# EUR-Lex - 52012PC0514 - EN

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# 52012PC0514

**Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL Establishing the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps EU Aid Volunteers /* COM/2012/0514 final - 2012/0245 (COD) */**

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

1.           CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL

Grounds for and objectives of the
proposal

As envisaged in Article 214(5) of the
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), this proposal
establishes the framework for the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps,
which should enable joint contributions from European volunteers in
humanitarian aid operations. Its objective is to express the Union's
humanitarian values and solidarity with people in need, through the promotion
of an effective and visible European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps, which
contributes to strengthening the Union's capacity to respond to humanitarian
crises and to building the capacity and resilience of vulnerable or
disaster-affected communities in third countries.

The Union has to ensure adequate
humanitarian aid in the face of the increased number and magnitude of
humanitarian crises, both natural disasters and man-made crises. Well-prepared
volunteers can contribute to the Union's capacity to
cope with these additional humanitarian needs.

Improving the mobilisation of the
volunteering capacity of European citizens can also project a positive image of
the Union in the world and foster interest for pan-European projects in support
of humanitarian aid activities. While volunteering is on the rise for many
activities, there is still a significant potential of further developing
solidarity among Union citizens with people in third countries who are victims
of man-made crises or natural disasters. European citizens consider
humanitarian aid to be the sector where volunteering has the biggest impact and
the establishment of a European Humanitarian Voluntary Aid Corps enjoys
considerable support amongst them. A large majority of European citizens have
also expressed overwhelming support for the Union's
activities in providing humanitarian aid. However, there is a need to further promote communication with the Union's citizens to raise levels of
awareness about the Union's humanitarian aid and its visibility[1].

The proposal builds on the 2010
Communication "How to express EU citizens’ solidarity through
volunteering: First reflections on a European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps"[2].The Communication presents the
guiding principles, gaps and necessary conditions to make a positive
contribution to Union humanitarian aid. To test some of the possible features
of the scheme, a series of pilot projects have been launched, lessons learnt
from which are taken into account in this proposal.

The Council[3]
and the European Parliament[4]
have expressed strong support for the initiative, reaffirming the key role of
the Union in promoting volunteering and identifying some of the key components
of the Corps.

The proposal would contribute to the
objectives of the Union's external policy and, in particular, the Union's humanitarian
aid objectives to preserve life, prevent and alleviate human suffering
and maintain human dignity. It would reinforce the benefits delivered to the
hosting communities in third countries and the impact that the volunteer
activities have on the volunteers themselves. Furthermore, the training and informal
learning experience volunteers will acquire is a strong investment in human
capital which would improve their employability in global economy and thus contribute
to the Europe's 2020 objectives for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.

Consistency with other policies and
objectives of the Union

Particular attention has been given to
ensuring close coordination between the actions of the Voluntary Humanitarian
Aid Corps with the Union's humanitarian aid policy and actions carried out
under the EU external policies, in particular in the field of development
cooperation. The Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps, whilst centred on the
objectives of the Union's humanitarian aid, should also contribute to a range
of other Union internal policies such as learning, youth and active
citizenship.

The Humanitarian Voluntary Corps will fill
gaps which are not covered by existing European programmes such as the European
Voluntary Service. Indeed, the European Voluntary Service's activities take
place primarily within Europe, are focused on the promotion of young people up
to 30 years old to enhance social cohesion and mutual understanding within the
Union, and are not based on humanitarian principles. The objectives of the
Humanitarian Voluntary Corps, its scope and activities correspond to the
specific needs of humanitarian activities and operations.

2.           RESULTS OF CONSULTATIONS WITH THE
INTERESTED PARTIES AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Since the first tabling of the proposal for
a Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps in the draft EU Constitutional Treaty, two
external reviews in 2006 and 2010 and a series of consultations with a broad
range of stakeholders were carried out in order to assess the current situation
in humanitarian aid volunteering, highlight existing gaps and challenges, and
identify objectives and priorities areas for action.

Interested stakeholders, including the main
humanitarian aid organisations (NGOs, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Family, UN
agencies), mainstream volunteer organisations, individual volunteers, Member
States' representatives and other relevant actors were specifically consulted
at two dedicated conferences[5]
and through a public on-line consultation. Different issues related to the Voluntary
Humanitarian Aid Corps have been discussed in addition by the Member States
within the Council working party on humanitarian aid and food aid[6]. Consultations also included an
online public forum on a suitable name of the Corps. A thorough analysis lead
to the choice of 'EU Aid Volunteers' as an appropriate name for the initiative
and shall be hereinafter used to refer to both the initiative and to the
individual volunteers who will be deployed to humanitarian operations.

An impact assessment report was prepared to
examine policy options and their potential impacts. This process was
accompanied by an Impact Assessment Steering Group involving relevant
Commission services[7]
and benefitted from input of an external preparatory study. Lessons learnt and
conclusions from two seminars organised with pilot project coordinators were
taken into account[8].

All comments by stakeholders were fully considered and are reflected in the
impact assessment report.

Impact assessment

The main problems identified are:

(1)
Lack of a structured EU approach towards
volunteering;

(2)
Poor visibility of EU humanitarian action and
solidarity with people in need;

(3)
Lack of consistent identification and selection
mechanisms across Member States;

(4)
Insufficient availability of qualified
volunteers for humanitarian aid;

(5)
Shortcomings in the surge capacity of
humanitarian aid;

(6)
Weak capacity of hosting organisations;

The impact assessment examined a number of
policy options resulting from the combination of different modules and mode of
management:

Policy Option 1, including:
(1) Development of standards for identification, selection and training of
volunteers and (2) Development of certification mechanism for sending
organisations;

Policy Option 2, including the modules
under Option 1 plus (3) Support to training for EU volunteers in humanitarian aid, (4)
Creation of an EU Register of trained volunteers, (5) Development of standards
and a certification mechanism for volunteer management in hosting organisations;

Policy Option 3, including all modules
under Option 2 plus (6) Support to
deployment of EU volunteers, (7) Building capacity in third country hosting
organisations, (8) Establishment of an EU Network of humanitarian volunteers.
This Option would be implemented in partnership with humanitarian aid
organisations which should identify, select and deploy the volunteers.

Policy Option 4, including all modules
under Option 3 implemented in a direct management mode by the European
Commission.

Based on this assessment of the potential economic, social and
environmental impacts, Policy Option 3 was recommended as the most efficient
and effective option for adressing the problems identified.

3.           LEGAL ELEMENTS OF THE PROPOSAL

This proposal lays down the procedures and
the rules for the operation of the EU Aid Volunteers as envisaged in Article
214(5) of the Treaty. It follows an enabling approach and is limited to the
essential elements necessary for the implementation of the Regulation,
including specifying its general and operational objectives, the principles and
the actions of which it consists, the provisions for financial assistance and
the general provisions for its implementation.

The proposal follows the humanitarian aid principles
(Art. 4) and the definition of humanitarian aid from the European
Consensus on Humanitarian Aid[9].
In addition to crisis response it also covers disaster prevention, preparedness
and recovery operations as well as humanitarian aid activities which aim to
increase the capacities of the communities and build their resilience to crises.

The main elements of the proposal concern
the different actions of the EU Aid Volunteers which can be supported
with financial assistance and implemented by different beneficiaries based on a
Commission annual work programme (Art. 21). In
accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No. 58/2003[10], the Commission has the intention to delegate the programme management to an executive agency.

The proposal specifies the following types
of actions:

–
Standards regarding candidate and EU Aid
Volunteers (Art. 9)

The Commission will develop standards which
will set the policy framework and minimum requirements to ensure effective,
efficient and coherent recruitment and preparation of candidate volunteers and deployment
and management of EU Aid Volunteers which are the main actions of this
initiative. The standards will ensure duty of care and cover notably
responsibilities of the sending and hosting organisations, minimum requirements
on the coverage of subsistence, accommodation and other relevant expenses,
insurance coverage and other relevant elements.

–
Certification (Art. 10)

Sending organisations that would like to
select, prepare and deploy EU Aid Volunteers will have to be certified for
compliance with these standards. They should meet different eligibility
requirements and follow a differentiated certification procedure (to be defined
in implementing acts), taking into account their nature and capacity (e.g.
Member States' public bodies, NGOs). Civil protection and development
cooperation actors acting in the field of humanitarian aid shall also be
considered eligible. A differentiated certification mechanism will be
established for eligible hosting organisations.Although private companies are
not eligible as sending or hosting organisations, they can be associated to the
projects and co-finance part of the costs of the volunteer to encourage
corporate volunteering as called for in Communication "A renewed EU strategy 2011-14 for Corporate Social
Responsibility"[11].

–
Identification and selection of candidate
volunteers (Art. 11)

The EU Aid Volunteers are open for
participation to Union citizens as well as nationals legally residing in
the EU on a long term basis. Subject to agreements as referred to in Article 23(1),
citizens from candidate and potential candidate countries and from partner
countries from the European Neighbourhood Policy may apply to become EU Aid
Volunteers.

On the basis of an annual work programme,
the Commission will publish calls for proposals for the identification and selection
of candidate volunteers by certified sending organisations. Sending
organisations that have been awarded the contracts in response to these calls
will identify and select candidate volunteers for training after prior
assessment of the needs in third countries by sending or hosting organisations
or other relevant actors.

