The Funds are targeted on specific problems or areas of economic need. Since 1988, there have been sixteen separate Programmes of European Structural Funds dedicated to Western Scotland. This represented an investment of almost £1.2 billion from the European Union. The largest of these have been the Western Scotland Objective 2 Programmes but there have also been some interesting and innovative smaller Programmes and Community Initiatives designed to target the needs of specific communities and areas suffering from multiple deprivation.
The Funds were delivered through Objectives and most of Scotland was covered by Objectives 2 and 3.
Objective 2 Funds sought to revitalise regions affected by serious industrial decline and areas characterised as those with urban or rural problems, with declining traditional industries, or declining fishing communities.
Objective 3 Funds helped improve the existing and potential workforce through training and was managed by the Scottish ESF Objective 3 Partnership.
Community Initiatives targeted specific areas of economic need to promote an integrated approach to tackling social, environmental and economic problems to promote sustainable urban development.
The two main types of European Funds that Western Scotland received were the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF).
ERDF provided investment to create or maintain jobs. It provided assistance:
- for people to start or to grow businesses
- to develop sites and premises for businesses
- four tourism facilities to attract visitors from outside the region
- to help link businesses to research
- improve facilities in colleges
ESF supported training and learning for people working in the region and people looking for jobs. It helped:
- people who were already in the workforce as well as those who were unemployed
- young job seekers
- people excluded from the labour market.
This web site provides information on all European Structural Funds
Programmes in Western Scotland since 1998. It contains
examples of projects that have made a difference in the region's business sector, communities, places and on its people.