COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
Brussels, 23.12.1996 
COM(96) 610 final 
96/0318 (COD) 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO 
THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 
EUROPEAN VOLUNTARY SERVICE 
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 
Proposal for a 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL DECISION 
establishing the Community action programme 
"European voluntary service for young people" 
(presented by the Commission) 

EUROPEAN VOLUNTARY SERVICE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
Introduction 
I. The issues at stake 
II. The added value provided by Community action 
Partnership 
Validation and follow-up 
Mobility 
Cooperation with third countries 
III. The programme 
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INTRODUCTION 
1. The Commission proposes a Community action programme geared towards the 
integration of young people into active life through transnational activities that are 
of benefit to the community. This proposal, forming part of the objectives of a 
youth policy, offers young Europeans an educational experience allowing them to 
gain skills and abilities and to act as responsible citizens. 
2. The Commission therefore wishes to provide an appropriate framework for the 
development of a European voluntary service for young people, to help young 
people to become more mobile within the framework of active citizenship, to open 
up new prospects for partnerships in the actions conducted within each Member 
State and to promote exchanges of experience, transfers of good practice and 
cooperation between all those involved in the integration of young people. 
3. Through this new approach based on local and transnational partnerships between 
actors from the public and private sectors, the Commission's aim is to give a 
European dimension to formative experiences for a larger number of young 
people. A further aim is to ensure an impact and spin-off effects that are as far-
reaching as possible among young people themselves and among structures, 
organisations and partners in the economic world. 
4. The idea of establishing a European voluntary service was mooted long ago 
without, however, leading to any real Community initiative or action on this 
issue1. A new political will has gradually emerged, however, over the last few 
years. 
5. At European Union level, the second phase of the programme "Youth for Europe" 
(1992-1994) made it possible for the Commission to promote voluntary service 
activities in a Community context across the Member States. One of the main 
results of this second phase was undoubtedly to raise awareness in the Member 
States. This type of activity was retained, at the proposal of the Commission, in 
the third phase of the programme (1995-1999). The specific context surrounding 
the programme's objectives means that the range of action is very limited and is 
largely in the form of awareness campaigns, spin-off effects and incentives to 
develop the concept within the Member States. Moreover, implementation is 
carried out centrally. 
6. The European Parliament has always supported the idea of a voluntary service at 
Community level. In its 1991 framework report on policies for young people in 
Report by the Ac Hoc Committee on "A People's Europe" - Bulletin 
of the EC, Supplement 7/85 - see, in particular, the proposal to establish 
a programme for "Community trainee volunteer development workers". 
OJ L217 of 6 Auaust 19 91. 
Europe, it proposed an enlargement of "voluntary activities" for young people^. 
On 22 September 1995, it adopted a Resolution4 which considered that a European 
civilian service could consolidate and complement exchanges between young 
European volunteers and also stressed the need to develop increasingly close 
cooperation with the countries of central and eastern Europe as well as the 
"growing need for significant actions on behalf of developing countries". In this 
Resolution, the European Parliament asked the Commission to submit a 
communication on the establishment of a European voluntary service in order to 
open up full consultation with the non-governmental organisations concerned and 
to initiate thinking on the practical means for its implementation. 
During its Presidency of the Council of Ministers (June-December 1994), the 
German government gave priority to voluntary service. Discussions led to the 
adoption of the "Conclusions of the Council and Ministers of Youth on the 
promotion of voluntary service periods for young people" . 
These Conclusions bear out the growing interest of all the Member States in the 
development of voluntary service activities at European level. They also stress, in 
particular, the potential contribution that voluntary service could make to the 
commitment of young people to the construction of Europe and ask the 
Commission to "propose practical measures to promote cooperation between the 
countries taking part in the Youth for Europe III programme as well as between 
the organisations dealing with voluntary service". 
In addition, the Council Resolution on cooperation in the area of youth with third 
countries, adopted at the instigation of the Spanish Presidency on 5 October 1995, 
stresses the need to step up cooperation - particularly for voluntary service - with 
those third countries with which the Community has association or cooperation 
agreements. 
