Sinn Féin MEP Kathleen Funchion has won overwhelming support in the EU Parliament for her stance on the future of the European Social Fund (ESF+).
The influential Regional Development Committee backed her call for the social side of the EU budget to be protected and for the ESF to be safeguarded as an important tool in the social policy of the EU.
MEP Funchion said:
“I am delighted that my opinion passed with unanimous support today. As a new MEP, it is pleasing to see how progressive ideas and standing up for the social aspects of the EU budget can still win support from across the spectrum here in Brussels.
“The ESF has played a crucial role in educating and training workers and preparing people through employer-led upskilling courses, training of early childhood professionals and funding a number of programmes and projects in third level institutions.
“I have seen first-hand the positive impact programmes like Youthreach have had in addressing the personal and social development needs of unemployed young school leavers typically aged 15 to 20.
“Programmes like SOLAS, which is funded through the ESF, have played a central role across the six regional ETB offices in Ireland South in combatting long-term unemployed, assisting disadvantaged groups access the labour market, and provided a range of training courses to meet the needs of unemployed persons and other jobseekers to enable them to seek meaningful employment.
“I strongly defended the critical role of EU funding like the ESF+, outlining that it must not simply be gutted of its social side to fund defence and other geopolitical aims. I am extremely concerned that many others are lining up to cut the Budget or to funnel into spending on military equipment or border fences.
“I am particularly happy that the Committee backed my call for an openness towards including the north of Ireland in future funding and that ideas I introduced as to how the ESF+ could help tackle the housing crisis were adopted.
“This will be a long battle to protect adequate EU social funding for all regions, including so-called developed ones like Ireland South, built today marks an important victory.”
