The Commission has launched a 12-week public consultation to evaluate the support to education by the European Social Fund (ESF) in the 2014-2018 period.

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The Commission is seeking citizens’ and stakeholders’ opinion on the activities carried out since 2014 by the EU with its European Social Fund to support education and training.

The information collected will be used in assessing what has been achieved during the 2014-2018 period. It will also help the Commission to draw lessons on how to reinforce this support in the future, making it more effective and focused.

The evaluation will assess the success and effectiveness of EU initiatives for

• reducing and preventing early school leaving,
• promoting equal access to education and lifelong learning for all,
• supporting vocational training,
• improving the quality, efficiency and access to university education.

How to participate?

The consultation is available online in all official languages of the EU.

It will end on 24 February 2020 (midnight Brussels time).

Who can participate?

All citizens and organisations are invited to contribute to this consultation. Contributions are particularly sought from:

• citizens whether or not they are receiving or have received support from the European Social Fund in the area of education and training,
• Member States and organisations involved in the management of European Social Fund such as managing authorities, intermediate bodies, project implementers, members of monitoring committees,
• organisations involved in the delivery of European Social Fund operations as beneficiaries or project partners: public bodies, education institutions, NGOs, municipalities,
• any organisation or citizen having a particular expertise in the area of education and training.