Transnational Cooperation has been an integral part of the European Social Fund since its establishment in 1957.
The purpose of Transnational Cooperation is the exchange of information, expertise, best practices between member states, the development of transnational actions and the establishment of their cooperation in the fields of employment, social inclusion and training.
Member states working together to find solutions to common problems contributes to the quality and effectiveness of policies supported by the ESF.
The 2014-2020 programming period
During the 2014-2020 programming period, member states “shall develop Transnational Cooperation with the aim of promoting mutual learning”, according to Article 10 of the Regulation No 1304/2013 on the European Social Fund.
Transnational Cooperation actions are applied at member state level and are implemented through the Operational Programmes of member states, sectoral and/or regional.
More specifically, at least one Operational Programme co-funded by the ESF, implements a transnational project that meets the following conditions:
- Involves partners from at least 2 Member States
- Promotes mutual learning
- Integrates the project into investment priority(s) or technical assistance of the OP
Common Framework
Based on Article 10 of the ESF Regulation, the European Commission has created the Common Framework to support Member States and all stakeholders (managing authorities, public authorities and organizations) to implement Transnational Co-operation projects and develop mutual learning on selected Common Themes.
The Common Framework includes:
In the Commission's introductory guide on transnational cooperation, you can read more about the main features of transnational cooperation during the current programming period as well as the functioning of the common framework.
For more information, visit the ESF Transnational Platform website https://ec.europa.eu/esf/transnationality