–
Training and pre-deployment preparation (Art.
12)

The selected candidate volunteers will
undergo tailor-made training, taking into account their prior experience. The
training programme will be organised by the Commission and will be implemented
by organisations with specific training expertise. In addition, as part of
their training and depending on their training needs, candidate volunteers will
be able to gain practical experience through apprenticeship placements or other
forms of short term pre-deployment preparation given by certified sending
organisations.

–
Register of EU Aid Volunteers (Art. 13)

Candidate volunteers should be assessed for
their preparedness to be deployed in third countries. If successful, they
should be included in a Register of EU Aid Volunteers eligible for deployment
which will be managed by the Commission. The Register will also include
volunteers who have already been deployed, if they are willing to be considered
for future deployment.

–
Deployment of EU Aid Volunteers in third
countries (Art. 14)

On the basis of its annual work programme,
the Commission will publish calls for proposals for the deployment of EU Aid Volunteers
by certified sending organisations. Sending organisations that have been awarded
the contracts in response to these calls can select volunteers from the
Register and deploy them to hosting organisations. The Commission may also
deploy volunteers from the Register to the Commission’s humanitarian aid field
offices or in response operations in third countries through the Emergency
Response Centre[12]
that facilitates the Union response to disasters. The specific terms of
deployment will be set-out in a contract between the sending organisation and
the volunteer.

–
Capacity building of hosting organisations
(Art. 15)

Through this action, the Commission can
support capacity building actions of the hosting organisations so as to ensure
effective management of the EU Aid Volunteers and sustainable impact of their
work, including the promotion of local volunteering.

–
EU Aid Volunteers' Network (Art. 16)

This action envisages the establishment of an
EU Aid Volunteers' Network which will be managed by the Commission. It will
consist of and facilitate interaction between the EU Aid Volunteers and will
also carry out specific activities, notably through knowledge sharing and
dissemination of information. It shall also support activities such as
seminars, workshops and alumni activities.

–
Communication, awareness raising and
visibility (Art. 17)

This action will support public information, communication and awareness
raising actions to promote the EU Aid Volunteers and to encourage volunteering
in humanitarian aid. The Commission will develop an information
and communication action plan, which will be implemented by all beneficiaries,
in particular sending and hosting organisations.

The Commission is empowered to adopt modalities of some of the
actions through delegated acts (as foreseen in Art. 25) on standards
and amending indicators for operational objectives; or through implementing
acts (Art. 24) including the certification mechanism and modalities of the training
programme).

Legal basis

The legal basis of this
proposal is Article 214(5) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European
Union.

Subsidiarity principle

As the establishment
of the EU Aid Volunteers by the Union is envisaged in a specific legal basis in
the Treaty, the subsidiarity principle does not apply.

Proportionality principle332

The proposal addresses identified gaps in existing volunteering
schemes and does not go beyond what is necessary to achieve the objectives.

The administrative
burden falling upon the Union is limited and ensures the conditions necessary
for the deployment of volunteers in humanitarian aid operations, including the
development of standards, certification mechanism, a training programme and a Register
of trained volunteers. The main actions concerning the EU
Aid Volunteers related to the identifiation, selection, preparation and
deployment of volunteers will be decentralised and implemented by sending and
hosting organisations. The Commission has furthermore the intention to delegate the programme management to an
executive agency.

Choice of
instrument

Proposal for a
Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council

4.           BUDGETARY IMPLICATION

The Commission's Communication on a 'Budget
for Europe 2020'[13]
envisages budgetary commitments for the establishment of the European Voluntary
Humanitarian Aid Corps (EU Aid Volunteers) of EUR 239.1 million in current prices.

2012/0245 (COD)

Proposal for a

REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
AND OF THE COUNCIL

Establishing the European Voluntary
Humanitarian Aid Corps

EU Aid Volunteers

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL
OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the
Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 214(5) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the
European Commission,

After consultation of the European Data
Protection Supervisor,

After transmission of the draft legislative
act to the national Parliaments,

Acting in accordance with the ordinary
legislative procedure,

Whereas:

(1)       Solidarity is a
fundamental value of the Union and there is potential for further developing means
of expressing solidarity of Union citizens with people in third countries
vulnerable to or affected by man-made
crises or natural disasters.

(2)       Volunteering is a concrete
and visible expression of solidarity allowing individuals to dedicate their knowledge,
skills and time to the service of fellow human beings, without a primary
concern for financial gain.

(3)       The Union's vision of
humanitarian aid, including a common objective, principles and good practice
and a common framework to deliver the Union's humanitarian aid, is set out in
the "European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid"[14]. The
European Consensus underlines the Union's firm commitment to upholding and promoting the fundamental humanitarian principles of
humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. The actions of the
European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps (hereinafter referred to as the 'EU
Aid Volunteers') should be guided by the European Consensus on Humanitarian
Aid.

(4)       The
Union's humanitarian aid is delivered in situations where other instruments
related to development cooperation, crisis management and civil protection
operate. The EU Aid Volunteers should work in a coherent and complementarity manner
with relevant policies and instruments in order to make the most effective use
of these instruments while systematically promoting humanitarian principles and
long-term development goals. Synergies of the actions
of the EU Aid Volunteers should be sought with the Union Civil Protection
Mechanism, the Emergency Response Centre established by Decision XX/XXXX[15] and with the EEAS and the EU
Delegations in order to coordinate the Union's response to humanitarian crises in
third countries.

(5)       The number, scope and
complexity of humanitarian crises worldwide have increased significantly over
the years leading to a rising demand on humanitarian actors to provide an
effective, efficient and coherent response and to
support third country local communities in order to make them less vulnerable
and to strengthen their resilience to disasters.

(6)       Volunteers can strengthen humanitarian
aid operations and contribute to the professionalization of humanitarian aid when
they are adequately selected, trained and prepared for deployment so as to
ensure that they have the necessary skills and competences to help people in
need in the most effective way.

(7)       Volunteering schemes exist
in Europe and worldwide focusing on third country deployment. These are often
national schemes which focus mainly or exclusively on development projects. The
EU Aid Volunteers should, therefore, avoid duplication and should add value by
providing opportunities to volunteers to
jointly contribute to humanitarian aid operations thus
reinforcing active European Union citizenship and by fostering transnational cooperation of implementing organisations
participating in the actions of the Corps.

(8)       There are gaps in the
current landscape of humanitarian volunteering that the EU Aid Volunteers can
fill with the volunteers with the right profiles deployed at the right time to
the right place. This could be achieved notably through providing European
standards on identification and selection of humanitarian volunteers, commonly
agreed benchmarks for training and preparation of humanitarian volunteers for
deployment, improved registers of potential volunteers who are identified based
on the needs in the field, and opportunities for volunteers to contribute to
humanitarian operations not only by deployment but also through back-office
support and online-volunteering activities.[16]

(9)       Security and safety of the
volunteers should remain of paramount importance.

(10)     The Union carries out its
humanitarian aid operations in partnership with implementing organisations. These
organisations should play a significant role in implementing the EU Aid
Volunteers' initiative to ensure ownership of the actors in the field and to maximise
the potential uptake of the Voluntary Corps' actions. The Union should entrust
implementing organisations notably with the identification, selection,
preparation and deployment of EU Aid Volunteers in accordance with standards
established by the Commission. The Commission should, in addition, be able to
draw upon successfully trained and prepared volunteers for deployment, where
appropriate.

(11)     Private companies can play an important role and contribute to the Union's
humanitarian operations notably through employee volunteering[17].

(12)     Volunteering in
humanitarian aid could help maintain young people active, contribute to
their personal development and intercultural awareness, and
improve their competences and employability in global economy. It would, thus,
contribute to the 'Youth Opportunities Initiative'[18] and to a range of other key
objectives of the Union such as social inclusion, employment, active
citizenship, education, and skills development[19].

(13)     The Union's principles of
equal opportunities and non-discrimination suggest that Union citizens and long-term
residents in the Union of all walks of life and age should be able to engage as
active citizens. Given the specific challenges of the humanitarian context,
participants of the EU Aid Volunteers should be aged over 18.

(14)     A clear legal status is a
crucial precondition for volunteers to participate in deployment in countries
outside the Union. The terms of deployment of the volunteers should be defined
contractually, including standards for protection and safety of the volunteers,
responsibilities of the sending and hosting organisations, insurance coverage,
coverage of subsistence, accommodation and other relevant expenses. Volunteers'
eligibility for deployment in third countries should be subject to adequate
safety and security arrangements.

(15)     The EU Aid Volunteers should
support local humanitarian aid organisations in third
countries. Its activities should increase the hosting organisations' capacity
to deal with humanitarian crises and to professionally manage the EU Aid Volunteers,
to effectively use their skills and competences and to ensure that the
volunteers' contributions have a sustainable impact on local communities
thereby assisting the people in need affected by humanitarian crises, who are
the final beneficiaries of the Union's humanitarian aid.

(16)     The
financial provisions of this Regulation should apply as of 1 January 2014 as
they are related to the Multi-annual Financial Framework 2014-2020. The
allocation of financial assistance should be implemented in accordance with
Regulation No xxx/2012[20]
applicable to the general budget of the European Union (the Financial
Regulation). Due to the specific nature of action of the EU Aid Volunteers, it
is appropriate to provide that financial assistance may be awarded to natural, public
and private law legal persons. It is also important to ensure that the rules of
that Regulation are respected, in particular regarding the principles of
economy, efficiency and effectiveness laid down therein.