Prompted by these requests, which were also relayed by youth organisations, and 
the very limited extent of existing experience, in January 1996 the Commission 
adopted, at the initiative of Mrs E. Cresson, a working document "Towards a 
European Voluntary Service for Young People", which laid the foundations for 
testing the arrangements for decentralised implementation of long-term voluntary 
service activities in anticipation of the multi-annual programme envisaged, in 
order to give a clear Community added value to existing or planned actions in the 
various Member States. 
Report of the Committee on Youth, Culture, Education, Media and 
Sport on Community policies and their impact on young people - A3-142/91. 
B4-1127/95 (PE 193.734). 
OJ C348 of 9 December 1994, p 2. 
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9. The Parliament supported the Commission's proposed strategy and, in 1996, gave 
a clear policy signal by channelling ECU 15 million into a new budget heading6. 
The Commission, applying the principles of the SEM 2000 programme (sound and 
efficient financial management)7, has accordingly gone ahead with this pilot action 
in which some 2500 young people aged between 18 and 25 should take part. This 
pilot action has already made it possible to establish the soundness of a range of 
working approaches which are very important for the proposed programme, 
particularly as regards the feasibility of decentralised management of long-term 
activities, the need to provide for support measures, the importance of ways of 
promoting new types of partnership (pilot networks), the key role of the training 
of the various operators in the success and the quality of the projects. These 
aspects, along with other more tangible information on the progress of 
implementation of the pilot action, are described in detail in the preliminary 
progress report attached . Furthermore, monitoring will yield pointers for the day-
to-day running of this type of action and thus provide a tried and tested 
operational framework for the implementation of the multi-annual programme 
from its outset. Lastly, an independent ex ante evaluation has also confirmed the 
importance of these elements for the architecture of the programme proposed. 
10. The Commission is responsible for implementing, coordinating, monitoring and 
evaluating the pilot action under the principle of cooperation set out in Article 126 
of the Treaty. It is for this reason that the Member States have all designated 
measures responsible for implementing this action at national level, as proposed 
by the Commission. In order, moreover, to involve them more closely, from the 
outset, in all levels of implementation, the Commission has taken the initiative of 
setting up a working party made up of representatives appointed by the relevant 
Ministers and has met individual delegations from each Member State and from 
Norway and Iceland in order to discuss developments and prospects in this area. 
These meetings provided a forum for free and in-depth discussion of all general 
aspects of this action, the implementation of the pilot action and legal and 
administrative obstacles. Lastly, the Commission has also continued its dialogue 
with non-governmental youth organisations, particularly the Youth Forum. 
11. For the monitoring of this action the Commission has already put in place the 
structure needed for continuous assessment, in anticipation of the multi-annual 
programme. The Member States and the European Parliament will be regularly 
informed of the findings. Moreover, the Commission will submit a second report 
on the progress of implementation of the pilot action both within the Community 
and with non-Community countries. Special attention will also have to be paid in 
this context to activities with third countries, both in order to take account of 
experiments in progress as part of the pilot action and in order to have pointers 
b 
8 33-1011. 
SEC (95) 181-3/5 
Annex 2 
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for any scope for subsequent development and ways of involving young people 
in these countries. This will provide the basis for starting the external section for 
activities in non-EU countries after specific evaluation as part of the pilot action. 
This report will be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council. The 
Commission will take due account of the outcome of discussions under the co-
decision procedure relating to the draft decision and will put forward any 
amendments deemed to be necessary, particularly as regards activities with third 
countries. 
12. The proposal on which this document is based also takes full account of the 
principles formulated by the Commission in respect of the second stage of the 
SEM 2000 ("Sound and Efficient Financial Management") programme9. The 
proposed action is based on the findings of an ex-ante evaluation whose results 
are given in the Annex , and on the initial results of the current pilot action and 
which are set out in the preliminary progress report attached to this document. 
These findings and results confirm that the architecture of the programme 
proposed has a solid legal and financial foundation. 
13. This proposal forms part, like the Youth for Europe programme, of a Community 
youth policy. Without prejudging the future, the Commission considers that the 
interactions and synergies between these two programmes will need to be analysed 
very carefully so that youth policy at Community level can be developed in an 
integrated way. 
