Under REACT-EU, the European Commission will provide Spain an additional € 1.8 billion to support social inclusion, healthcare, and jobs
The European Commission will provide an additional € 1.8 billion to Spain under REACT-EU to boost employment, healthcare and social inclusion.
The funds will help maintain employment through short-time work measures, and support workers and jobseekers in acquiring the skills needed for a more digital and green economy. The funds will also reinforce the healthcare sector and support Spain’s economic recovery from the pandemic.
Taking it to twitter, European Commission tweeted,
Great news for Spain and its social and economic recovery from the pandemic.
— European Commission 🇪🇺 (@EU_Commission) December 20, 2022
Spain will receive an additional €1.8 billion under REACT-EU to boost employment, healthcare and social inclusion.
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The new funding, managed under the European Social Fund (ESF), will support 2 national and 6 regional programmes. The first national programme will focus on employment, training and education. Around € 1.1 billion will be invested in short-time work measures to protect workers and businesses and support the country’s recovery. The second national programme will focus on social inclusion and the social economy. Around € 260 million will assist people fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and give them access to basic services, such as temporary accommodation, food, water and medical care, education, employment, healthcare and more. Funds will also be used to host and integrate people that are fleeing through investments in infrastructure, equipment and staff. Over 100,000 people, including 30,000 children, are expected to benefit from this support.
The 6 regional plans cover an assistance to Andalusia of € 239 million to help maintain and create jobs through employment support for vulnerable people. The funding will reinforce the health and social care sectors and their capacities to provide care to COVID-19 patients. It will also support teaching in educational centres to prevent early school leaving and improve educational results of students facing difficulties. In the Canary Islands, € 80.1 million will help mitigate the economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting employment, in particular of young people, the self-employed and entrepreneurs. It will also promote skills development through vocational education and training. In addition, the funds will improve healthcare and social services by training and hiring more staff.
In the region of Valencia, € 59 million will mainly support vocational education and training programmes. Over 33,000 people facing difficulties in finding employment are expected to obtain the skills needed to work in healthcare and other sectors. In Murcia, € 32.8 million will support the hiring of over 240 healthcare professionals. Regional foster care services will also be reinforced to help foster care families and assist 30 unaccompanied minors who fled Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In the Balearic Islands, € 30.2 million will help health services fight the COVID-19 pandemic by recruiting more medical staff, socio-health specialists, nurses, health technicians, care workers, guards and others. Vocational education and training programmes will help nearly 5,000 young people obtain professional qualifications. The Rioja region will receive € 2.4 million to help unemployed people access the labour market through career guidance, job creation and vocational training. The funds will also help recruit more teachers and other staff for almost 90 schools.
With the additional € 1.8 billion adopted, Spain will receive in total € 14.5 billion under REACT-EU to boost Spain’s recovery and facilitate investments in the green and digital transition.
As part of NextGenerationEU, REACT-EU provides a top-up of € 50.6 billion (in current prices) over the course of 2021 and 2022 to the 2014-2020 Cohesion Policy programmes of all Member States. Measures focus on supporting labour market resilience, jobs, small and medium-sized businesses and low-income families. Measures also lay a future-proof foundation for the green and digital transition and a sustainable socio-economic recovery.