(17)     The
financial interests of the Union should be protected through proportionate
measures throughout the expenditure cycle, including the prevention, detection
and investigation of irregularities, the recovery of funds lost, wrongly paid
or incorrectly used and, where appropriate, penalties. Appropriate measures
should be taken to prevent irregularities and fraud and the necessary steps
taken to recover funds lost, wrongly paid or incorrectly used in accordance
with Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95 of 18 December 1995 on the
protection of the Communities financial interests[21], Council Regulation (Euratom,
EC) No 2185/96 of 11 November 1996 concerning on-the-spot checks and
inspections carried out by the Commission in order to protect the European
Communities' financial interests against fraud and other irregularities[22] and Regulation (EC) No
1073/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 May 1999
concerning investigations conducted by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)[23].

(18)     Participation
of third countries, in particular acceding, candidate, EFTA and partner
countries of the European Neighbourhood Policy, should be possible on the basis
of cooperation conventions.

(19)     In
order to allow for continuous feedback and improvement, the power to adopt acts
in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European
Union should be delegated to the Commission in respect of provisions relating
to the standards for management of EU Aid Volunteers and the amendment of the
performance indicators. It is of particular importance that the Commission
carries out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at
expert level. The Commission, when preparing and drawing-up delegated acts,
should ensure a simultaneous, timely and appropriate transmission of relevant
documents to the European Parliament and Council.

(20)     In
order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Regulation,
implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission. Those powers should
be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European
Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and
general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the
Commission’s exercise of implementing powers.[24]
The examination procedure should be used for the adoption of the certification
mechanism, the training programme and the annual work programme of the Corps.

(21)     This
Regulation respects the fundamental rights and observes the principles which
are recognised by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

(22)     The
processing of personal data that is carried out within the framework of this
Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary and proportionate for the
purposes of ensuring the smooth running of the EU Aid Volunteers' initiative.
Any processing of personal data by the Commission will be governed by
Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18
December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of
personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement
of such data[25].
Any processing of personal data by implementing organizations legally
established in the Union will be governed by the Data Protection Directive
95/46/EC[26].

HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Chapter I
Objectives, Scope and Definitions

Article 1
Subject matter

This Regulation establishes a European
Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps (hereinafter referred to as 'the EU Aid
Volunteers') as a framework for joint contributions from European volunteers in
humanitarian aid operations of the Union.

This Regulation lays down the rules and
procedures for the operation of the EU Aid Volunteers and rules for the
provision of financial assistance.

Article 2
Scope

This Regulation shall apply to:

1.           deployment of EU Aid Volunteers
in humanitarian aid operations in third countries.

2.           actions inside the Union
that support, promote and prepare the deployment of EU Aid Volunteers in
humanitarian aid operations.

3.           actions inside and outside
the Union aimed at building the capacity of hosting organisations in third
countries in view of the management of EU Aid Volunteers.

Article 3
Objective

The objective of the EU Aid Volunteers shall
be to express the Union's humanitarian values and solidarity with people in
need, through the promotion of an effective and visible EU Aid Volunteers'
initiative, which contributes to strengthening the Union's capacity to respond
to humanitarian crises and to building the capacity and resilience of
vulnerable or disaster-affected communities in third countries.

Article
4
General principles

1.           The actions of the EU Aid
Volunteers shall be conducted in compliance with the humanitarian aid principles
of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence.

2.           The actions of the EU Aid
Volunteers shall respond to the need of local communities and hosting
organisations and should contribute to the professionalization of the provision
of humanitarian aid.

3.           The safety and security of
volunteers shall be a priority.

4.           The EU Aid Volunteers
shall promote common activities and participation of volunteers from different
countries and foster joint projects and transnational partnerships between
implementing organisations as referred to in Article 10.

Article 5
Definitions

For the purposes of this Regulation, the
following definitions shall apply:

(a)
'volunteer' means a person who chooses, out of
free will and motivation and without a primary concern for financial gain, to engage
in activities that benefit the community, him or herself, and society at large.

(b)
'candidate volunteer' means a person eligible in
the sense of Article 11(1) applying for participation in the activities of the EU
Aid Volunteers.

(c)
an 'EU Aid Volunteer' means a candidate
volunteer that has been selected, trained, assessed as eligible and registered as
available for deployment in humanitarian aid operations in third countries.

(d)
'humanitarian aid' means activities and operations
intended to provide needs-based emergency assistance aimed at preserving life,
preventing and alleviating human suffering and maintaining human dignity in
the face of man-made crises or natural disasters. It encompasses assistance,
relief and protection operations in humanitarian crises or their immediate
aftermath, supporting measures to ensure access to people in need and to
facilitate the free flow of assistance, as well as actions aimed at reinforcing
disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction, and contributing towards
strengthening resilience and capacity to cope with, and recover from, crises.

(e)
'third country' means a country outside the
Union where humanitarian aid activities and operations as referred to under (d)
take place.

Article 6
Coherence and complementarities of the Union action

1.           In implementing the
Regulation, coherence shall be ensured with other areas of Union's external
action and with other relevant Union policies. Particular attention shall be
given to ensure smooth transition between relief, rehabilitation and
development.

2.           The
Commission and the Member States shall cooperate to improve the consistency and
coherence between relevant national volunteering schemes and the actions of the
EU Aid Volunteers.

3.           The Union shall foster
cooperation with relevant international organisation, in particular the United
Nations, and other humanitarian
aid partners in implementation of the actions of the EU
Aid Volunteers.

Article 7
Operational objectives

1.           The EU
Aid Volunteers shall pursue the
following operational objectives:

(a)
Increase in and improvement of the capacity of
the Union to provide humanitarian aid.

Progress towards the achievement of this operational
objective shall be assessed on the basis of indicators, such as:

–
the number of EU Aid Volunteers  deployed or
ready for deployment;

–
the number of people reached by humanitarian aid
provided by the Union.

(b)
Improvement of the skills and competences of
volunteers in the field of humanitarian aid and the conditions under which they
are working.

Progress towards the achievement of this operational
objective shall be assessed on the basis of indicators, such as:

–
the number of volunteers trained and the quality
of the training on the basis of the reviews and level of satisfaction;

–
the number of certified sending organisations
applying the standards for deployment and management of EU Aid Volunteers.

(c)
Building the capacity of hosting organisations
and foster volunteering in third countries.

Progress towards the
achievement of this operational objective shall be assessed on the basis of
indicators, such as:

–
the number and type of capacity building actions;

–
the number of third country staff and volunteers
participating in the capacity building actions.

(d)
Promotion of the visibility of the Union's
humanitarian aid values.

Progress towards the
achievement of this operational objective shall be assessed on the basis of
indicators, such as:

–
the EU Aid Volunteers' level of knowledge about
EU humanitarian aid;

–
the level of awareness about the EU Aid Volunteers among
the targeted population in the Union, the participating and benefitting third
country communities and other humanitarian actors.

(e)
Enhancement of coherence and consistency of volunteering
across Member States in order to improve opportunities for Union citizens to
participate in humanitarian aid activities and operations.

Progress towards the achievement of this operational
objective shall be assessed on the basis of indicators, such as:

–
the number of certified sending organisations;

–
dissemination and replication of the standards
on management of EU Aid Volunteers by other volunteering schemes.

2.           The indicators referred to
under paragraph 1(a) to (e) shall be used for monitoring, evaluation and review
of performance as appropriate. They are indicative and may be amended in
accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 25 in order to take into
account experience from the progress measurement.

CHAPTER II
ACTIONS OF THE EU AID VOLUNTEERS

Article 8
Actions of the EU Aid Volunteers

The EU Aid Volunteers shall pursue the objectives referred to in
Articles 3 and 7 through the following types of actions:

–
Development and maintenance of standards regarding
candidate and EU Aid Volunteers;

–
Development and maintenance of a certification
mechanism for sending and hosting organisations;

–
Identification and selection of candidate
volunteers;

–
Establishment of a training programme and
support for training and apprenticeship placements;

–
Establishment, maintenance and updating of a
Register of EU Aid Volunteers;

–
Deployment of EU Aid Volunteers in third
countries for humanitarian aid activities and operations;

–
Capacity building of hosting organisations;

–
Establishment and management of an EU Aid Volunteers' Network;

–
Communication, awareness raising and visibility;

–
Ancillary activity that furthers the
accountability, transparency and effectiveness of the EU
Aid Volunteers.

Article 9
Standards regarding candidate and EU Aid Volunteers

1.           The Commission shall adopt
delegated acts in accordance with Article 25 in order to establish standards
for:

(a)
the identification, selection and preparation of
candidate volunteers for deployment in humanitarian aid operations;

(b)
management and deployment of EU Aid Volunteers
in third countries.

2.           These standards shall
ensure duty of care and cover notably the responsibilities of the sending and
hosting organisations, minimum requirements on the coverage of subsistence,
accommodation and other relevant expenses, insurance coverage, security
procedures and other relevant elements.

Article 10
Certification

1.           The Commission shall
establish a certification mechanism ensuring that sending organisations comply
with the standards referred to in Article 9 and a differentiated certification
mechanism for hosting organisations.

2.           Sending organisations
shall be eligible for certification, if they are active in the field of
humanitarian aid as defined in Article 5(d) and if they belong to any of the
following categories:

(a)
Non-governmental not-for-profit organisations
formed in accordance with the law of a Member State and whose headquarters are
located within the Union;

(b)
The International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) and the International Federation of National Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies;

(c)
Public law bodies governed by the law of a
Member State.

Non-governmental not-for-profit organisations
and public law bodies established in the countries referred to in Article 23
shall also be eligible for certification under the conditions laid down in that
Article and the agreements mentioned therein.