14. As this is an initiative that forms part of youth policy, three further points also 
need to be made to avoid any misinterpretation: 
Positive steps should be taken in the framework of the present programme 
in order to facilitate access by young people who have most difficulty in 
participating in programmes at European, national, regional or local level. 
The programme should give such young people the chance to reveal their 
potential and capabilities and to take part in a recognised educational 
experience. European Voluntary Service is not an elitist programme, a 
programme for disadvantaged young people or a programme to combat 
exclusion. The Commission, whose approach has been borne out by the 
findings of the ex-ante evaluation, stresses that it does not intend to treat 
disadvantaged people as a wholly separate group, which would marginalise 
them even further, but to open the programme to all young people without 
pre-conditions. Every effort must therefore be made to help those young 
people for whom participation in action programmes - at Community and 
at national, regional or local level - and all programme activities raises 
SEC 595 1814/5 
10 The ex-ante evaluation of the Multiannual European Voluntary 
Service Programme for Young People - Report prepared by the Tavistock 
Institute, UK, October 1996. 
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serious problems and to allow them to discover their potential, their 
abilities and receive a high-quality formative experience. , 
European voluntary service is the result of a voluntary commitment and 
of the individual decision of each young person concerned. It is not a 
substitute for military service, the alternative service formulae available in 
particular for conscientious objectors or the compulsory community service 
that exist in Member States and for which they have exclusive 
competence. National legislators must decide whether or not to allow 
conscientious objectors to take part in European voluntary service 
following the conclusion of agreements between European voluntary 
service and national civilian services. 
These activities do not replace potential or existing paid employment. 
15. This document contains: 
a Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European 
Parliament; 
a draft Decision of the Council and the European Parliament establishing 
the Community action programme of European Voluntary Service and its 
annexes; 
The Communication will successively: 
look at the issues raised by the proposed action 
examine the Community added value of the proposed strategy 
present the "European voluntary service for young people" programme. 
1. THE ISSUES AT STAKE 
16. The Treaty on European Union aimed to mark a new stage in the process of 
creating an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe11. The Florence 
European Council stressed the importance12 of helping young people to become 
integrated into active life and, in this respect, noted with interest the idea of a 
European voluntary service. Several ideas about European voluntary service are 
also being discussed at the Intergovernmental Conference as part of efforts to 
enhance European citizenship. 
17. Young people do not perceive the European Union as a natural community shaped 
by a desire to live and work together; in the long term this may call into question 
what has already been achieved from the point of view of the construction of 
Europe. 
18. Young people in our European societies are increasingly in temporary and 
precarious situations. It is no longer easy for young people to move from school 
or university to permanent employment. For tens of thousands of today's young 
Europeans, envisaging the future has become increasingly problematic as a result 
of economic difficulties, increasingly individual behavioural patterns, growing 
inequalities, etc. Young people have, however, a substantial capacity for 
mobilisation. 
19. This is supplemented by the fact that young people nowadays face a fundamental 
contradiction which needs to be resolved: while they are the minority that is most 
threatened by exclusion, they are, at the same time, the social group that is 
* expected to oversee the operation and well-being of our future societies. 
20. A twofold challenge therefore needs to be addressed: taking account, as far as 
possible, of young people's expectations while meeting the needs of society. From 
this point of view, the originality of the proposed approach lies in the fact that it 
attempts to reconcile the active citizenship of young people in a European context 
with the acquisition of abilities and skills validated at European level and in the 
fact that it provides support for partners who back up the actions undertaken by 
these young people. All public bodies and associations involved in the integration 
of young people may in effect be genuine "social levers". 
21. Being young citizens and protagonists of European society cannot be restricted to 
the area of the European Union, since interactions with citizens living outside the 
Union's frontiers must also be taken into account. In this way third countries can 
benefit from the know-how of young.Europeans who can, in their turn, learn 
Treaty on European Union - Title I, Article A. 
Treaty on European Union - Article B, paragraph 1 
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about and understand other social realities that are as valid as their own. Taking 
part in an action outside Europe together with other Europeans is also an excellent 
way of discovering one's European roots. 
22. For young people, lack of experience is one of the main barriers to their 
integration into society. Making it possible for them to carry out work that is of 
benefit to the community in another Member State of the European Union - as 
this document proposes - may help them to become integrated into active life. 
