In his keynote speech at the European Social Fund (ESF) Launch Conference on February 6 in Brussels, Minister of Labour, Social Security and Welfare Ioannis Vroutsis said that the ESF plays a particularly important role in the new programming period, not only because it contributes to the strengthening of employment and social cohesion, but also because, during the period 2014-2020, its role is politically, socially and economically more important than ever, due to the unprecedented impact of the crisis. The  ESF will invest more than €7 billion to support Europe’s human capital in the years to come.

He spoke about more targeted policies and the need to, among others: improve mechanisms of labour mobility; welcome the initiative of allocating 20% of the Fund’s resources and targeting them on poverty and social exclusion; work on better and more efficient public services. Concluding, Vroutsis said that the Greek Presidency will work in a systematic way to bring about maximum added-value from the utilization of every Community resource.