The Commission adopted on 5 July a proposal for Community Strategic Guidelines entitled “Cohesion Policy in Support of Growth and Jobs: Community Strategic Guidelines, 2007-2013”, setting priorities on the use of the Structural and Cohesion Funds for the period 2007-2013, which includes investment in health.
The draft guidelines present a "healthy workforce" as one of the objectives of cohesion policy and stress health’s role in boosting productivity and competitiveness. The guidelines also emphasise the link between health, ageing and workforce participation and underline the impact of prevention and health promotion on competitiveness.
The Commission is asking all stakeholders to reflect on what are the priority areas (as well as the less important areas) of cohesion policy that should be emphasised in the guidelines.
In general terms, the consultation is intended to help find a response to the following questions:
To what extent should cohesion policy support the growth and jobs agenda and the Lisbon process?
What new elements might be included in order to address this agenda?
Which aspects do you consider to be less relevant to this agenda?
The results of this consultation will help to shape the final version of the Guidelines to be communicated by the Commission to the Council. All stakeholders are invited to participate in this consultation by the 30 September 2005.
European and national stakeholders active in the field of health can play an important role in securing that health as a driver of growth and competitiveness is maintained as a key objective of cohesion policy and the Structural Funds in the final version of the guidelines.
You can send your responses to the questions and your comments to the draft Community Strategic Guidelines to:
regio-strategic-guidelines@cec.eu.int
Health in Cohesion Policy and Structural Funds
The EU has a number of policies designed to reduce disparities across the Union and to promote greater economic, social and territorial cohesion. Financial support is targeted at the national level through the Cohesion Fund, and the regional level through four Structural funds. In both cases, EU money is directed towards the poorest and most disadvantaged countries or regions.
All Structural funds are governed by a specific EU Regulation, only one of which - the ERDF Regulation [1] - explicitly mentions health. Although not specifically highlighted in their respective Regulations, other structural funds can be used to co-finance health-related measures.
The European Social Fund has provided significant support for improving vocational training, education and life-long learning for health professionals; promoting employment in the health sector; raising the standard of health and safety in the workplace; promoting social inclusion of people with health problems as well as tackling health inequalities by increasing access to healthcare for socially excluded groups and encouraging healthy lifestyles.
The new Cohesion Policy and Structural Funds
In February 2004 the European Commission adopted a Communication on the future Financial Perspective and immediately afterwards published the Third Report on Economic and Social Cohesion, in which it outlined the new shape cohesion policy for the period 2007-2013.
The new proposals contain several important changes and health features more prominently in the new draft Regulations than in the current programmes.
