Florian Fichtl’s statement at the concluding Conference for the Bulgarian Active Labor Market Initiative

Distinguished Guests, Dear colleagues,

Under the Social Investment and Employment Promotion Project (SIEP), funded by the World Bank and the Bulgarian Government, we support the Social Investment Fund which provides infrastructure and program support to municipalities and communities; and the Employment Agency, implementing the Bulgarian Active Labour Market Initiative, known as BALMI program.

We will hear a lot today about the BALMI program’s outcomes, achievements, and lessons learnt, but for a minute I would like to take all of us back to the starting point:  The basic idea behind BALMI was to help Bulgaria meet labour market challenges – unemployment was much higher at the time -- and prepare the country for effective use of EU funds in the area of labour markets.

The timely, and meaningful, absorption of EU funds is in the headlines of the press a lot these days.  So I cannot but point out that BALMI was one of the programs that actually started on time – in 2003, 4 years before Bulgaria’s accession to the EU.

As a result, BALMI has contributed a viable structure of real, tested programs, applicable procedures, documentation and training programs, which the Government now can readily use and apply under the European Union’s Human Resources Development Operational Program (HRD OP)

The project did this based on well-designed and cohesive information systems. Over the last 5-6 years, BALMI collected information on medium-term economic and labour market trends and provided active labour services to assist economically disadvantaged individuals in poorer communities and provide opportunities for them to apply their human capital productively, particularly in the context of continuously changing economic and labour market conditions.

Individuals from vulnerable groups, and unemployed, received employment services and training; small businesses received support through business incubators; and municipalities and communities benefitted from Local Economic Development Planning.

All in all, BALMI financed close to 700 sub-contracts; i.e. the private sector – with Government financing -- provided services in an efficient manner to more than 25,000 people, in the process also strengthening the capacities of Bulgarian service providers.

For these great results I would like to congratulate all participants in the process, and especially the lead implementing agency – the Employment Agency, as well as the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and the Social Investment Fund.

The project has proven that it is a valuable tool for Government to target specific labour market inefficiencies.  Perhaps most importantly, it has created a real package of ready programs for financing under the EU HRD OP.  So I wish BALMI well as it continues to make a contribution to improving peoples lives, with support from Government and the EU.

Thank you!