The Secretary General for Territory and Biodiversity and President of the Board of Trustees of the Biodiversity Foundation, Antonio Serrano, presented this morning the new initiative of the Biodiversity Foundation for the improvement of employment and the environment: the Empleaverde Programme. Within the framework of this programme, the Foundation will manage the funds allocated to it by the Operational Programme for Adaptability and Employment of the European Social Fund (F.S.E.) for the period 2007-2013. During this event, Antonio Serrano was accompanied by the director of the Biodiversity Foundation, María Artola, and the deputy deputy director general of Management of the Administrative Unit of the F.S.E. of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, David García.

The empleaverde programme has set goals for the period 2007-2013 to support more than 50,000 people and promote the creation of 1,000 companies in the environmental sector. To this end, it has an endowment of 44.1 million euros and will integrate projects that aim to promote and improve employment; increase the skills and qualifications of workers; to promote the creation and modernization of companies; adapting economic activities to environmental regulations; and promoting sustainability in economic activities.

To achieve these objectives, the Biodiversity Foundation seeks alliances with non-profit entities that want to launch new initiatives. Projects, of one to two years whose budget will range between 400,000 and 950,000 euros and which will receive co-financing from the European Social Fund of 80% or 50%, depending on the regions in which they are developed. These entities can find the financial support for the co-financing they need in companies or non-profit entities.

They will be initiatives that promote eco-innovation, enhance business sustainability and promote change in traditional companies to implement new ways of management. Therefore, projects that achieve real results for the benefit of workers, companies and the environment are sought.

The actions of the projects of the Empleaverde Programme can be very varied: courses; Days; Congresses; awards and competitions; Diagnostics; studies or the edition of informative and informative material. Information and communication campaigns and personalised advice to workers and companies will also be supported.

Some topics of interest to the Programme are: water, climate change, renewable energies, environmental technologies, waste management, organic farming and environmental responsibility.

The projects will be aimed at workers and managers of SMEs and micro-SMEs; self-employed workers; liberal professions (lawyers, economists, or journalists); agricultural workers (farmers, ranchers, shepherds, day laborers, forest and farm guards, among others); and education professionals. The programme also pays special attention to women, the disabled, immigrants, people over 45 years of age and low-skilled workers. Also to those workers located in areas subject to depopulation, rural areas, protected areas and Biosphere Reserves; as well as those workers in the environmental sector, that is, those who carry out activities both in the production of goods and in the provision of services that aim to prevent, minimize or recover alterations in natural systems.

The Biodiversity Foundation invites all those interested in presenting their projects to visit the website www.fundacion-biodiversidad.es