3.           Organisations in third
countries that adhere to the standards referred to in Article 9(1)(b) shall be eligible
as hosting organisations if they are active in the field of humanitarian aid as
defined in Article 5(d) and belong to any of the following categories:

(a)
Non-governmental not-for-profit organisations
operating or established in a third country under the laws in force in that
country;

(b)
Public law bodies governed by the law of a third
country;

(c)
International agencies and organisations.

4.           Without prejudice to the
requirements referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3, sending and hosting
organisations may implement actions of the EU Aid
Volunteers in association with
for-profit private organisations.

5.           The functioning and
modalities of the certification mechanisms shall be adopted through
implementing acts in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 24(2).

Article 11
Identification and selection of candidate volunteers

1.           Citizens of the Union, third
country nationals who are long-term residents in a Member State of the Union
and citizens from countries and organisations referred to in Article 23(1)
under the conditions mentioned in that article, aged 18 years and over are
eligible to apply as candidate volunteers.

2.           On the basis of prior
assessment of the needs in third countries by sending or hosting organisations
or other relevant actors, certified sending organisations may identify and
select candidate volunteers for training.

3.           The identification and
selection of candidate volunteers shall comply with the standards referred to
in Article 9(1)(a).

Article 12
Training of candidate volunteers and apprenticeship placements

1.           The Commission shall
establish a training programme in order to prepare the candidate volunteers for
undertaking humanitarian activities and for deployment in humanitarian aid
operations.

2.           Candidate volunteers who
have been identified and selected in accordance with Article 11 shall be
eligible to participate in the training programme. The individual scope and
content of the training each candidate volunteer needs to accomplish shall be
determined on the basis of his or her needs taking into account prior
experience.

3.           As part of their training
and notably their preparation for deployment candidate volunteers may undertake
apprenticeship placements in certified sending organisations, where possible in
a country other than their country of origin.

4.           Without prejudice to
paragraph 3, candidate volunteers who have not benefited from an apprenticeship
placement may be given, where appropriate, additional pre-deployment
preparation by certified sending organisations. This preparation and the
apprenticeship placement shall comply with the standards for preparation referred
to in Article 9(1)(a).

5.           The training programme
shall include an assessment of the candidate volunteers' readiness to be
deployed in humanitarian aid operations.

6.           The modalities of the
training programme and the procedure of assessing the candidate volunteers' readiness
to be deployed shall be adopted through implementing acts in accordance with
the procedure referred to in Article 24(2).

Article 13
Register of EU Aid Volunteers

1.           Candidate volunteers who
have successfully passed the assessment referred to in Article 12(5) shall be
considered EU Aid Volunteers. They can be as such included in the Register of EU
Aid Volunteers (hereinafter referred to as 'the Register') and shall be
eligible for deployment.

2.           The Commission shall establish,
maintain and update the Register and shall regulate the access and the use of
it.

Article 14
Deployment of EU Aid Volunteers in third countries

1.           EU Aid Volunteers included
in the Register may be deployed in humanitarian aid activities and operations
as defined in Article 5(d):

(a)
by certified sending organisations to hosting
organisations in third countries, or

(b)
by the Commission to the Commission's
humanitarian aid field offices or in response operations in third countries.

2.           For deployment as referred
to in paragraph 1(a), certified sending organisations shall ensure compliance
with the standards referred to in article 9.

3.           The specific terms of
deployment of volunteers shall be set-out in a contract between the sending
organisations and the volunteer, including the duration and location of
deployment and the tasks of the volunteer.

4.           For deployment as referred
to in paragraph 1(b), the Commission shall sign a 'volunteer deployment contract'
with the volunteers, defining specific terms and conditions of deployment. Volunteer
deployment contracts shall not confer upon the volunteer rights and obligations
arising from the 'Staff Regulations of the Officials of the European Union' and
the 'Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union'.

Article 15
Capacity building of hosting organisations

The Commission shall support actions aimed
at strengthening capacity of hosting organisations in order to ensure the
effectiveness of EU Aid Volunteers and sustainable impact of their work, including:

(a)
training in volunteer management, coaching,
disaster preparedness and response and other relevant areas for staff and
volunteers from hosting organisations;

(b)
exchange of best practices, technical
assistance, twinning programmes and exchange of staff and volunteers, creation
of networks and other relevant actions aiming to improve the management of EU
Aid Volunteers in third countries and to encourage and support quality
volunteering in third countries.

Article 16
EU Aid Volunteers' Network

1.           The Commission shall
establish and manage a EU Aid Volunteers' Network (hereinafter referred to as 'the Network').

2.           The Network shall
facilitate interaction among candidate volunteers and EU Aid Volunteers who are
participating or have participated in the initiative; between these volunteers
and other beneficiaries of the EU Aid Volunteers, notably by those referred to in Article 15; and among other
relevant actors. It shall provide opportunities for virtual interaction, notably
through knowledge sharing and dissemination of information on the EU Aid Volunteers' initiative; and shall
support other appropriate activities such as seminars and workshops.

3.           The Network shall also provide
and promote opportunities for on-line volunteering to complement and reinforce
the activities of the EU Aid Volunteers.

Article 17
Communication, awareness raising and visibility

1.           The Commission shall
support public information, communication and awareness raising actions to
promote the EU Aid Volunteers' initiative and to encourage volunteering in humanitarian
aid within the Union and in the third countries benefitting from its actions.

2.           The
Commission shall develop an information and communication action plan on the
objectives, actions and results of the EU Aid Volunteers which shall define communication and
dissemination activities towards the public, in particular the European citizens
and towards future potential candidate volunteers and beneficiaries of the EU
Aid Volunteers' actions. All beneficiaries of the EU Aid
Volunteers, notably sending and hosting organisations,
shall implement this action plan.

3.           EU Aid Volunteers shall,
where necessary with the assistance and direction of the sending and hosting
organisations, participate in appropriate information, communication and
awareness raising activities before, during and after deployment to promote the
EU Aid Volunteers and their engagement therein. The Commission shall define those activities, which shall not
impose disproportionate obligations on the volunteers.

CHAPTER III
Financial provisions

Article 18
Eligible actions

1.           The actions referred to in
Article 8 shall be eligible for financial assistance, including the measures
necessary for their implementation as well as measures
aimed at strengthening the coordination between the EU Aid Volunteers'
initiative and other relevant schemes at national and international level.

2.           The financial allocation
referred to in paragraph 1 may also cover expenses pertaining to preparatory,
monitoring, control, audit and evaluation activities, which are required for
the management of the EU Aid Volunteers' initiative and the achievement of its objectives.

3.           Such expenditure may, in
particular, cover studies, meetings of experts, information and communication
actions, including corporate communication of the policy priorities of the
Union, as far as they are related to the general objectives of this Regulation,
expenses linked to IT networks focusing on information processing and exchange
(including their interconnection with existing or future systems designed to
promote cross-sectoral data exchange and related equipment), together with all
other technical and administrative assistance expenses incurred by the
Commission.

Article 19
Financial beneficiaries

Financial assistance under this Regulation may
be awarded to natural persons and legal persons, whether governed by private or
public law, which shall then be deemed financial beneficiaries in the sense of
the Financial Regulation XX/2012.

Article 20
Budgetary resources

The financial reference amount for the
implementation of this Regulation for the period 2014 to 2020 shall be EUR 239.100.000
at current prices. If necessary, appropriations could be entered in the budget
beyond 2020 to cover similar expenses, in order to enable the management of
actions not yet completed by 31 December 2020.

Article 21
Types of financial intervention and implementing procedures

1.           The
Commission shall implement the Union's financial assistance in accordance with
the Financial Regulation XX/2012 applicable to the budget of the Union.

2.           Financial
assistance under this Regulation may take any of the forms provided by the
Financial Regulation.

3.           In
order to implement this Regulation, the Commission shall adopt an annual work
programme of the EU Aid Volunteers' initiative in accordance with the procedure
referred to in Article 24(2). It shall set out the objectives pursued, the
expected results, the method of implementation and their total amount. It shall
also contain the description of actions to be financed, an indication of the
amount allocated to each action and an indicative implementation timetable. For
grants, they shall include the priorities, the essential evaluation criteria
and the maximum rate of co-financing.

4.           The
Commission may consider the added-value and management advantages of creating
an EU Trust Fund.

Article 22
Protection of the financial interests of the Union

1.           The
Commission shall take appropriate measures ensuring that, when actions financed
under this Regulation are implemented, the financial interests of the Union are
protected by the application of preventive measures against fraud, corruption
and any other illegal activities by effective checks and, if irregularities are
detected, by the recovery of the amounts wrongly paid and, where appropriate,
by effective, proportionate and deterrent penalties.

2.           The
Commission or its representatives and the Court of Auditors shall have the
power of audit, on the basis of documents and on the spot, over all grant
beneficiaries, contractors and subcontractors, who have received Union funds
under this Regulation.

3.           The
European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF) may carry out on-the-spot checks and
inspections on economic operators concerned directly or indirectly by such
funding in accordance with the procedures laid down in Regulation (Euratom, EC)
No 2185/96 with a view to establishing whether there has been fraud, corruption
or any other illegal activity affecting the financial interests of the Union in
connection with a grant agreement, grant decision or a contract concerning
Union funding.

4.           Without
prejudice to paragraphs 1 and 2, cooperation agreements with third countries
and international organisations, grant agreements, grant decisions and
contracts resulting from the implementation of this Regulation shall expressly
empower the Commission, the Court of Auditors and OLAF to conduct such audits,
on-the-spot checks and inspections.

