Created in 1957, the ESF is the European Union’s main tool for the development of human resources and the improvement of the workings of the labour market. It supports measures to prevent and combat unemployment and to develop human resources. The ESF aims to promote a high level of employment, equality between men and women, sustainable development and economic and social cohesion. The key aim of the Fund is to provide supporting finance for implementing the National Action Plans for Employment.
More than two thirds of the fund’s investments go to so-called target-one areas, among them Brandenburg, whose economic performance is less than 75% of the EU average.
