European Social Fund

The European Social Fund (ESF) is the EU's most important instrument for employment policy. Its primary objective is to help unemployed persons reintegrate themselves into the labour market and to advance the skills of people who already have jobs but who need to improve their vocational prospects. The legal basis for the ESF is set forth in Article 146 of the EC Treaty, which states that the European Social Fund "shall aim to render the employment of workers easier and to increase their geographical and occupational mobility within the Community, and to facilitate their adaptation to industrial changes and to changes in production systems, in particular through vocational training and retraining.".

The ESF's main priorities are:

• to improve the adaptability of workers and companies,
• to improve access to the labour market,
• to promote social integration by combating discrimination and by helping disadvantaged groups gain access to the labour market and
• to promote partnerships for reform efforts in the fields of employment and integration.