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EQUAL in Poland - basic information
EQUAL Community Initiative has been implemented in European Union Member States since 2001. The first selection of projects submitted by initiators of Partnerships (I round of EQUAL) took place then.
The second round of EQUAL Programme included also Poland, as a new Member State.
In Poland, EQUAL will be implemented in 2004 – 2006. Activities will be implemented within the following Themes:
- Theme A: Facilitating access and return to the labour market for those who have difficulty in being integrated or reintegrated into a labour market which must be open to all.
- Theme D: Strengthening the social economy (the third sector), in particular services of interest to the community, with focus on improving the quality of jobs.
- Theme F: Supporting the adaptability of firms and employees to structural economic change and the use of information technology and other new technologies.
- Theme G: Reconciling family and professional life, as well as the reintegration of men and women who have left the labour market, by developing more flexible and effective forms of work organisation and support services.
- Theme I: Supporting social and vocational integration of asylum-seekers.
Groups most suffering from inequality and discrimination are: long-term unemployed, professionally passive persons, youth, elder persons (45 – 65 years of age), disabled persons (including psychically ill), ethnic minorities (e.g. Roma people), repatriates, refugees, inhabitants of rural and economically disadvantaged areas, employees in restructured sectors, persons addicted from drugs or alcohol, ex-convicts and convicts to leave penitentiary institutions. Activities implemented within Theme I can only be addressed to asylum-seekers and to institutions and organisations acting in favour of those persons.
Implementation of EQUAL Community Initiative
The European Commission, as the institution responsible for the success of EQUAL on the European level, specified also a general scheme of programme management on the national level. In Poland, the Managing Authority for EQUAL is the Ministry of Economy and Labour and its Department for European Social Fund Management. The main duties of the managing Authority include preparation of EQUAL programming documents (Community Initiative EQUAL Programme and Programme Complement), and the supervision of the programme implementation. The Managing Authority also takes the final decision regarding the acceptation of the selection of Development Partnerships. It is responsible for the implementation of the system of management and control, and for the co-ordination of the process of results’ mainstreaming of EQUAL.
The Implementing Authority is the National Support Framework (NSF) which provides services both to the managing Authority and to Development Partnerships. NSF’s basic task is to ensure comprehensive counselling and support services for potential partners participating in the EQUAL programme, for Development Partnerships, and for groups of Partnerships of the so-called thematic networks.
In Poland, “Co-operation Fund” Foundation acts as NSF, tel: 22 625 39 37, fax: 22 625 28 05, www.equal.org.pl, e-mail: equal@cofund.org.pl .
Important duties are performed by the Steering Committee which controls the implementation of the programme and which is entitled to submit motions regarding changes in the programme and in the complement.
Types of Measures
Measures within EQUAL are implemented by Development Partnerships. Partnerships are crated by different institutions and organizations which decide to co-operate for the purpose of solving a given problem connected with inequality or discrimination on the labour market. Development Partnerships can be created by any legally operating entity, including: commune, poviat, and voivodship self-governments, and their subordinate institutions (commune social welfare centres, poviat centres of family help, regional social policy centres, poviat and voivodship labour offices), self-governmental organizations, national or local non-governmental organizations, education or training institutions, universities and scientific and research institutes, enterprises, employers’ associations, trade unions, ministries and central agencies, and their subordinate institutions, churches and religious associations, reception centres for refugees.
EQUAL Programme will be implemented in Poland in 2004 – 2008.
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