site.btaBulgaria May Redirect ESF, FEAD Allocations to Refugees

Bulgaria May Redirect ESF, FEAD Allocations to Refugees

Brussels, September 25 (BTA correspondent Nikolay Jeliazkov) - The European Commission said on Friday that Bulgaria may use allocations under the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) in support of refugees and asylum seekers. Some 1.63 billion euro will be made available to the country by 2020.

Allocations under ESF and FEAD for all EU countries total 90 billion euro.

The Commission said that the two funds provide funding for the most deprived social groups which include refugees and asylum seekers.
Money can be redirected to non-EU citizens once they have been granted residence.

The Commission said that ESF and FEAD investments can support refugee integration into the labour market and to society through for example: counselling to refugees and their families; through training; through access to health and social services for refugees and their families; and through campaigns to combat discrimination against refugees. Improving the recognition of skills and qualifications gained outside Europe will also help support their faster integration into the labour market and reduce the risk of social exclusion.