CHAPTER IV
GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 23
Cooperation with other countries and international organisations

1.           The EU Aid
Volunteers shall be open to participation of:

(a)
citizens and sending organisations from acceding
countries, candidate countries, potential candidates countries and partner
countries of the European Neighbourhood Policy in accordance with the general principles
and general terms and conditions for the participation of those countries in
Union's programmes established in the respective Framework Agreements and
Association Council Decisions, or similar arrangements;

(b)
citizens and sending organisations from European
Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries which are members of the European
Economic Area (EEA), in accordance with the conditions laid down in the EEA
Agreement;

(c)
citizens and sending organisations from other
European countries, subject to the conclusion of bilateral agreements with those countries.

(d)
staff from international organisations who meet the
eligibility criteria referred to in Article 11(1).

(2)
This cooperation shall be based, where relevant, on
additional appropriations from these participating countries to be made available in accordance with procedures to be
agreed with these countries.

Article 24
Committee procedure

1.           The
Commission shall be assisted by the committee established under Article 17 (1)
of Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 concerning humanitarian aid. That
committee shall be a committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No
182/2011.

2.           Where
reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011
shall apply.

Article 25
Exercise of the delegated powers to the Commission

1.           The power to adopt
delegated acts is conferred on the Commission subject to the conditions laid
down in this Article.

2.           The power to adopt
delegated acts referred to in Articles 7(2) and 9 shall be conferred on the
Commission for a period of 7 years from the date of entry into force of this
Regulation.

3.           The delegation of power
may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A
decision of revocation shall put an end to the delegation of the power
specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following the
publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or at
a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any
delegated acts already in force.

4.           As soon as it adopts a
delegated act, the Commission shall notify it simultaneously to the European
Parliament and to the Council.

5.           An adopted delegated act
shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed either by the
European Parliament or the Council within a period of 2 months of notification
of that act to the European Parliament and the Council or if, before the expiry
of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the
Commission that they will not object. That period shall be extended by 2 months
at the initiative of the European Parliament or the Council.

Article 26
Monitoring and evaluation

1.           Actions receiving
financial assistance shall be monitored regularly in order to follow their
implementation, and regularly evaluated through independent external evaluation
to assess the efficiency, effectiveness and their impacts against the
objectives of the EU Aid Volunteers. This monitoring and evaluation shall
include the reports referred to in paragraph 5 and other activities on specific
aspects of this Regulation which may be launched at any time during its
implementation.

2.           In the evaluation phase,
the Commission shall ensure regular consultation of all relevant stakeholders,
including volunteers, sending and hosting organisations, assisted local
population, humanitarian organisations and workers in the field. The results of
the evaluation shall feed back into the programme design and resource
allocation.

3.           Sending organisations
deploying volunteers in operations outside the Union shall be responsible for
the monitoring of their activities and shall submit to the Commission
monitoring reports on a regular basis.

4.           The Commission shall regularly
inform the EEAS and the EU Delegations about the activities of the EU Aid
Volunteers in accordance with relevant working agreements.

5.           The Commission shall
submit to the European Parliament and the Council:

(a)
an interim evaluation report
on the results obtained and the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the
implementation of this Regulation during the first three years of its
implementation no later than 31 December 2017;

(b)
a Communication on the continued implementation of
this Regulation no later than 31 December 2018;

(c)
an ex post evaluation report no later than 31 December 2021.

The conclusions of the reports shall be
accompanied, if appropriate, by proposals for amendment of this Regulation.

CHAPTER V
FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 27
Entry into force

This Regulation
shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication
in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Done at Brussels,

For the European Parliament                       For
the Council

The President                                                 The
President

LEGISLATIVE FINANCIAL STATEMENT

[to be used for any proposal or initiative submitted to the
legislative authority

(Articles 28 of the Financial Regulation and 22 of the
implementing rules)]

1.           FRAMEWORK OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE

1.1.    Title of the
proposal/initiative

1.2.    Policy area(s)
concerned in the ABM/ABB structure

1.3.    Nature of the
proposal/initiative

1.4.    Objective(s)

1.5.    Grounds for the
proposal/initiative

1.6.    Duration and
financial impact

1.7.    Management
method(s) envisaged

2.           MANAGEMENT MEASURES

2.1.    Monitoring and
reporting rules

2.2.    Management and
control system

2.3.    Measures to
prevent fraud and irregularities

3.           ESTIMATED FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE
PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE

3.1.    Heading(s) of
the multiannual financial framework and expenditure budget line(s) affected

3.2.    Estimated impact
on expenditure

3.2.1. Summary of
estimated impact on expenditure

3.2.2. Estimated
impact on operational appropriations

3.2.3. Estimated
impact on appropriations of an administrative nature

3.2.4. Compatibility
with the current multiannual financial framework

3.2.5. Third-party
participation in financing

3.3.    Estimated impact
on revenue

LEGISLATIVE FINANCIAL STATEMENT

1.           FRAMEWORK OF
THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE

1.1.        Title of the
proposal/initiative

Proposal
for a Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council

Establishing
the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps

1.2.        Policy area(s) concerned
in the ABM/ABB structure[27]

Policy Area
concerned and associated Activity/Activities:

Policy Area
23 Humanitarian Aid

23 02 04 – European
Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps

1.3.        Nature of the
proposal/initiative

 ̈ The proposal/initiative relates to
a new action

X The proposal/initiative relates to a new action following a pilot
project/preparatory action[28]

 ̈ The proposal/initiative relates to the
extension of an existing action

 ̈ The proposal/initiative relates to an
action redirected towards a new action

1.4.        Objectives

1.4.1.     The Commission's
multiannual strategic objective(s) targeted by the proposal/initiative

Title 4 –
Global Europe

1.4.2.     Specific objective(s) and
ABM/ABB activity(ies) concerned

Operational
objective No 1

Increase in
and improvement of the capacity of the Union to provide humanitarian aid.

Operational
objective No 2

Improvement
of the skills and competences of volunteers in the field of humanitarian aid
and the conditions under which they are working.

Operational
objective No 3

Building the
capacity of hosting organisations and foster volunteering in third countries.

Operational
objective No 4

Promotion
of the visibility of the Union's humanitarian aid values.

Operational
objective No 5

Enhancement
of coherence and consistency of volunteering across Member States in order to
improve opportunities for Union citizens to participate in humanitarian aid activities
and operations.

ABM/ABB
activity(ies) concerned

23 02 04 – EU
Aid Volunteers (European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps).

1.4.3.     Expected result(s) and
impact

Specify the
effects which the proposal/initiative should have on the beneficiaries/groups
targeted.

The
proposal will:

- establish
a European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps (EU Aid Volunteers) as a framework
for joint contributions from European volunteers in humanitarian aid
operations;

- be aiming
at enhancing the Union’s capacities to deal with humanitarian crisis, build
knowledge and experience and provide visibility for the Union’s humanitarian
values and solidarity with the victims of natural disasters and man-made crises
in third countries;

- respond
to the needs of the vulnerable or affected communities and contribute to
building capacity in third countries and resilience to disasters;

- adhere to
the principles of humanity, non-discrimination, neutrality, impartiality and
independence of humanitarian aid and shall aim to contribute to the
professionalization of the provision of humanitarian aid;

- ensure
that the safety and security of EU Aid Volunteers is a priority;

- deploy EU
Aid Volunteers in third countries while avoiding the crowding out of local
employment and local volunteering;

1.4.4.     Indicators of results and
impact

Specify the
indicators for monitoring implementation of the proposal/initiative.

–          The
number of EU Aid Volunteers deployed or ready for deployment;

–          The
number of people reached by humanitarian aid provided by the Union;

–          The
number of volunteers trained and the quality of the training on the basis of
peer reviews and level of satisfaction;

–          The
number of certified sending organisations applying the standards for deployment
and management of EU Aid Volunteers;

–          The
number and type of capacity building actions;

–          The
number of third country staff and volunteers participating in the capacity
building actions;

–          The
EU Aid Volunteers' level of knowledge about EU humanitarian aid;

–          The
level of awareness about the Humanitarian Voluntary Corps among the targeted population
in the Union, the participating and benefitting third country communities and
other humanitarian actors.

–          Dissemination and replication of the
standards on management of EU Aid Volunteers by other volunteering schemes.

1.5.        Grounds for the proposal/initiative

1.5.1.     Requirement(s) to be met in
the short or long term

The Lisbon
Treaty foresees in its article 214.5:

"In
order to establish a framework for joint contributions from young Europeans to
the humanitarian aid operations of the Union, a European Voluntary Humanitarian
Aid Crops shall be set up. The European Parliament and the Council, acting by
means of regulations in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure,
shall determine the rules and procedures for the operation of the Corps."

Communication
"How to express EU citizens' solidarity through volunteering: First
reflections on a European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps”, COM(2010)683.

Council
Conclusions adopted in May 2011

EP Written
Declaration in November 2011

1.5.2.     Added value of EU
involvement

The EU
added value comes in the form of:

(a) the
European and transnational character of the EU Aid
Volunteers which brings together Union citizens from
different Member States for joint contributions in humanitarian aid operations;

(b)
fostering transnational cooperation of humanitarian aid organisations and
stakeholders in implementation of the actions of the Corps;

(c)
allowing for economies of scale and effects through complementarities and
synergies with other relevant national, international and Union programmes and
policies;

(d)
providing for a tangible expression of the European values in general and in
particular the solidarity of the Union and its citizens with the people who are
most vulnerable and in need;

(e)
contributing to reinforcing active European Union citizenship by empowering
Union citizens of a different age and from different social, educational and
professional background to engage in humanitarian aid activities;

1.5.3.     Lessons learned from
similar experiences in the past

These
proposals build upon:

-
experience gained as a result of the pilot projects financed within the
framework of the calls launched in 2011 and 2012 respectively "European
Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps - Call for proposal for pilot projects";

- a review
concerning the establishment of a European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps;

-
Communication from the Commission "How to express EU citizen's solidarity
through volunteering: First reflections on a European Voluntary Humanitarian
Aid Corps" – COM(2010)683.

