MEDIA ADVISORY - International financial institutions meet in Turin to link competitiveness, skills and social inclusion

Turin, 25 november 2025 - On 26 November 2025, Turin will host the second stage of the European dialogue on skills and competitiveness, “Empowering Competitiveness: Investing in Skills Ecosystems and Strategic Partnerships for Prosperity”. The high-level roundtable is organised by the European Training Foundation (ETF), the European Union agency based in Turin, under the patronage of the City of Turin.

Key speakers will include ETF Director Pilvi Torsti, Turin Vice Mayor Michela Favaro, EIB Global Director - Enlargement and Neighborhood Lionel Rapaille, European Commission Director-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion Mario Nava, European Commission Director for Enlargement Mathieu Bousquet, European Commission’s Director for International Partnerships, Erika Gerretsen as well as senior representatives from countries in the EU neighbourhood, international financial institutions and social partners.

A central moment of the day will be the launch of the first ever partnership between the European Training Foundation and the European Investment Bank. This will be marked by the official entry of the ETF in the Gender and Social Inclusion (GESI) Technical Assistance Facility, an initiative financed by the European Commission and designed to reinforce the social impact of investments in the EU enlargement and neighbourhood region by integrating skills, gender equality and inclusion.

Pilvi Torsti, Director of the European Training Foundation, said: “This meeting in Turin shows that competitiveness, skills and social inclusion now belong to the same conversation. When Europe invests in energy, transport, digitalisation or the green transition, it must invest at the same time in people and in their skills. The new Facility with the European Investment Bank is a concrete example of how investments can be designed to create real opportunities for women, young people and vulnerable groups, and to build economies that are more resilient, fair and sustainable.”

Skills at the core of competitiveness

The Turin meeting takes place against the backdrop of the recently launched Union of Skills, a new European agenda on competitiveness, industrial transition and human capital. The European Year of Skills (2024) has confirmed that skills are a key condition for competitiveness, innovation and social cohesion, while the Draghi Report underlined the urgency of building resilient and inclusive skills ecosystems across Europe. The discussions in Turin will focus on how skills ecosystems, lifelong learning and strategic partnerships can support industrial and green transition, decent work, social inclusion and sustainable competitiveness in Europe and in the EU neighbourhood. 

The GESI Facility: a new instrument for inclusive investments

During the roundtable, the European Training Foundation (ETF) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) will officially launch their partnership under the Gender and Social Inclusion (GESI) Technical Assistance Facility. The Facility has an overall budget of EUR 6.4 million over three years, financed by the European Commission (EUR 5.8 million) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (EUR 0.6 million), of which EUR 1 million will be implemented by the ETF to support 5–7 pilot projects.

The GESI Facility will help promoters of EIB investments in the enlargement and neighbourhood region to integrate training and skills development, gender equality and social inclusion into projects in sectors such as energy, transport, agriculture and the green transition. Drawing on the expertise of the ETF, the Facility will help increase the impact of EIB investments on the skills and employability of young people, women and vulnerable groups.

Key moments – 26 November 2025 (CET)

• The day will open from 09:30 to 10:00 with welcome remarks by ETF Director Pilvi Torsti, Turin Vice Mayor Michela Favaro and European Commission Director-General Mario Nava (DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion).
• From 10:00 to 12:20, two thematic sessions will explore skills ecosystems for competitiveness and company-based innovation in the context of skills shortages, with contributions from ministers, social partners, businesses and international financial institutions.
• From 12:30 to 13:00, the ETF and the EIB will hold the official launch and signature of the Gender and Social Inclusion Facility with interventions by European Commission Director Mathieu Bousquet, EIB Global Director - Enlargement and Neighborhood Lionel Rapaille and ETF Director Pilvi Torsti.

About the European Training Foundation (ETF)

The European Training Foundation (ETF) is the European Union agency that supports EU neighbouring countries in reforming education, training and labour market systems. The ETF works with nearly 30 countries – from Ukraine to the Western Balkans, from the Southern Mediterranean to Central Asia and the African Union– to strengthen the security and prosperity of Europe and its neighbours. The ETF Governing Board, chaired by Mario Nava, European Commission’s Director-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, brings together representatives from all 27 EU Member States. The ETF is based in Italy.

Media accreditation and contacts

Media representatives interested in covering the event or requesting interviews invited to contact: Daria Santucci, +39 366 9639638, mediarelations@etf.europa.eu