CHAPTER I

Member States shall programme their resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management by prioritising interventions that address the challenges identified in the European Semester, including in their national reform programmes as well as in the relevant country-specific recommendations adopted in accordance with Article 121(2) and Article 148(4) TFEU, and take into account the principles and rights set out in the European Pillar of Social Rights and the national and regional strategies relevant for ESF+ objectives, thereby contributing to the goals set out in Article 174 TFEU. Member States and, where appropriate, the Commission shall foster synergies and ensure coordination, complementarity and coherence between the ESF+ and other Union funds, programmes and instruments, both in the planning phase and during implementation. Member States and, where appropriate, the Commission shall optimise mechanisms for coordination to avoid duplication of efforts and ensure close cooperation between entities responsible for implementation to deliver coherent and streamlined support actions. Member States shall allocate an appropriate amount of their resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management to address challenges identified in relevant country-specific recommendations adopted in accordance with Article 121(2) and Article 148(4) TFEU and in the European Semester falling within the scope of the specific objectives of the ESF+ set out in Article 4(1) of this Regulation. Member States shall allocate an appropriate amount of their resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management for the implementation of the Child Guarantee through targeted actions and structural reforms to tackle child poverty under the specific objectives set out in Article 4(1), points (f) and (h) to (l). Member States that had an average rate above the Union average of children of less than 18 years old at risk of poverty or social exclusion for the period between 2017 and 2019, on the basis of Eurostat data, shall allocate at least 5 % of their resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management to support targeted actions and structural reforms to tackle child poverty as set out in the first subparagraph. Member States shall allocate at least 25 % of their resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management to the specific objectives for the social inclusion policy area set out in Article 4(1), points (h) to (l), including the promotion of the socio-economic integration of third-country nationals. Member States shall allocate at least 3 % of their resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management to support the most deprived persons under the specific objective set out in Article 4(1), point (m), or, in duly justified cases, either the specific objective set out in Article 4(1), point (l), or both of those specific objectives. The resources shall not be taken into account for verifying compliance with the minimum allocations set out in paragraphs 3 and 4. Member States shall allocate an appropriate amount of their resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management to targeted actions and structural reforms to support youth employment, vocational education and training, in particular apprenticeships, and the transition from school to work, pathways to reintegrate into education or training and second chance education, in particular in the context of implementing schemes under the Youth Guarantee. Member States that had an average rate above the Union average of young people of 15 to 29 years of age who are not in employment, education or training for the period between 2017 and 2019, on the basis of Eurostat data, shall allocate at least 12,5 % of their resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management for the years 2021 to 2027 to support the targeted actions and structural reforms as set out in the first subparagraph. Outermost regions fulfilling the conditions set out in the second subparagraph shall allocate at least 12,5 % of their resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management in their programmes to the targeted actions and structural reforms as set out in the first subparagraph. This allocation shall be taken into account for verifying compliance with the minimum percentage at national level set out in the second subparagraph when applicable. When implementing targeted actions and structural reforms referred to in this paragraph, Member States shall give priority to inactive and long-term unemployed young people and put in place targeted outreach measures. Paragraphs 2 to 6 of this Article shall not apply to the specific additional allocation received by the outermost regions and the NUTS level 2 regions fulfilling the criteria laid down in Article 2 of Protocol No 6. Paragraphs 1 to 6 shall not apply to technical assistance. All operations shall be selected and implemented while respecting the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (the ‘Charter’) and in accordance with the relevant provisions of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060. In accordance with Article 69(7) of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060, Member States shall ensure the effective examination of complaints. This is without prejudice to the general possibility of citizens and stakeholders to address complaints to the Commission, including with regard to infringements of the Charter. Where the Commission finds that there has been an infringement of the Charter, the Commission shall take into account the gravity of the infringement in its determination of the corrective measures to be applied in line with the relevant provisions of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060. Member States shall ensure meaningful participation of the social partners and civil society organisations in the delivery of employment, education and social inclusion policies supported by the ESF+ strand under shared management. Member States shall allocate an appropriate amount of their resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management in each programme to capacity building of the social partners and civil society organisations, including in the form of training, networking measures, and strengthening of the social dialogue, and to activities jointly undertaken by the social partners. Where capacity building of the social partners and civil society organisations is identified by a relevant country-specific recommendation adopted in accordance with Article 121(2) and Article 148(4) TFEU, the Member State concerned shall allocate an appropriate amount of at least 0,25 % of its resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management for that purpose. The resources referred to in Article 7(5) under specific objectives set out in Article 4(1), points (l) and (m), shall be programmed under a dedicated priority or programme. The co-financing rate for that priority or programme shall be 90 %. Support in accordance with the second and third subparagraphs of Article 7(6) shall be programmed under a dedicated priority or programme and it shall at least include support contributing to the specific objective set out in Article 4(1), point (a), and may include support contributing to the specific objectives set out in Article 4(1), points (f) and (l). The actions addressing the challenges identified in relevant country-specific recommendations and in the European Semester as referred to in Article 7(2) shall be programmed under any of the specific objectives set out in Article 4(1) to support the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights and under one or more priorities, which can be a multi-fund priority.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-11-01 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.