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EQUAL

Building on the lessons learned under the previous ‘Employment’ and ‘Adapt’ Initiatives, the EQUAL Initiative seeks to promote a labour market open to all through new means of combating all forms of discrimination and inequalities. EQUAL covers the whole of the territory of the Union and emphasises the transnational nature of projects, the genuine involvement of local and regional authorities, as well as businesses, and the dissemination of good practice.

EQUAL provides assistance in four fields based on the four pillars of the European Employment Strategy:

• employability
• entrepreneurial spirit
• capacity for change
• equal opportunities.

In order to obtain funding under the EQUAL initiative, a development partnership in a Member State must co-operate with at least one other partnership in another Member State, generally funded by the EQUAL initiative too. Partnerships are also possible with a non-Member State eligible for funding under the PHARE, SAPARD, Tacis or Meda programmes. The partnership’s work programme must cover a period of between 18 months and three years.

The Member States’ programming documents and National contact points for EQUAL can be found on the EQUAL website of the Directorate-General for Employment and Social Affairs. (English & French only).

Click for details of the European Employment Strategy.

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© 2002, Institute for Employment Studies