23. European Voluntary Service is a genuine educational experience that everyone can 
put to good use in their personal or even professional development: 
• From a personal point of view: young people can learn to be the prime 
movers of their own decisions, to take responsibility, to develop a critical 
sense, to become more independent and improve their communication 
skills, through a transnational experience that brings Europe to life. 
• From the point of view of society itself: it offers them the opportunity to 
take an active and practical role in the creation of European solidarity and 
thus to discover, in daily life, the notion of the interdependence of human 
beings and to become aware that collective interests exist alongside 
individual interests, at both local and European level. From a more specific 
point of view, it is also important to stress that a Community action such 
as European voluntary service promotes an understanding between young 
people and citizens as a whole that extends beyond frontiers. 
• From the point of view of intercultural learning: it provides young 
volunteers with an opportunity to understand the wealth and limits of their 
own traditions and cultures, to look at other cultural, social and economic 
realities and to make them more aware of other cultures. In this context, 
the fight against racism and xenophobia is an important added value of the 
proposed action. 
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II. THE ADDED VALUE PROVIDED BY COMMUNITY ACTION 
24. From the point of view of cooperation on youth issues, the Community's role 
complements that of the Member States. The approach proposed in this Decision 
is based on the principle of subsidiarity which will chiefly entail improved 
cooperation with the competent authorities at all levels. It will also take concrete 
shape through the establishment of partnerships at both local and transnational 
level that will build bridges not only between the initiatives of Member States but 
also between young people everywhere. As the ex-ante evaluation stresses, 
moreover, an expectation that is frequently expressed is that the multiannual 
programme should contribute to the development of youth policies in the Member 
States. 
25. The European voluntary service programme aims to encourage young people to 
become citizens of the European Union and to enhance their contribution to 
European society. The programme is intended to be a means of making more 
visible and illustrating what it actually means to be a young citizen in European 
society today. 
26. The local dimension is one of the key factors around which European voluntary 
service is structured. Helping young people to take charge of their futures has to 
start at local level. Successful experience in a local context also means that 
follow-up will have a greater chance of success. This is true both for young 
people, who will have learnt more about and better understood their relationship 
with their initial environment, and for the local communities involved in .the 
experience who can build on the contribution provided by this experience and 
enhance or even enlarge their scope of action. 
27. The initiative proposed by the Commission therefore places the local level on a 
par with the European level and makes it possible to demonstrate and help people 
practically to understand that Europe is a opportunity to be seized by all young 
people. It also presupposes that the relationship between young people and their 
immediate environments is a key factor in larger-scale development. 
28. As the following points show, the initiatives that the Commission proposes to 
support through this Decision are of a type likely to provide a clear added value, 
at different levels, to existing or planned actions in the Member States. 
29. From a general point of view, these initiatives should make it possible to: 
enhance existing experiments in the Member States by giving them an 
added Community dimension; 
encourage and support projects of this type that are being prepared in other 
Member States or even to encourage initiatives of this type in Member 
States where no such projects yet exist; 
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promote the values of the European Community among young people; 
encourage exchanges of experience, contacts, transfers of good practice 
and cooperation between all those involved in the integration of young 
people; 
work towards a minimum framework for these actions that removes some 
of the obstacles that exist at national level and that curb the development 
of transnational voluntary service experiments; 
encourage the transnational mobility of young people as a complement to 
other Community exchange programmes. 
30. From a specific point of view: 
Young volunteers: these initiatives make it possible for them to gain skills 
and abilities from an educational experience in an environment other than 
their normal environment; they will also be able to discover, on the spot 
and in practice, how European society is being constructed. Validation of 
this experience and the prospect of follow-up further enhance the added 
value of the Community action proposed in this document. 
People concerned: in addition to the direct benefits that they are likely to 
gain from the action and its spin-off effects, the proposed activities also 
make it possible, through transnational partnerships, to build more 
permanent bridges between young people in the EU and with young 
people in non-EU countries. 
31. The aim of these initiatives is therefore: 
on the one hand, to develop links between experiments conducted at 
national level and at Community level; 
on the other hand, to encourage experiments that are not just national, but 
also transnational, and that bring young people from different countries of 
the Community into teams working towards specific objectives that are of 
benefit to society. 