1.5.4.     Coherence and possible
synergy with other relevant instruments

Consistency
with:

- Treaty
Art. 215.4;

- Council
Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid;

- Actions
receiving financial assistance under this Regulation shall not receive
assistance from other Union financial instruments.

The
Commission shall ensure that the applicants for financial assistance under this
Regulation and financial beneficiaries of such assistance provide it with
information about financial assistance received from other sources, including
the general budget of the Union, and about on-going applications for receiving
such assistance.

- Synergies
and complementarities shall be sought with other financial instruments of the
Union.

1.6.        Duration and financial
impact

 ̈      Proposal/initiative of limited duration

–
 ̈  Proposal/initiative in effect from [DD/MM]YYYY to [DD/MM]YYYY

–
 ̈  Financial impact from YYYY to YYYY

X Proposal/initiative of unlimited
duration

Financial provisions of limited
duration:

Budget allocation covers 1/1/2014 to 31/12/2020

Financial impact from 1/1/2014 to 31/12/2020
(payments until 31/12/2023)

1.7.        Management mode(s)
envisaged[29]

X Centralised direct management
by the Commission

X Centralised indirect management
with the delegation of implementation tasks to:

–
X  executive agencies

–
 ̈  bodies set up by the Communities[30]

–
 ̈  national public-sector bodies/bodies with public-service mission

–
 ̈  persons entrusted with the implementation of specific actions
pursuant to Title V of the Treaty on European Union and identified in the
relevant basic act within the meaning of Article 49 of the Financial Regulation

 ̈ Shared management with the Member States

 ̈ Decentralised management with third countries

 ̈ Joint management with international organisations

If more than one
management mode is indicated, please provide details in the
"Comments" section.

Comments

The
programme could be implemented either directly by the Commission (DG ECHO) via
the centralised direct management mode, or through an executive agency
(indirect management mode). These two options remain open and a decision will
be taken in due time.

The EU Aid
Volunteers shall be open to participation of:

(a)        citizens
and sending organisations from acceding countries, candidate countries,
potential candidates countries and partner countries of the European
Neighbourhood Policy in accordance with the general principles and general
terms and conditions for the participation of those countries in Union's
programmes established in the respective Framework Agreements and Association
Council Decisions, or similar arrangements;

(b)        citizens
and sending organisations from European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries
which are members of the European Economic Area (EEA), in accordance with the
conditions laid down in the EEA Agreement;

(c)        citizens
and sending organisations from other European countries, subject to the
conclusion of bilateral agreements with those countries.

(d)        staff
from international organisations who meet the eligibility criteria referred to
in Article 11(1).

2.         This
cooperation shall be based, where relevant, on additional appropriations from
these participating countries to be made available in accordance with
procedures to be agreed with these countries.

2.           MANAGEMENT
MEASURES

2.1.        Monitoring and reporting
rules

Specify
frequency and conditions.

Actions
receiving financial assistance shall be monitored regularly in order to follow
their implementation, and regularly evaluated through independent external
evaluation to assess the efficiency, effectiveness and their impacts against
the objectives of the EU Aid Volunteers and its EU added value. This monitoring shall include the reports
referred to in Article 25(5) and other activities on specific aspects of this
Regulation which may be launched at any time during its implementation.

In the
evaluation phase, the Commission shall ensure regular consultation of all
relevant stakeholders, including volunteers, sending and hosting organisations,
humanitarian organisations and workers in the field. The results of the
evaluation shall feed back into the programme design and resource allocation.

Sending
organisations deploying volunteers in operations outside the Union shall be
responsible for the monitoring of their activities and shall submit to the
Commission monitoring reports on a regular basis.

The
Commission shall submit to the European Parliament and the Council:

(a) an
interim evaluation report on the results obtained and the qualitative and
quantitative aspects of the implementation of this Regulation during the first
three years of its implementation no later than 31 December 2017;

(b) a
Communication on the continued implementation of this Regulation no later than
31 December 2018;

(c) an ex
post evaluation report no later than 31 December 2021.

The
conclusions of the reports shall be accompanied, if appropriate, by proposals
for amendment of this Regulation.

The
Commission shall also regularly inform EEAS and the EU Delegations about the
activities of the EU Aid Volunteers.

2.2.        Management and control
system

2.2.1.     Risk(s) identified

The programme could be implemented either directly by DG ECHO
(centralised direct management) or through an existing Executive Agency
(central indirect management), and will encompass the attribution of grants and
services contracts.

In both
scenarios, the following risks have been identified:

(a) Risk
relating to the capacity of partner organisations (particularly low-sized
Non-Governmental Organisations) to internally adapt their organisational
structures in order to respond to the contractual financial and performance
obligations;

(b)
Security and access constraints derived from the implementation of activities
in armed and/or in difficult access regions, which may put in danger the
physical integrity of the implementers (volunteers) and impact the
attainability of the operational objectives;

(c)
Reputational risk for the Commission linked to the inherent risk of fraudulent
misuse of funds.

If the
option of an executive agency is eventually chosen, an additional risk may
relate to:

(d) coordination
failures with an executive agency resulting from the absence of a clear
definition of the limits of the responsibilities in the management and the
control of tasks delegated to the executive agency.

Most of
these risks are expected to be reduced and, in any case, will be constantly
subject to close monitoring. For instance, simplification measures will be
applied, in compliance with the revised Financial Regulation (e.g. extended use
of lump sums and flat rates).

Based on
the identified error rates in the last three years, the potential error rate in
case of centralised direct management by DG ECHO will likely stand below 2%.

As for the
implementation through an executive agency, assuming the global error rate of
an agency (the EACEA executive agency for instance presented in its 2011 annual
activity report an error rate of 0.81%) the level of non-compliance is expected
to be below 2%.

2.2.2.     Control method(s) envisaged

As for centralised direct management, general DG ECHO control
structure will apply. Control will therefore focus on the compliance and
effectiveness of administrative, operational and financial procedures in place
and in the respect of the legislation in force. These will be also in the scope
of DG ECHO Internal Audit Capability (IAC).

In
addition, grants and contracts awarded under the Instrument will be subject to
ex-post audit from the External Audit Sector of DG ECHO and to evaluation by
external partners. As usual, actions can be subject to audits and
investigations by the Internal Audit Service (IAS), the Court of Auditors and
OLAF. The expected cost of control of DG ECHO based on 2011 figures ranges from
2.7% to 3.1%.

In case of
implementation via an executive agency, the Commission will apply the control
measures required for executive agencies in accordance with Art. 59 of the
Financial Regulation and with Council Regulation (EC) N° 58/2003 on executive
agencies. In addition, the Commission will monitor and control that the
executive agency realises appropriate control objectives for the actions that
it will be entrusted to manage. This supervision will be integrated in the
terms of cooperation between the parent DG and the executive agency and in the
bi-yearly reporting of the agency.

The main
features of an executive agency's internal control system (based on EACEA) are
the following:

(a) Financial circuits and segregation of duties;

(b) Control of eligibility of costs through
ex-ante controls (desk reviews, monitoring missions);

(c) Supervision procedure;

(d) Simplification measures and harmonisation
implemented within the same programme and between different programmes (sharing
of best practices);

(e) Use of lump sums and flat rates for some
strands/actions;

(f) Management reporting (monthly, quarterly and
yearly like AAR);

(g) Centralised ex-ante control for public
procurement, calls for proposals & grant agreements;

(h) Internal audit capability.

The
executive agency's activities are subject to audits and investigations by the
Internal Audit Service (IAS), the Court of Auditors and OLAF.

Regarding
cost of controls, their estimate is based on the past experience of the EACEA
executive agency. The latter has estimated the cost of control of two programs
to be implemented in the period 2014-2020: according to the figures presented
in the 2011 annual activity report, the estimated cost of controls amounts to
2.8% and 2.9% of the total budget of the two programs. By applying the same
results, the estimated cost of control of the establishment of the EU Aid Volunteers would range from €6.7M to €6.9M
for the period 2014-2020.

With respect to DG ECHO, it is estimated that the
cost of control linked to its role of co-parent DG would be around €210K,
representing 0.1% of the total budget. The implementation of such controls,
coupled with the likely effect of the new FR simplifications, would allow for
the avoidance of material errors (>2%).

2.3.        Measures to prevent fraud
and irregularities

Specify
existing or envisaged prevention and protection measures.

DG ECHO
will further devise its anti-fraud strategy in line with the Commission's new
anti-fraud strategy (CAFS) adopted on 24 June 2011 in order to ensure inter
alia that:

DG ECHO's
internal anti-fraud related controls are fully aligned with the CAFS;

DG ECHO's
fraud risk management approach is geared to identify fraud risk areas and
adequate response;

The
European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF) may carry out on-the-spot checks and
inspections.

In order to mitigate potential fraud and
irregularities, the following measures are envisaged:

- The prevention of potential fraud and
irregularities is considered already at the programme set up, by the
simplification of rules and the wider use of flat rates and lump sums.

