site.btaFuture of European Social Fund Discussed in Sofia

Sofia, February 15 (BTA) - Addressing an international conference in Sofia Thursday dedicated to the future of the European Social Fund, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev said the gap between those who have knowledge and those who do not have knowledge is widening, and this is a new social challenge. He said: "We need to think about how to take care of the digital minorities, which may not pose a problem today but will certainly pose a problem 5 to 10 years from now. In a few decades, a person who is not on the Internet and is digitally illiterate will be more seriously marginalized than the marginalized groups we have nowadays."

The international conference was titled "Investing in People - the Way Forward."

Donchev also listed other challenges, including continuing labour market imbalances, the shortage of skilled workers, and migration movements, both inbound and outbound. Youth unemployment, he said, is not just a matter of occupational skills but also a matter of generational values. "Some of our young people do not want to work, they are not interested, and training courses cannot solve the problem."

He went on to say: "Europe is a social project as well, and we should all be proud of it. In the framework of this project, we need to give careful consideration to the welfare system and related expenses. Europe accounts for half of the world's welfare spending and we should be proud of that, but isn't it true that welfare is sometimes poisonous rather than beneficial?"

Marianne Thyssen, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, said in a video message that the European Social Fund will continue to invest in people during the next programming period. She said the process of convergence between the member states should be streamlined and the education and welfare systems should be strengthened. Thyssen also called for a more efficient fund management system.