32. From this point of view, four important features of the programme - partnership, 
validation, monitoring and mobility - are likely to make a particular contribution 
to the added value of the Community action set out in this document. 
12 
Partnership 
33. The principle of partnership - in which the young person is considered as a full 
partner - is one of the cornerstones of the approach set out in this document: local 
partnerships within host and sending projects between a range of partners 
concerned by the needs that these projects attempt to resolve (between one or 
more organisations dealing with youth, protection of the environment, heritage 
conservation, training or information etc., the inhabitants of a town or village, 
local authorities, administrations); tripartite partnerships at transnational level 
between young volunteers, host projects and sending projects. 
34. Moreover, the European Voluntary Service programme may bring about new 
relationships between partners who learn to work together even though their 
concerns differ. In this respect, the ex-ante evaluation stresses that there are large 
numbers, throughout Europe, of local development projects, projects by youth 
organisations, municipalities and new social movements as well as a whole range 
of solidarity schemes. These initiatives are rarely linked, however, and in some 
cases even run counter to one another. From this point of view, the dynamic 
brought about by European voluntary service actions may have spin-off effects at 
various levels: 
associations, bodies, authorities or institutions which have entered into a 
partnership on this occasion can continue to cooperate on other projects. 
A European voluntary service action, if it proves to be of benefit, may 
lead to the creation of similar spin-off initiatives. It may also pave the way 
for professional work on sites improved by volunteers or on similar sites; 
local initiatives will be able to establish transnational contacts with similar 
initiatives at European level. Both host and sending projects will therefore 
benefit from transfers of good practice which could lead to the creation of 
project networks taking the same approach and benefitting the populations 
concerned; 
participation in the European Voluntary Service programme will make 
these projects more visible, will enhance their work and their initiatives 
and will also provide them with an opportunity to discover what young 
people can learn from their action and then to help other young people in 
their immediate environment or elsewhere to benefit from this learning 
potential. This participation will also make the local community better 
known in wider circles and will highlight its dynamic nature. Under this 
programme, projects will therefore be able to take on and try out an 
international dimension. 
35. Lastly, it should be stressed that the principle of partnership - local, regional and 
national as well as transnational - does not stop with European voluntary service 
per se, but extends beyond this by following up the young person's activity, 
building on what he has learnt and helping him to become integrated. 
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Validation and follow-up 
36. The objectives of the programme proposed in this document and its expected spin­
off effects make it necessary to recognise the contribution made by young 
volunteers and to validate the skills that they have acquired. While diplomas are 
not the answer in this context, the European Union must make the European 
dimension of this programme visible so that young people can make the most of 
their experience in their CVs. As the ex-ante evaluation shows, this validation and 
visibility may well be important for many participants. The Commission therefore 
proposes to organise European validation in cooperation with the Member States. 
37. The European voluntary service activities promoted by this proposal offer fertile 
ground for initiative: they are intended to stimulate a spirit of enterprise as regards 
both social projects and projects of a more economic nature or even business 
creation. For Europe, which wishes to promote the integration of young people 
into active life, a Community programme like the European voluntary service 
programme cannot stop at the very moment at which its action is starting to bear 
fruit. Building on the experiences of young volunteers should therefore be one of 
its components. 
38. An innovative approach is envisaged for the integration of young people into 
active life. Specific mechanisms will have to be established to provide them with 
help, at the end of their service, with jobseeking, the creation of new economic 
activities or placement in education and vocational training systems. 
39. From this point of view, the partners - both host and sending projects - could play 
a supporting role. This support - be it from a person, an enterprise or an 
association - should help young people wishing to set up a venture to resolve the 
obstacles that stand in the way of young people's projects. Human help and 
logistical support for projects are the most immediate forms of help. It is often 
enough for a piece of information or a contact with a new partner to change the 
face of an environment that had up to then been considered hostile to the venture. 
40. The Commission also considers that the complementary aspects of actions 
supported by this programme and local employment initiatives should be 
developed as far as possible. These could, for instance, provide new jobs in which 
young people who have been on European voluntary service could build on the 
experience that they have gained. 
This future capital will, in many cases, be a way of setting in motion long-term 
integration. 
