RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL AND OF THE MINISTERS MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL of 26 June 1991 on priority actions in the youth field (91/C 208/01)

THE COUNCIL AND THE MINISTERS MEETING

WITHIN THE COUNCIL:

NOTE the Commission memorandum entitled 'Young people in the European Community' and stress the importance of action which the Community already undertakes in favour of young people;

EXPRESS their intention, in the face of the challenge arising from the completion of the European single market, to intensify their cooperation in the field of youth, so as to reinforce young people's consciousness of belonging to Europe and take account of their wish to play a positive role in the building of the European Community;

EXPRESS their satisfaction with what has been done to achieve mobility for young people under the 'Youth for Europe' programme and expect to receive the results of assessment of the programme at European level. They further affirm the wish, on the basis of experience acquired in the framework of the programme, to intensify cooperation on exchanges and mobility of young people with the EFTA countries, with the Central and Eastern European countries and in the context of the North-South dialogue;

AGREE to develop four priority actions in the youth field, concerning:

- intensification of cooperation between structures responsible for youth work,

-information for young people,

-stimulating the initiative and creativity of young people,

-cooperation on the training of youth workers, particularly with regard to the European dimension.

Details of these actions are set out in the Annex. They should be applied by the Member States taking into account their structures in the youth sector and should benefit from the rich diversity of their traditions and experience in this field. The Commission is invited to support these actions with due respect for subsidiarity of action at Community level and within the limits of the powers, means and resources at its disposal;

EMPHASIZE the need to strengthen cooperation with the Council of Europe in the field of youth;

EMPHASIZE the importance of active participation by young people and youth organizations in actions which concern them and recognize the need to enable them to cooperate at European level. They invite the Commission to examine the best means of extending such cooperation and agree to maintain appropriate contacts with youth organizations at European level and with the Youth Forum;

INSTRUCT the ad hoc Working Party on Youth to follow the work dealing with the priority actions and invite the Commission to submit biennial reports to the Council and the Ministers and to the European Parliament from 1 January 1994, on the results and on possible ways and means to achieve further development.

ANNEX

PRIORITY ACTIONS IN THE FIELD OF YOUTH I. Intensification of cooperation between structures responsible for youth work in the Member States

The Council and the Ministers agree to intensify and strengthen cooperation between structures responsible for youth work in the Member States. They call on the Commission, taking account of existing porgrammes, to promote measures to that end, in particular:

- study visits by youth leaders (at local, regional and national level),

-conferences permitting regular comparison of experience and exchanges of ideas between youth leaders,

-joint studies and research by Member States and at Community level on the situation of young people in the European Community, on the impact on young people of completion of the internal market, and on the priority actions determined by this resolution,

-continuation of the coordination of national youth cards, along the lines set out in their conclusions of 6 October 1989 on youth cards in Europe.

II.Information for young people

The Council and the Ministers recognize the importance of this area and take note of the Commission communication. They instruct the ad hoc Working Party on Youth to examine that communication in the overall context of information provision for young people and of the various relevant initiatives. They invite the Commission, if appropriate on the basis of those discussions, to submit a Community action programme on information for young people. In this context, they take note of the work of the Euro-youth Group.

III.Stimulating the initiative and the creativity of young people

Beyond the field of specific vocational training for the young, the Council and the Ministers agree on the value of supporting, on an experimental basis, pilot projects by young people, e.g. cultural and social projects, and projects to protect the environment or preserve the heritage, as well as educational projects outside the scope of formal education and those aimed at strengthening the economic, social and cultural cohesion of local communities. They call on the Commission to disseminate and support at European level innovatory projects which involve interesting methods, are managed by young people themselves and are of importance to young people in other Member States.

IV.Cooperation on the training of youth workers, particularly with regard to the European dimension

The Council and the Ministers wish to promote a European dimension in the training of youth workers. They call on the Commission to provide support for action by the Member States in their initiatives geared to:

-activities (including studies, seminars, study visits) which permit exchanges of experience and information between those responsible for training youth workers in different Member States and/or make it easier for youth workers to use their qualifications in other Member States,

-setting up and developing transnational and European links between institutions and bodies involved in the initial or further training of youth workers.

ANNEX

PRIORITY ACTIONS IN THE FIELD OF YOUTH I. Intensification of cooperation between structures responsible for youth work in the Member States

The Council and the Ministers agree to intensify and strengthen cooperation between structures responsible for youth work in the Member States. They call on the Commission, taking account of existing porgrammes, to promote measures to that end, in particular:

- study visits by youth leaders (at local, regional and national level),

-conferences permitting regular comparison of experience and exchanges of ideas between youth leaders,

-joint studies and research by Member States and at Community level on the situation of young people in the European Community, on the impact on young people of completion of the internal market, and on the priority actions determined by this resolution,

-continuation of the coordination of national youth cards, along the lines set out in their conclusions of 6 October 1989 on youth cards in Europe.

II.Information for young people

The Council and the Ministers recognize the importance of this area and take note of the Commission communication. They instruct the ad hoc Working Party on Youth to examine that communication in the overall context of information provision for young people and of the various relevant initiatives. They invite the Commission, if appropriate on the basis of those discussions, to submit a Community action programme on information for young people. In this context, they take note of the work of the Euro-youth Group.

III.Stimulating the initiative and the creativity of young people

Beyond the field of specific vocational training for the young, the Council and the Ministers agree on the value of supporting, on an experimental basis, pilot projects by young people, e.g. cultural and social projects, and projects to protect the environment or preserve the heritage, as well as educational projects outside the scope of formal education and those aimed at strengthening the economic, social and cultural cohesion of local communities. They call on the Commission to disseminate and support at European level innovatory projects which involve interesting methods, are managed by young people themselves and are of importance to young people in other Member States.

IV.Cooperation on the training of youth workers, particularly with regard to the European dimension

The Council and the Ministers wish to promote a European dimension in the training of youth workers. They call on the Commission to provide support for action by the Member States in their initiatives geared to:

-activities (including studies, seminars, study visits) which permit exchanges of experience and information between those responsible for training youth workers in different Member States and/or make it easier for youth workers to use their qualifications in other Member States,

-setting up and developing transnational and European links between institutions and bodies involved in the initial or further training of youth workers.