Pacts aim to suit individual needs

Date: 30/10/1997

By Leyla Linton

TERRITORIAL pacts are an acknowledgement that, despite general declarations at European level that unemployment is the biggest problem facing society, there is no such thing as an EU-wide solution to joblessness.

Each pact will be unique and the new schemes being launched this autumn take a very different approach to previous programmes.

They are individually tailored to very local needs and involve key players in the community such as local authorities, private firms or educational institutes.

In Turku, Finland, for example, where 18&percent; of the population - almost double the EU average - is out of work, a territorial pact will look at everyone in the small town who is unemployed and try to create a training programme specifically suited to his or her needs.

In Wallonia, where joblessness is running at 16&percent;, the pact will aim to tackle unemployment in the areas of telecommunications, the chemical industry and transport.

Member states supported the idea of the pacts last year and called for around 60 to be launched. In fact, more than 90 are now being created, covering around 32 million people, or 9&percent; of the EU population.

In southern regions of the Union the emphasis will be on developing industry, while elsewhere the main focus will be on tackling long-term joblessness.

The UK has put in bids for several projects following the change of government in the country earlier this year. The former Conservative administration was understood to be less than enthusiastic about the scheme.

Unemployment in the towns and regions taking part varies from 4&percent; to 55&percent;, with an overall average of 14.5&percent;.

The Commission is taking a hands-off approach to the pacts, stressing that local people are better equipped than a central authority to tackle joblessness in their area.

It sees its role as simply providing an incentive of up to 200,000 ecu to help establish an action plan for the pacts for an initial period of up to four months, with the ultimate goal of attracting structural funds. The European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund may also get involved in supporting the projects.

“The pacts really involve the people on the ground,” says Heike Gerstbrein, spokeswoman for Regional Affairs Commissioner Monika Wulf-Mathies.

“It is up to them. They are the ones in charge of looking at the potential of regions. There is no single recipe for job creation, but there need to be a lot of different measures to be successful in fighting unemployment in the EU. The Commission is there to kick-start the process, and encourage and coordinate the pacts.”

It is hoped that there will be less bureaucracy with the new schemes, compared to those in the past. The pacts have no targets to meet and no specific time period within which to achieve results, although the Commission will bring local pact coordinators to Brussels next month to report on their experiences.

Conferences held in Sweden, Portugal and Italy this month have already begun the process of swapping ideas between those involved.