The Administrative Unit for the European Social Fund (UAFSE) is in charge of the administration of the resources obtained from the European Social fund.

Within the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the UAFSE forms part of the General Secratariat for Employment, General Administration for the Social Economy, Self Employment and the ESF.

The Unit manages the distribution of ESF funds for the period 2000-2006 amongst the management bodies of the Autonomous Regions and the General Central Administration.

It channels ESF funds to Operational Programmes (OP), Single Programming Documents (SPD) and to Community Initiatives (CIP).

PROMOTES actions geared towards the fulfilment of ESF objectives in Spain.

INTERVENES in negotiations with the European Commission regarding Community Support Frameworks.

COORDINATES national, autonomous and, where appropriate, local authorities vested with competencies in the field of human resources, for the purpose of establishing intervention programmes.

EXAMINES applications for assistance to see if they meet the requisites of current legislation and are inscribed within the framework of national employment policy.

CHECKS that the applications for assitance guarantee the national financing required to complement the aid requested from the ESF.

HANDLES the applications for assistance with the European Social Fund and PARTICIPATES in the negotiation of the resulting Operational Programmes and Single Programming Documents.

HANDLES, as paying authority, the applications for payment arising from the implementation of actions that are co-financed.

SUPERVISES AND EVALUATES actions having received funds from the European Social Fund to ensure correct use of assitance funds, in accordance with the provisions of community legislation.

ENSURES that co-financed interventions comply with the obligation to inform and publicise assitance interventions and to disseminate the achievements and results obtained