With a total allocation of €35.562 billion, Spain is the third largest beneficiary of EU cohesion policy funds in the period 2021-2027, behind only Poland and Italy. This allocation is divided into 23.397 billion euros from the ERDF, 11.296 billion euros from the ESF+ and 869 million euros from the FTJ, plus the 1.120 billion euros allocated to Spain for the FEMPA.
The ESF+ will have 19 regional programmes (1 for each Autonomous Community and Autonomous City) and 4 state programmes (covering the main sectoral policies): ESF+ State Programme for Youth Employment; ESF+ State Programme for Education and Training, Employment and Social Economy; ESF+ State Programme for Social Inclusion, Child Guarantee and Fight against Poverty; and ESF+ State Programme for Basic Material Assistance.
The 23,397 million euros from the ERDF will be distributed in 19 Regional Programmes (1 for each Autonomous Community and Autonomous City) and a Multi-regional Programme, which will serve as the main planning instrument for the actions of the General State Administration to be financed from this Fund.
Programming in SO(l) will aim to reduce levels of poverty and child poverty, in application of the National Strategy to Prevent and Combat Poverty and Social Exclusion (2019-2023), the National Strategy for the Rights of Children and Adolescents 2021 – 2030, the State Action Plan (PAE) for the implementation of the European Child Guarantee 2022-2030 and the Spanish Disability Strategy 2022- 2030, carrying out actions such as social inclusion itineraries or programmes aimed at young people, social inclusion itineraries or programmes aimed at children in vulnerable situations, support programmes for deinstitutionalisation, social integration measures, counselling, social services (non- labour) and access to other services, in coordination with FAMI, whose initial actions of reception and basic primary care for the migrant population, asylum seekers and refugees find a continuation in the actions developed under the ESF+, as well as measures aimed at promoting the inclusion of people with severe disabilities or at promoting the social and labour inclusion of homeless people or people with difficulties accessing housing, through approaches such as Housing First, under the future Comprehensive National Strategy for the Homeless, which is currently being developed. As for the measures to be programmed in the framework of the Child Guarantee, actions are envisaged such as itineraries for socio-educational promotion aimed at families with children aged 0-18 in situations of poverty and social exclusion, the Programme for Guidance, Advancement and Educational Enrichment in centres of special educational complexity (Programme #PROA+), actions for the improvement of inclusive education for students with special educational needs, a programme of free accessible places for children aged 0-18 in situations of poverty and social exclusion, a programme of free accessible places for children with special educational needs, a programme of free accessible places for children aged 0-18 in situations of poverty and social exclusion, and a programme for the improvement of inclusive education for students with special educational needs, a programme of free, accessible, inclusive and high quality places in the first cycle of Early Childhood Education for pupils from families with incomes below the poverty risk threshold, actions aimed at deinstitutionalisation and promotion of community care for children under the protection system, measures aimed at developing a universal early care system (0-6 years), or those aimed at promoting educational leisure and healthy lifestyles.
The ERDF may finance actions complementary to those described for the ESF+ under specific objectives 4.3 and 4.4, aimed at the construction or rehabilitation of infrastructure for the adequate provision of social services, including actions aimed at the digitization, extension or improvement of the headquarters of non-profit organizations that contribute to the implementation of these policies. Likewise, social housing actions for vulnerable groups, day centers, or shelters and emergency centers, such as for victims of domestic violence or homeless people, among others, may be financed. In the area of social housing, priority will be given to actions aimed at promoting an increase in the stock of public social housing for rent, within the framework of integrated initiatives that seek the full integration of vulnerable groups. All actions to be financed will be in line with an approach oriented towards deinstitutionalization and community-based care.
Izazovi: the actions programmed in this period in the field of urban development are approached from the triple perspective of the model of large cities, intermediate cities and functional areas. Thus, based on the existence of an integrated territorial strategy, local authorities will be able to access funding for it, within OP5, by submitting Integrated Action Plans. In addition, the simplification of the management model will be sought. In addition, the administrative capacity of beneficiaries will be strengthened through action guides and training courses, while the meetings and working groups of the Urban Initiatives Network will continue to be promoted as a forum for sharing information and training among beneficiaries. The Network is seen as a valuable and key resource for maintaining dialogue with local entities; therefore, its management will be strengthened and its regular meetings will be promoted. In short, the management of the model must be geared towards adapting more efficiently to the administrative capacity of the beneficiaries and enabling the funds to be absorbed in full. This will be the focus of programming efforts, management of calls for proposals and implementation of strategies.
Since Spain joined the EU in 1986, the Directorate General for European Funds has been the authority responsible for Spain before the EU in terms of budgetary relations and management of European funds. This website provides information on all the European funds managed in Spain, through the different administrations, as well as information related to the different periods (multi-annual frameworks), main new developments and Spain’s reporting obligations to the EU in terms of European funds.