The Commission will be presenting its proposals on the new legislation framework for cohesion policies in mid-July this year. To achieve these objectives, the Commission is proposing to review the EU’s four main structure funds, giving greater priority to the European Social Fund.

The ESF is the main financial tool through which the EU translates its strategic employment policy aims into action.

During its plenary sessions held last week in Brussels, the European Social Fund Committee discussed the broad outline of the main features of the Commission’s proposals.

The Commission is currently in the process of reforming the structure of the main funds mechanism in order to achieve better governance and enhance the role of the social partners in appreciation of the importance of the role of social partners in the execution of the Commission’s Employment Strategy.

At the plenary session, the Maltese employers’ organisations were represented by Malta Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises (GRTU) director general Vincent Farrugia, who is a member of the European Social Fund Committee.

During the plenary session, Mr Farrugia spoke about the importance of the Commission’s commitment towards a strategic approach that would reinforce the contribution of EU financial support towards a greater focus not only on national and regional interventions funded by the Structural Funds in order to fulfil each member state’s national action plan for employment, but also to support owners of small businesses to help them achieve the employment targets expected from the small- and medium-sized enterprises sector.

Rather than generalities that would easily apply to the larger enterprise in the larger country, the reformed ESF should be better geared to strengthen the links with the European Employment Strategy. Within this context, specific funds need to be allocated to micro enterprises that together today represent a total of 22 million jobs in the enlarged union.

Mr Farrugia appealed for a greater input from representatives of small business prior to conclusions being made by the Commission and the legislation framework governing the EU financial tools.