14 
Mobility 
41. Point II of the Commission's working document "Towards a European Voluntary 
Service for Young People" describes a number of administrative and legal 
obstacles to young people's participation. The multiannual programme to which 
this draft Decision relates is based on Article 126 of the Treaty on European 
Union which rules out any harmonisation in this area and cannot therefore resolve 
the problems raiseo^iy these various obstacles which hamper the development of 
a European voluntary service at transnational level. The solution to these problems 
is largely the responsibility of the Member States. The Commission's Green Paper 
on "Education, training, research: obstacles to transnational mobility" should also 
sustain and contribute to discussions on the free movement of volunteers. 
42. Detailed discussions of the various aspects of the problems that rights of 
residence, social protection and compulsory contributions raise for a European 
voluntary service, in particular the bilateral discussions that the Commission has 
organised with Member States' delegations, show that in most cases administrative 
measures could be taken by the Member States to overcome some of these 
obstacles so that the maximum possible number of young people can take part in 
European voluntary service. The Commission has, in this respect, opted for a 
pragmatic and progressive approach and has put forward the draft Resolution 
attached as an annex to the draft Decision1 J. This draft Resolution entails a strong 
commitment by Member States. 
43. The preceding sections show that European voluntary service for young people is 
an educational project whose aim is to contribute to the personal development of 
young volunteers through their participation in activities which are of benefit to 
« the local community. European voluntary service cannot therefore be assimilated 
with paid work. This also means that the relationship between the volunteer and 
the host project is in no way comparable to the relationship between an employer 
and an employee. Lastly, the programme, as proposed in this document, ensures 
that young volunteers are not a burden on the host country. The Commission also 
plans, in this respect, to enter into agreements in the insurance field in order to 
avoid any potential problems and ensure the social coverage of all young 
volunteers taking part in the programme. 
44. It is on this basis that the Member States should envisage administrative and 
legislative provisions that recognise the special status of the young volunteers 
taking part in the European Voluntary Service programme. There are already 
solutions in some Member States. The exchanges of experience and good practice 
that the programme wishes to promote could also take place at this level for the 
benefit of young people. 
14 
15 
45. The Commission considers that the freedom of movement that applies to nationals 
of Member.States must also apply to nationals of third countries legally resident 
in a Member State, even if particular arrangements have to be envisaged, 
particularly from the point of view of social security and rights of residence. 
Cooperation with third countries 
46. Cooperation with third countries will in the first instance involve countries with 
which the Community has signed Association Agreements. Voluntary service will 
be opened up to external actions gradually and on the basis of a specific 
evaluation. It will also differ as a function of the geographical areas concerned. 
In general, there are four different groups: 
1) associated countries and applicant countries; 
2) non-EU Mediterranean countries; 
3) developing countries: ACP/LAA 
4) other countries: CIS, non-associated countries of Central and Eastern 
Europe, South Africa, former Yugoslavia. 
47. For the first group, the Europe agreements or the additional protocols signed with 
the associated countries establish the principle of participation in Community 
programmes with a legal basis. Any countries who so wish can thus participate 
subject to the conditions set out in the association agreements. 
48. For the non-EU Mediterranean countries, exchanges of young people are already 
an objective of the "MEDA" regulation and the Barcelona Declaration. 
49. For other countries, European voluntary service will have to be considered on a 
case-by-case basis depending on the specific political contexts in each country. 
European youth organisations and other associations are already active in South 
Africa, the former Yugoslavia, other countries eligible under the PHARE and 
TACIS programmes, LAA and ACP countries. 
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16 
III. THE PROGRAMME 
50. The Commission proposes the adoption by the Council and the European 
Parliament of a Decision, based on Article 126 of the Treaty, relating to the 
establishment of a multiannual programme of European Voluntary Service for 
young people. It is proposed that the programme develops in a progressive and 
planned way in order to ensure its quality and its long-term impact. The 
Commission has not, at this stage, gone into operational detail but has put forward 
a framework that is flexible enough to be in keeping with the situations of young 
people and the various other partners. From this point of view, it should be 
stressed that the implementation of the programme should be based on the lessons 
learnt from the pilot action and an analysis of the ex-ante evaluation. Moreover, 
as the preliminary findings of the pilot action progress report attached to this 
document stress, a substantial proportion of the programme should take place in 
a largely decentralised way, applying a bottom-up approach in order to cater more 
effectively for the needs of the players in the field. 
