European Commission
The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) is responsible for EU policy on employment, social affairs, skills, labour mobility, inclusion, and the related EU funding programmes. EU employment and social policies support citizens throughout their lives, when finding a job, moving to another Member State, or learning new skills.As the world of work evolves and European society changes, DG EMPL works to protect social rights and ensure a fair green and digital transition, collaborating with national authorities, social partners, civil society and other stakeholders.
The Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME) is the European Commission’s department responsible for Internal security, Migration, and Border management. DG HOME works closely with EU Member States and Agencies, international organisations and other stakeholders to develop and implement effective policies at EU level. To ensure a safer, more secure Union online and offline, DG HOME’s work on internal security includes countering terrorism and organised crime, preventing radicalisation, protecting critical infrastructure and public spaces and fighting cybercrime and child sexual abuse. DG HOME is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum, working with Member States to manage migration, open legal pathways and develop a common approach to returns. To deliver stronger common borders, DG HOME is putting in place an integrated border management approach for the EU, enhancing EU border security, with the goal of ensuring a complete and fully functioning Schengen area.
In the Skills Alliance for Ukraine, the European Commission’s DG EMPL and DG HOME are represented with several projects:
• Top-up of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions to support displaced Ukrainian researchers: Since its launch in 2022, the MSCA4Ukraine fellowship scheme has supported 125 displaced researchers from Ukraine, being trained and working in 21 countries. Supported researchers are encouraged to cooperate with their counterparts in Ukraine, thus strengthening the cooperation and integration between the scientific communities of the country and the EU. Maintaining this collaboration will also facilitate their return to and reintegration in Ukraine once circumstances allow. Although supported researchers are free to choose their research topic, a significant number of the fellows have decided to work on issues directly linked to helping Ukraine.
• New bomb shelters for Ukraine’s schools: The main objective of this program is to ensure safe education for children by constructing dual-use bomb shelters in Ukraine near educational institutions that could be operational. At least 5 shelters will be set up in higher-risk areas (Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Odesa, Mykolaiv). All shelters will be underground, with a capacity for 700 – 1,000 people, radiation protection, and dual-use (shelters could be used in peacetime for formal and informal education activities).
• Support is also provided to Skills4Recovery, which addresses the challenge that the shortage of skilled workforce in selected economic sectors is posing to Ukraine’s recovery process, as the country struggles to rebuild and stabilize its economy. Along with the VET providers and private sector Skills for Recovery will cooperate with the government of Ukraine to support enhancement of the political, regulatory and legal framework for VET and implementation of the EU acquis and Ukraine Plan.