Beginner's Guide To SEP Ltd continued...

What is ERDF?

ERDF provided investment to create or maintain jobs in the region. It provided assistance:

• for people to start or to grow businesses
• to develop sites and premises for businesses
• to tourism facilities to attract visitors from outside the region
• to link businesses to research
• to improve facilities in colleges and other places where people learn.

ERDF provided up to 50% of the cost of a project.

What is ESF?

ESF supported training and learning for people working in the region and people looking for jobs. It was intended in particular to help:

• people who are long term unemployed
• young job seekers
• people excluded from the labour market.

It was used to help people cope with the changes in the economy and to ensure that businesses could find employees with the right skills for the future. ESF provided up to 45% of the cost of a project.

How are European Funds managed?

In each area of Scotland eligible for European Funds, local partnerships like Strathclyde European Partnership consulted with the Scottish Parliament to draw up plans on how to use European Funds in their area in the 2000-06 programming period. These plans were submitted by the Scottish Executive to the European Commission. Following negotiations with the European Commission and the national government, these plans were amended and published as Single Programme Documents (SPDs). These SPDs laid out the aims and objectives of the funds in each region, established priorities under which projects were to be funded and indicated the types and amounts of financial support which were available.

European Funds are seen as the last piece of the financial jigsaw for a project. That means that European Funds part-finance projects that could not go ahead without financial support from Europe. Projects must have all other sources of funding in place before applying for European Funds.

European Funds in Scotland are managed through a series of Programme Management Executives, like SEP Ltd.

In Western Scotland, SEP Ltd manages the Objective 2 Programme along with the URBAN II Community Initiative and the Scotland wide Innovative Actions Programme.

There are similar organisations in the Highlands & Islands, the East and South of Scotland, as well as a Scottish ESF Objective 3 Partnership operating in Lowland Scotland.

The 2007-2013 Lowlands and Uplands Scotland European Structural Funds Programme is administered by East of Scotland European Partnership Ltd.