The Commission has approved the modification of five European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and European Social Fund (ESF) operational programmes (OPs) for France and Slovakia under REACT-EU, increasing them by a total of more than €453 million.
- 14 June 2021
These OPs amendments will help tackle the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, lay the ground for a green and digital recovery and support the most vulnerable in our society.
In France, the amendments of OPs ‘Bourgogne’, ‘Franche-Comté et Jura massif’ and ‘Nord-Pas de Calais’ will provide a total of €233.2 million for working capital and investments in SMEs, training job seekers, strengthening the healthcare sector and the digital economy.
In Guadeloupe, additional €134.7 million will help the region to renovate and equip hospitals and health establishments, provide loans at zero interest rate for very small enterprises and build the first engineering school in the Caribbean classified as a ‘Pole of Excellence’. The funding will also help to establish territorial wireless internet throughout the archipelago, develop infrastructure for water and waste management, as well as to develop port infrastructure.
In Slovakia, the amendment of OP ‘Effective Public Administration’ will help alleviate the pressure on the country’s health system by adding an extra €85.3 million to compensate 62,000 doctors, nurses and other front-line workers for their extra duties during the pandemic.
REACT-EU is part of NextGenerationEU and provides €50.6 billion additional funding (in current prices) over the course of 2021 and 2022 to Cohesion policy programmes. Measures focus on supporting labour market resilience, jobs, SMEs and low-income families, as well as setting future-proof foundations for the green and digital transitions and a sustainable socio-economic recovery.