Minister Tserovski Announces Official Start of Social Integration, Labour Market Initiatives Projects

Regional Development and Public Works Minister Valentin Tserovski and the Head of Delegation of the European Commission in Sofia Dimitris Kourkoulas today announced the official start of the grant schemes under two EU Phare National Programme projects for 2001: "Social Integration" and "Labour Market Initiatives". The two projects are implemented by the Phare Executive Agency – Economic and Social Cohesion, operating with the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, and the Ministry’s project management unit, with support from the Ministry of Finance and the Delegation of the European Commission in Bulgaria. Social Integration uses a grant aid of 4,163,000 euros and Labour Market Initiatives 5,117,000 euros, co-financed by Phare ESC and the Bulgarian Government. The Social Integration project is aimed at enhancing the skills and employability and encourage entrepreneurship among ethnic minorities and people with disabilities. The Labour Market Initiatives Project aims to promote private enterprise, employment opportunities, and labour flexibility especially among disadvantaged people. Social Integration will support projects in the following areas: development of Roma culture and information centres and Roma literacy programmes (grants available for this component will vary between 20,000 and 35,000 euros); creation of jobs for members of the ethnic minorities and people with disabilities (grants available for this component will vary between 20,000 and 80,000 euros); promotion of enterprise among ethnic minorities and disabled people (grants available for this component will vary between 25,000 and 35,000 euros). Eligible for funding under this programme, individually or in group, are: municipalities, non-government organizations, educational establishments, including schools and training centres. Eligible for funding in the second component are also Bulgarian public or private employers registered by the Commercial Code. Funding under the Labour Market Initiatives project will be available for vocational training of disadvantaged unemployed (young people, jobless women, disabled and long-term unemployed), for craft training for jobless, promotion of enterprise among the jobless and support for entrepreneurship and business development of existing small and medium-sized enterprises. Funding for projects under the first two components will be between 20,000 and 100,000 euros and for the rest between 20,000 and 60,000 euros. Eligible for funding, separately or in group, are: for component 1: vocational schools for the first component; non-government organizations, local authorities, entrepreneurs associations, training institutes, business centres and others for components 2, 3 and 4. Proposals for the Social Integration Project will be accepted until 1 August 2003 and for the Labour Market Initiatives until 15 August 2003. Public Relations and International Activity Directorate