- Systematic check of potential double funding
and identification of beneficiaries of several grants will be done.

- Ad hoc audits will be implemented when there
are serious concerns in terms of irregularities and/or suspected fraud.

3.           ESTIMATED
FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE

3.1.        Heading(s) of the
multiannual financial framework and expenditure budget line(s) affected

· Existing expenditure budget lines

In order of
multiannual financial framework headings and budget lines

Heading of multiannual financial framework || Budget line || Type of expenditure || Contribution

Global Europe || Diff./non-diff. ([31]) || from EFTA[32] countries || from candidate countries[33] || from third countries || within the meaning of Article 18(1)(aa) of the Financial Regulation

4 || 23 02 04 (European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps) EU Aid Volunteers || Diff. || YES || YES || NO || YES/NO

Participation in the EU Aid
Volunteers will be open to other
European countries subject to conditions referred to under Article 23.

3.2.        Estimated impact on
expenditure

3.2.1.     Summary of estimated impact
on expenditure

EUR million (to 3 decimal places)

Heading of multiannual financial framework: || Number || 4. GLOBAL EUROPE

DG: ECHO || || || Year 2014 || Year 2015 || Year 2016 || Year 2017 || Year 2018 || Year 2019 || Year 2020 || Sub-sequent years || TOTAL 2014 TO 2020

Ÿ Operational appropriations || || || || || || || || ||

23 02 04 || Commitments || (1) || 21.200 || 23.800 || 27.600 || 32.700 || 37.900 || 44.500 || 51.400 || || 239.100

Payments || (2) || 13.780 || 18.650 || 23.630 || 29.895 || 34.680 || 40.640 || 47.145 || 30.680 || 239.100

Appropriations of an administrative nature financed from the envelope for specific programmes[34] || || || || || || || || ||

|| || (3) || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0

TOTAL appropriations for DG ECHO || Commitments || =1+3 || 21.200 || 23.800 || 27.600 || 32.700 || 37.900 || 44.500 || 51.400 || || 239.100

Payments || =2+3 || 13.780 || 18.650 || 23.630 || 29.895 || 34.680 || 40.640 || 47.145 || 30.680 || 239.100

Ÿ TOTAL operational appropriations || Commitments || (4) || 21.200 || 23.800 || 27.600 || 32.700 || 37.900 || 44.500 || 51.400 || || 239.100

Payments || (5) || 13.780 || 18.650 || 23.630 || 29.895 || 34.680 || 40.640 || 47.145 || 30.680 || 239.100

Ÿ TOTAL appropriations of an administrative nature financed from the envelope for specific programmes || (6) || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0

TOTAL appropriations under HEADING 4 of the multiannual financial framework || Commitments || =4+ 6 || 21.200 || 23.800 || 27.600 || 32.700 || 37.900 || 44.500 || 51.400 || || 239.100

Payments || =5+ 6 || 13.780 || 18.650 || 23.630 || 29.895 || 34.680 || 40.640 || 47.145 || 30.680 || 239.100

Heading of multiannual financial framework: || 5 || "Administrative expenditures"

EUR million (to 3 decimal places)

|| || || Year 2014 || Year 2015 || Year 2016 || Year 2017 || Year 2018 || Year 2019 || Year 2020 || TOTAL 2014 - 2020

DG: ECHO ||

Ÿ Human resources || 1.146 || 1.146 || 1.146 || 1.146 || 1.274 || 1.274 || 1.593 || 8.725

Ÿ Other administrative expenditure || 0.063 || 0.063 || 0.143 || 0.063 || 0.065 || 0.122 || 0.045 || 0.564

TOTAL DG ECHO || Appropriations || 1.209 || 1.209 || 1.289 || 1.209 || 1.339 || 1.396 || 1.683 || 9.289

TOTAL appropriations under HEADING 5 of the multiannual financial framework || (Total commitments = Total payments) || 1.209 || 1.209 || 1.289 || 1.209 || 1.339 || 1.396 || 1.683 || 9.289

EUR million (to 3 decimal places)

|| || || Year 2014 || Year 2015 || Year 2016 || Year 2017 || Year 2018 || Year 2019 || Year 2020 || Sub-sequent years || TOTAL 2014 - 2020

TOTAL appropriations under HEADINGS 1 to 5 of the multiannual financial framework || Commitments || 22.409 || 25.009 || 28.889 || 33.909 || 39.239 || 45.896 || 53.083 || || 248.434

Payments || 14.989 || 19.859 || 24.919 || 31.104 || 36.019 || 42.036 || 48.828 || 30.680 || 248.434

3.2.2.     Estimated impact on
operational appropriations

–
 ̈  The proposal/initiative does not require the use of operational
appropriations

–
X  The proposal/initiative requires the use of
operational appropriations, as explained below:

Commitment appropriations in EUR million (to 3 decimal
places)

Indicate objectives and outputs ò || Year 2014 || Year 2015 || Year 2016 || Year 2017 || Year 2018 || Year 2019 || Year 2020 || TOTAL 2014 - 2020

OUTPUTS

|| Type of output[35] || Average cost output || No. out puts || Cost || No. out puts || Cost || No. out puts || Cost || No. out puts || Cost || No. out puts || Cost || No. outputs || Cost || No. out puts || Cost || Total number outputs || Total cost

OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVE No 1 Increase in and improvement of the capacity of the Union to provide humanitarian aid || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||

- Output || Register, No of apprenticeships, No of volunteers deployed || 0.014 || 376 || 5.271 || 941 || 13.367 || 1130 || 15.976 || 1356 || 20.222 || 1560 || 22.867 || 1950 || 27.361 || 2291 || 32.074 || 9604 || 137.136

Sub-total for operational objective 1 || 376 || 5.271 || 941 || 13.367 || 1130 || 15.976 || 1356 || 20.222 || 1560 || 22.867 || 1950 || 27.361 || 2291 || 32.074 || 9604 || 137.136

Indicate objectives and outputs ò || Year 2014 || Year 2015 || Year 2016 || Year 2017 || Year 2018 || Year 2019 || Year 2020 || TOTAL 2014 - 2020

OUTPUTS

|| Type of output[36] || Average cost output || No. out puts || Cost || No. out puts || Cost || No. out puts || Cost || No. out puts || Cost || No. out puts || Cost || No. outputs || Cost || No. out puts || Cost || Total number outputs || Total cost

OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVE No 2 Improvement of the skills and competences of volunteers in the field of humanitarian aid and the conditions under which they are working || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||

- Output || Training of volunteers, development of standards || 0.0075 || 938 || 7.034 || 711 || 5.330 || 837 || 6.280 || 863 || 6.476 || 1193 || 8.946 || 1535 || 11.511 || 1600 || 12.000 || 7677 || 57.576

Sub-total for operational objective 2 || 938 || 7.034 || 711 || 5.330 || 837 || 6.280 || 863 || 6.476 || 1193 || 8.946 || 1535 || 11.511 || 1600 || 12.000 || 7677 || 57.576

OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVE No 3 Building the capacity of hosting organisations and foster volunteering in third countries || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||

- Output || No of volunteer managers / local volunteers / train the trainers/number of participants seminars/ || 0.00471 || 1418 || 6.681 || 785 || 3.700 || 857 || 4.038 || 901 || 4.244 || 1037 || 4.886 || 849 || 3.999 || 1263 || 6.000 || 7110 || 33.549

Sub-total for operational objective 3 || 1418 || 6.681 || 785 || 3.700 || 857 || 4.038 || 901 || 4.244 || 1037 || 4.886 || 849 || 3.999 || 1263 || 6.000 || 7110 || 33.549

Indicate objectives and outputs ò || Year 2014 || Year 2015 || Year 2016 || Year 2017 || Year 2018 || Year 2019 || Year 2020 || TOTAL 2014 - 2020 ||

OUTPUTS ||

|| Type of output[37] || Average cost output || No. out puts || Cost || No. out puts || Cost || No. out puts || Cost || No. out puts || Cost || No. out puts || Cost || No. outputs || Cost || No. out puts || Cost || Total number outputs || Total cost ||

|| OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVE No 4 To promote the visibility of the Union's humanitarian aid values || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||

|| - Output || Development of EU Aid Volunteers' Network; conferences, communication, visibility; number of online volunteer assignments || 0,00081 || 300 || 1.737 || 700 || 0.940 || 1300 || 0.769 || 1700 || 1.395 || 2000 || 0.769 || 2000 || 1.053 || 2000 || 0.826 || 10000 || 7.488

|| Sub-total for operational objective 4 || 300 || 1.737 || 700 || 0.940 || 1300 || 0.769 || 1700 || 1.395 || 2000 || 0.769 || 2000 || 1.053 || 2000 || 0.826 || 10000 || 7.488

|| OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVE No 5 Enhancement of coherence and consistency of volunteering across Member States in order to improve opportunities for Unions' citizens to participate in humanitarian aid activities and operations || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||

|| - Output || Development of standards, revision, certification mechanism || || || 0.477 || || 0.464 || || 0.538 || || 0.364 || || 0.433 || || 0.575 || || 0.500 || || 3.351

|| Sub-total for operational objective 5 || || 0.477 || || 0.464 || || 0.538 || || 0.364 || || 0.433 || || 0.575 || || 0.500 || || 3.351

|| TOTAL COST || 3032 || 21.200 || 3137 || 23.800 || 4124 || 27.600 || 4820 || 32.700 || 5790 || 37.900 || 6334 || 44.500 || 7154 || 51.400 || 34391 || 239.100

