European Social Fund

In 1999, the United Kingdom was allocated £10 billion in European Structural Fund receipts for the period January 2000 to December 2006. The funding was split between four programmes:

• European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) – for economic and social development, including diversification of industries
• European Social Fund (ESF) – for training, employment, human resources and equal opportunity projects
• European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) – for the restructuring and diversification of rural areas
• Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG) – for modernising and diversifying the structure of the fisheries sector and related industries

The European Structural Fund programme, incorporating the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and European Social Fund (ESF), came to an end on 31 December 2006 and the region is now preparing for the next iteration of the programme for 2007 to 2013.

Use the links below to find out more.