Development Partnerships

The application for EQUAL projects shall be made by DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIPS (DPs). The Commission defines them as strategic partnerships that bring together interested actors with relevant skills, working jointly within a theme in order to identify the factors leading to inequality and discrimination, as well as to share endeavours and resources to find innovative solutions for the problems jointly defined.

DPs may take two forms:

• Geographical DPs : bring together relevant actors or interests in a given geographical territory. They shall work jointly to implement a strategy in order to solve a problem of their territory.
  
  
• Sectoral DPs : can tackle problems of a given economic or industrial sector. Under special circumstances, they could focus on a specific target group suffering discrimination or inequality in connection with the labour market.

DPs may involvee public authorities, public services of employment, private companies, trade unions and associations of entrepreneurs, NGOs, etc.