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Support of the domestic labour market policy through the EU |
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One of the secrets of Salzburg’s economic success in the EU is the high training standard of employees. In terms of vocational training the level is not only clearly above the Austrian but also above the EU-average. Nevertheless in Salzburg there are also economic regions with severe problems. The EU supports these regions in Salzburg land through its so-called Regional Development Fund. Until 1999, 208 million Austrian shillings came out of the EU Regional Development Fund to benefit the Lungau district as well as parts of the Pinzgau and Pongau districts. From 1999 the reform of EU-structural policy brought about considerable changes in the implementation of EU-regional policy. Salzburg land largely succeeded in asserting its claims for subsidies: the Lungau and Upper Pinzgau districts as Objective 2 Areas continued to receive EU structural fund subsidies since the year 2000. A total of more than 17 million are available for regional development from EU subsidies. Besides subsidies from the EU-Regional Development Fund, money also flows from the European Social Fund and the INTERREG-programmes to Salzburg for measures related to employment policy. Using aid from the European Social Fund unemployed persons are taken care of in Salzburg by offering them further training possibilities and help in re-establishing themselves, either as employees or in founding their own companies. INTERREG subsidies are granted in Salzburg land in the border areas with Bavaria and Italy. In developing infrastructure, ground is being regained there, something which did not appear to be necessary in the years prior to Austria’s accession to the EU. |
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