3.2.3.     Estimated impact on
appropriations of an administrative nature

3.2.3.1.  Summary

–
 ̈  The proposal/initiative does not require the use of administrative
appropriations

–
X  The proposal/initiative requires the use of
administrative appropriations, as explained below:

EUR million (to 3
decimal places)

|| Year 2014 || Year 2015 || Year 2016 || Year 2017 || Year 2018 || Year 2019 || Year 2020 || TOTAL

HEADING 5 of the multiannual financial framework || || || || || || || ||

Human resources || 1.146 || 1.146 || 1.146 || 1.146 || 1.274 || 1.274 || 1.593 || 8.725

Other administrative expenditure || 0.063 || 0.06.3 || 0.143 || 0.063 || 0.065 || 0.122 || 0.045 || 0.564

Subtotal HEADING 5 of the multiannual financial framework || 1.209 || 1.209 || 1.289 || 1.209 || 1.339 || 1.396 || 1.683 || 9.289

Outside HEADING 5[38] of the multiannual financial framework || NA || NA || NA || NA || NA || NA || NA || NA

Human resources || || || || || || || ||

Other expenditure of an administrative nature || || || || || || || ||

Subtotal outside HEADING 5 of the multiannual financial framework || NA || NA || NA || NA || NA || NA || NA || NA

TOTAL || 1.209 || 1.209 || 1.289 || 1.209 || 1.339 || 1.396 || 1.683 || 9.289

The
above figures will be adjusted in accordance with the results of the envisaged
externalisation process.

3.2.3.2.  Estimated requirements of
human resources

–
 ̈  The proposal/initiative does not require the use of human
resources

–
X  The proposal/initiative requires the use of
human resources, as explained below:

Estimate to be expressed in full amounts
(or at most to one decimal place)

|| Year 2014 || Year 2015 || Year 2016 || Year 2017 || Year 2018 || Year 2019 || Year 2020

Ÿ Establishment plan posts (officials and temporary agents)

XX 01 01 01 (Headquarters and Commission’s Representation Offices) || 6 || 6 || 6 || 6 || 6 || 6 || 7

XX 01 01 02 (Delegations) || || || || || || ||

XX 01 05 01 (Indirect research) || || || || || || ||

10 01 05 01 (Direct research) || || || || || || ||

Ÿ External personnel (in Full Time Equivalent unit: FTE)[39]

XX 01 02 01 (CA, INT, SNE from the "global envelope") || 6 || 6 || 6 || 6 || 8 || 8 || 11

XX 01 02 02 (CA, INT, JED, LA and SNE in the delegations) || || || || || || ||

XX 01 04 yy [40] || - at Headquarters[41] || || || || || || ||

- in delegations || || || || || || ||

XX 01 05 02 (CA, INT, SNE - Indirect research) || || || || || || ||

10 01 05 02 (CA, INT, SNE - Direct research) || || || || || || ||

Other budget lines (specify) || || || || || || ||

TOTAL || 12 || 12 || 12 || 12 || 14 || 14 || 18

23 is the
policy area or budget title concerned.

The human
resources required will be met by staff from the DG who are already assigned to
management of the action and/or have been redeployed within the DG, together if
necessary with any additional allocation which may be granted to the managing
DG under the annual allocation procedure and in the light of budgetary
constraints.

The above figures
will be adjusted in accordance with the results of the envisaged
externalisation process.

Description of
tasks to be carried out:

Officials and temporary agents || Policy Development and concepts. Implementing acts and measures.

External personnel || Management of grant agreements and contracts; implementation and follow-up of policy work; administrative support.

3.2.4.     Compatibility with the
current multiannual financial framework

–
X  Proposal/initiative is compatible with the Commission
proposal for the multiannual financial framework 2014-2020 as per Communication
"A Budget for Europe 2020" (COM(2011)500 final).

–
 ̈  Proposal/initiative will entail reprogramming of the relevant
heading in the multiannual financial framework.

Explain what reprogramming is required, specifying the
budget lines concerned and the corresponding amounts.

–
 ̈  Proposal/initiative requires application of the flexibility
instrument or revision of the multiannual financial framework[42].

Explain what is required, specifying the headings and
budget lines concerned and the corresponding amounts.

[...]

3.2.5.     Third-party contributions

–
The proposal/initiative does not provide for co-financing
by third parties

–
The proposal/initiative provides for the
co-financing estimated below:

Appropriations in EUR million (to 3 decimal places)

|| Year N || Year N+1 || Year N+2 || Year N+3 || ... enter as many years as necessary to show the duration of the impact (see point 1.6) || Total

Specify the co-financing body || || || || || || || ||

TOTAL appropriations cofinanced || || || || || || || ||

The proposal provides for
third-party contributions from the EFTA countries which are members of the EEA,
, acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates benefiting
from a pre-accession strategy and from partner countries of the European
Neighbourhood Policy.

3.3.        Estimated impact on
revenue

–
X Proposal/initiative has no financial impact on
revenue.

–
 ̈  Proposal/initiative has the following financial impact:

 ̈         on own resources

 ̈         on miscellaneous revenue

EUR million (to 3 decimal places)

Budget revenue line: || Appropriations available for the ongoing budget year || Impact of the proposal/initiative[43]

Year N || Year N+1 || Year N+2 || Year N+3 || ... insert as many columns as necessary in order to reflect the duration of the impact (see point 1.6)

Article ............. || || || || || || || ||

For miscellaneous
assigned revenue, specify the budget expenditure line(s) affected.

[...]

Specify the method
for calculating the impact on revenue.

[...]

[1]               Standard Eurobarometer 73/2010, Special Eurobarometer
343/2010 and Special Eurobarometer 384/2012.

[2]               COM(2010) 683.

[3]               Council Conclusions on the
European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps from 25 May 2011.

[4]               Written Declaration 25/2011 of the European
Parliament from 9 May 2011.

[5]               In 2010 in Brussels and 2011 in Budapest – where more
than 150 stakeholder organisations have actively participated.

[6]               COHAFA.

[7]               SG, SJ, DG BUDG, DG DEVCO, FPIS, EEAS, DG EAC, EACEA,
DG EMPL, DG ELARG.

[8]               Two capitalisation seminars were organised in
December 2011 and June 2012 in Brussels with more than 70 participants.

[9]               OJ C 25, 2008, p.1.

[10]             OJ L11, 2003, p.1.

[11]             COM(2011) 681 final.

[12]             Established by Decision X/XX on a Union Civil
Protection Mechanism

[13]             COM(2011) 500 final.

[14]             OJ C 25, 2008, p.1.

[15]             Not yet published.

[16]             Commission Communication COM(2010) 683 "How to
express EU citizens’ solidarity through volunteering: First reflections on a
European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps" (OJ
C 121/59, 2011).

[17]             Commission Communication on "A renewed EU strategy 2011-14 for Corporate Social
Responsibility" COM(2011) 681 final (OJ C 37, 2012, p.24).

[18]             Commission Communication COM(2011) 933 (OJ C 102, 2012, p.35) .

[19]             Commission Communication COM(2011) 568 "EU Policies and Volunteering: Recognising and Promoting Cross border
Voluntary Activities in the EU" (OJ C 335, 2011, p.19),

[20]             Not yet published.

[21]             OJ L 312, 1995, p.1.

[22]             OJ L 292, 1996, p.2.

[23]             OJ L 136, 1999, p.1.

[24]             OJ L 55, 2011, p.13.

[25]             OJ L 8, 2001, p.1.

[26]             OJ L 281, 1995, p. 31.

[27]             ABM: Activity-Based Management – ABB: Activity-Based
Budgeting.

[28]             As referred to in Article 49(6)(a) or (b) of the
Financial Regulation.

[29]             Details of management modes and references to the
Financial Regulation may be found on the BudgWeb site: http://www.cc.cec/budg/man/budgmanag/budgmanag_en.html

[30]             As referred to in Article 185 of the Financial
Regulation.

[31]             Diff. = Differentiated appropriations / Non-diff. =
Non-Differentiated Appropriations

[32]             EFTA: European Free Trade Association.

[33]             Candidate countries and, where applicable, potential
candidate countries from the Western Balkans.

[34]             Technical and/or administrative assistance and
expenditure in support of the implementation of EU programmes and/or actions
(former "BA" lines), indirect research, direct research.

[35]             Outputs are products and services to be supplied (e.g.:
number of student exchanges financed, number of km of roads built, etc.).

[36]             Outputs are products and services to be supplied (e.g.:
number of student exchanges financed, number of km of roads built, etc.).

[37]             Outputs are products and services to be supplied (e.g.:
number of student exchanges financed, number of km of roads built, etc.).

[38]             Technical and/or administrative assistance and
expenditure in support of the implementation of EU programmes and/or actions
(former "BA" lines), indirect research, direct research.

[39]             CA= Contract Agent; INT= agency staff ("Intérimaire");
JED= "Jeune Expert en Délégation" (Young Experts in
Delegations); LA= Local Agent; SNE= Seconded National Expert;

[40]             Under
the ceiling for external personnel from operational
appropriations (former "BA" lines).

[41]             Essentially for Structural Funds, European Agricultural
Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and European Fisheries Fund (EFF).

[42]             See points 19 and 24 of the Interinstitutional
Agreement.

[43]             As regards traditional own resources (customs duties,
sugar levies), the amounts indicated must be net amounts, i.e. gross amounts
after deduction of 25% for collection costs.