with disabilities. Out of these, €23.8 million will support the ‘Solidarity project' that helps 9,000 people fleeing the Russia's invasion of Ukraine to integrate into the Bulgarian labour market by, among others, offering psychological support, career guidance and employment counselling.
The 2021 tranche of REACT-EU had allocated €40 billion to help Member States recovering from the pandemic, investing in the digital and green transition and now hosting and integrating people fleeing the war in Ukraine. In addition, the Commission has paid €3.5 billion of pre-financing payments to Member States under REACT-EU since March 2022.
The most recent comprehensive package ‘Flexible Assistance to Territories (FAST-CARE)', proposed by the Commission, further extends the support to Member States by offering additional flexibility in Cohesion Policy funding while also increasing pre-financing payments by an additional €3.5 billion to be paid in 2022 and 2023. The final date of eligibility for REACT-EU expenditures is 31 December 2023.