2000-2006 Western Scotland Objective 2 Programme

The European Union gives aid to less developed regions of Europe in the form of European Structural Funds. Western Scotland is one of various regions within the UK to receive and benefit from these funds. European Funds are targeted on specific problems or areas of economic need. The two main types of European Funding that Western Scotland receives and that SEP Ltd deals with are:

• European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
• European Social Fund (ESF)

European Regional Development Fund

The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) aims to assist economically disadvantaged regions in the European Union to achieve economic performance comparable to the EU average. In Western Scotland the 2000-06 Objective 2 Programme provided ERDF assistance to support public sector initiatives that contributed to the economic regeneration of the economy.

ERDF co-financed up to 50% of eligible costs depending on the type of project as follows:

• investment funds and business development schemes which developed the competitiveness and innovative capacity of the region's small and medium sized businesses (SMEs)
• large scale site development, business and learning facilities and tourism developments which developed the region as a competitive location
• business and learning facilities, environmental improvement, capacity building and community employment initiatives which increased the economic and social cohesion of the region.

European Social Fund

The European Social Fund is an integral part of the European Union's policy of economic and social cohesion and European social policy. It co-finances projects for human resource development. It can help people to get (back) into the labour market and support people who are already in work by improving their skills and qualifications. ESF supports training and learning for people working in the region and people looking for jobs. It is intended in particular to help people who are long term unemployed; young job seekers; and people excluded from the labour market. It is used to help people cope with the changes in the economy and to ensure that businesses can find employees with the right skills for the future. ESF could co-finance up to 45% of the costs of vocational training schemes.

In Western Scotland the 2000-06 Objective 2 Programme provided ESF assistance to support public sector initiatives that contributed to the economic regeneration of the economy as follows:

• training and learning initiatives targeted on the skills needs of growth sectors, supporting adaptability and entrepreneurship and developing the competitiveness and innovative capacity of the region's SMEs
• learning opportunities which re-engaged individuals in the labour market, contributing to developing an inclusive society and which increased the economic and social cohesion of the region.

In Western Scotland, ESF support was only given to projects in fully eligible areas. Other ESF funding was available throughout Western Scotland as part of the Scottish ESF Objective 3 Programme.

The final activities relating to the 2000-06 Western Scotland Objective 2 Programme were completed in 2008.

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