A project titled "Fostering Social Inclusion and Inclusive Labour Market" will be implemented in the next 20 months in Macedonia with finances in amount of 1.5 million euros provided by EU funds. It aims at building institutional capacities, developing human resources and improving the efficiency of social institutions in fostering social inclusion of vulnerable groups.

Minister of Labour and Social Policy Spiro Ristovski, who attended Thursday an opening conference for the project, said it was of exceptional importance due to its goal to enable better inclusion of vulnerable groups on the labour market.

"The state of poverty and social exclusion can be solved by linking the providers of social services and social work centers i.e. by strengthening employment potentials of the citizens considered socially vulnerable. By finding jobs for them, the so called vicious circle of poverty-unemployment-exclusion-having no rights will be broken," Minister Ristovski said.

"The project financed by EU's IPA funds aims at strengthening human resources in state institutions, local communities, working organisations where the knowledge of those working with vulnerable groups and people with disabilities need to be improved. The project's objective is to link all those working with vulnerable groups. Also trainings are envisaged for vulnerable groups to be included in the working environment," project's team leader Stojan Zagorac said.

The project also envisages a campaign to be launched on raising public awareness and on elaborating what a social economy is, its purpose and advantages.