5-Improved Social cohesion

Pillar 5 – Improved Social Cohesion – aims to align the Adriatic-Ionian Region with EU strategies and policies that support social cohesion within the broader context of the green and digital transition. This includes fostering the development of relevant skills, improving the quality of education, and supporting a swift response to economic change. It also aims to strengthen resilience to future crises and promote equal opportunities, youth engagement, and access to the labour market from a macro-regional perspective.

The specific objectives for this pillar are:

To empower young generations, by increasing their capacity to actively participate in the social and economic life.
To promote life-long learning opportunities and access to the labour market for the Adriatic-Ionian population.
To ensure equal opportunities in the labour market by addressing current issues such as gender inequality and discrimination, gender pay gaps, irregular work, precariousness, labour exploitation.
To further promote the concept of social innovations in the Adriatic-Ionian Region by tackling key challenges – such as active and healthy ageing – arising from the ageing population trend in the region.

To achieve the abovementioned objectives, Pillar 5 will focus on three topics:

Topic 1 – Youth engagement and employment
Topic 2 – Promoting skills acquisition for future labour markets
Topic 3 – Equal opportunities in the labour market
Topic 4 – Social Innovations

Coordinators

Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Topic 1 - Youth engagement and employment

The main objective of this topic is to empower young generations, by increasing their capacity to actively participate in the social and economic life. This will be achieved through:

creating a stronger link with EU policies;
amplifying the voice of young people in public policymaking as actors of change and including young people and youth representatives in the decision-making process, e.g. through setting up a Strategy Youth Council;
including youth representatives in the development and implementation of the Strategy to make it more inclusive; and
promoting activities aiming at increased youth employability, focusing on skills, quality of education, apprenticeships/traineeships and matching with employers/sectors in demand for workers.

Topic 2 - Promoting skills acquisition for future labour markets

The main objective of this topic is to promote life-long learning opportunities and access to the labour market for the Adriatic-Ionian population. This will be achieved through:

supporting policy harmonisation in macro-region with emphasis on implementation of EU skills frameworks and initiatives;
modernisation of school, higher education, VET and adult education curricula in line with the labour market needs;
skills development for future labour markets.

Topic 3 - Equal opportunities in the labour market

The main objective of this topic is to ensure equal opportunities in the labour market by addressing current issues such as gender inequality and discrimination, gender pay gaps, irregular work, precariousness, labour exploitation. This will be achieved through:

supporting people in the Adriatic-Ionian Region to overcome and prevent gender discrimination at work and labour exploitation, and to build gender equality and decent work, in line with the principles and targets of the European Pillar of Social Rights;
promoting equal opportunities in the labour market and thus reduce the gender gaps and discrimination in terms of employment and payment; and
better protecting labour rights and conditions of the local population, and thereby increase the employment rate and reduce gender related poverty.

Topic 4 - Social Innovations

The main objective of this topic is to further promote the concept of social innovations in the Adriatic-Ionian Region by tackling key challenges – such as active and healthy ageing – arising from the ageing population trend in the region. This will be achieved through:

promoting existing solutions for social innovations and social economy;
strengthening the capacities of decision-makers and transfer of knowledge in the field of social innovations;
increasing the visibility of the social economy sector as attractive employer by combining economic, sustainable and social goals;
promoting an active, strategic approach to the field of social innovation/social economy;
providing professional support in training and education to vulnerable groups;
information campaigns on the funding possibilities from EU and national level;
promoting age friendly and inclusive environments for all age groups;
enhancing life-long learning and knowledge-interaction for all generations.