The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ratified the Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union on Ukraine’s participation in the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) Programme. For local governments, this means the introduction of a powerful new funding tool to address social issues in communities, support vulnerable groups, and develop the labour market.

The EaSI Programme is a key EU tool for supporting employment, social protection, and inclusion. It funds:

• Experimental social projects: support for innovative solutions in the social sphere that can subsequently be scaled up.
• Development of networks: exchange of experience between social sector professionals, employment services.
• Research and analytics: analysis of the labour market and social trends.

According to the ratified Agreement (Article 2), local governments, utility companies, social protection institutions, employment centres and other legal entities from Ukraine can participate in EaSI Programme competitions on an equal footing with organisations from European Union countries.

This gives communities the following opportunities:

1. Direct funding: the opportunity to receive EU grants directly for the implementation of local social programmes and initiatives.
2. Introduction of European practices: access to the best European solutions in areas such as youth employment, people with disabilities, internally displaced persons, support for socially vulnerable families and combating poverty.
3. Capacity building: participation in trainings, workshops and exchanges organised within the Programme for representatives of different levels of authority.
4. International partnerships: creation of consortia with European municipalities, non-governmental organisations and research centres to implement joint projects.

The Agreement provides for simplified procedures. Ukrainian participants (including local governments) will be able to:

• Apply for competitions in English.
• Participate in technical working groups as observers (which will allow for a better understanding of the Programme’s priorities).
• Benefit from the protection of financial interests on an equal footing with EU participants (according to Annex II to the Agreement).

Ukraine's financial contribution for participation in the Programme will be phased, and a special protocol takes into account the exceptional circumstances caused by the war, minimising the fiscal burden on the state budget for the duration of the force majeure.

What should communities do now?

1. Follow the announcements. EaSI calls for proposals are published on the EU’s Funding & Tenders Portal.
2. Develop expertise in English. For successful participation, project applications must be prepared in English.
3. Search for partners. The effectiveness of participation increases significantly with the involvement of experienced partners from EU countries.
4. Identify priorities. Local governments should analyse their social needs and determine which of them can be addressed through the instruments offered by EaSI (such as employment for veterans, socialisation of internally displaced persons, development of the ‘silver economy’, among others).

The ratification of this Agreement is an important step towards European integration and the expansion of financial tools for the development of communities. Participation in EaSI will allow communities not only to attract additional resources, but also to integrate the best European social standards into their daily work.