Promotion programmes of the European Union

Subsidies for projects of the development cooperation and refugee aid can be applied for from the Department for Cooperation - EuropeAid.

Subsidies can be applied for projects of humanitarian aid overseas from the Humanitarian Aid Office-ECHO. However, for this it is necessary to enter into an outline agreement with the Humanitarian Aid Office-ECHO that ECHO only enters into with larger organisations e.g. the national member organisations of SAMARITAN INTERNATIONAL.

The European Social Fund (ESF) was set-up to implement the European employment strategy in concrete actions with the aims of a high level of employment, equality of men and women, sustainable development and economic and social solidarity in cooperation with the member states of the European Union.

The ESF makes financial funds available through the EU member states. The measures which are supported by the ESF include:

• Projects in the field of general and professional training;
• Programmes for promoting and supporting employment and independent activity;
• Initiatives for creating new possibilities for employment;
• Improvement of the efficiency of the national, regional and local work administrations;
• Programmes for strengthening the connections between the fields of work, education/training and research;
• innovative measures and pilot projects for creating jobs on local level.

This especially applies for the disabled, youths and migrants.

The European Fund for Regional Development (EFRD) was set up to compensate for the different development in the regions of the European Union.

The EFRD funds are mainly intended for economic promotion in the following areas:

• Productive investment for creating or ensuring jobs
• Infrastructures
• Local development initiatives and support of the activity of smaller and medium-sized companies

Concretely the following focus of development is envisaged: Traffic, communication technologies, energy, environment, research and innovation, social infrastructures, training, municipal renewal and industrial conversion, development of the rural region, fishing industry, tourism and culture. The EFRD does not envisage principal promotion of social facilities. However the promotion criteria can be widely interpreted so that conversions or equipment, which also have a positive influence on the field of environment, may by all means be eligible for receiving a grant.

EFRD funds can not be applied for directly. They are always only available in combination with a corresponding promotion programme of the (federal) state that must co-finance this programme with its own funds.

You can find details on the stated and other promotion programmes of the European Union through your national member organisation in SAMARITAN INTERNATIONAL.