51. As the ex-ante evaluation stresses, a programme concerned with personal 
development entails an individual approach: individual choices must be supported 
by a process through which the needs of young people, voluntary service activities 
and the needs of projects can be matched. This is borne out by the experience 
with the pilot action. It is also for this reason, again on the basis of the findings 
of the ex-ante evaluation backed up by the initial results of the pilot action, that 
the programme is structured so that it can provide an answer to the individual 
needs of young people: provision is made for different forms of voluntary service, 
.of differing durations, and the option of combining different educational options 
(Articles 1 and 2 of the draft decision). The five sections of the programme 
(Annex to the draft decision) are therefore designed in an integrated way, form 
a whole and cannot be reduced to a set of isolated actions or measures. 
52. European voluntary service activities, carried out within the Union by young 
people (in principle those aged 18 to 25) resident in the Community form the core 
of the programme. Long-term activities represent its most important part. They are 
supplemented by short-term activities through which access to this type of activity 
can be extended and young people can be made aware of the potential that this 
type of activity offers. 
53. Long-term and short-term activities are also envisaged in the third countries with 
which the Community has signed association and cooperation agreements. These 
activities will be built up gradually. . 
54. Lastly, three other types of venture are proposed: assistance with innovative 
networks in order to meet the contemporary demands of young people in the most 
appropriate way; support for the spirit of initiative and enterprise in order to build 
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17 
on the experience acquired; complementary measures to develop the quality and 
the European dimension of all the programme's activities. 
55. Lastly, on the basis of experience gained from its action in the areas of education; 
training and youth, as well as the analysis of the ex-ante evaluation and its 
recommendations, and the preliminary results of the pilot action, the Commission 
proposes positive measures (which have been proposed) to help those young 
people for whom participation in existing action programmes at Community and 
at national, regional and local level, raises the most problems for cultural, social, 
economic, physical and geographical reasons. It also proposes that efforts should 
be made to ensure that the programme does not replicate or intensify inequalities 
between men and women (Articles 1 and 4 of the draft decision). 
The pilot action also confirms the need for decentralised structures as the basis 
for a common approach and has enabled Member States to propose structures 
which have been given the task of implementing the decentralised part of this 
pilot action. Still in connection with cooperation with the Member States, the pilot 
action has clarified what should be done to remove obstacles to the mobility of 
young volunteers (Article 7 of the proposal for a Decision and draft Resolution 
attached). 
56. As regards financial aspects, co-financing will be applied. Public and private funds 
at European Union level and at national, regional and local level may contribute 
financial assistance in addition to Community support. 
SECTION 1: INTRA-COMMUNITY 
57. This section covers support for European voluntary service activities carried out 
within the European Union by young people resident in the Community. 
58. It has quickly emerged from the pilot action that long-term activities alone could 
not cater for the needs and constraints of various target groups, particularly those 
who have little or no transnational experience and/or those not in a position to 
commit themselves to longer-term activities. Moreover, the findings of the ex-ante 
evaluation, which takes account inter alia of the results of Community action in 
the areas of education, training and youth, corroborate this and show that it is also 
important to provide support for short-term activities. The Commission has 
accordingly included support for short-tern activities in this section. These 
activities will make it possible for young people to familiarise themselves with 
European voluntary service activities and to discover their potential and impact. 
They will also help young people that cannot normally participate because of their 
regular work activities or socio-economic circumstances to take part in the action: 
in the case of young people, especially the most disadvantaged, who have 
never had a European experience, these short-term activities will allow 
them to gain this initial experience and may well be a stepping stone 
towards longer-term European activities; 
- 17 -
in the case of young people who have not had an opportunity to take part 
in longer-term activities because of their family, health, financial 
circumstances, etc., they will provide an opportunity to take part in an 
action involving responsible citizenship and to be recognised as 
responsible citizens. 
59. Lastly, they will allow local projects which have little or no European experience 
to lay the foundations for a longer-term transnational action. 
60. In contrast to long-term activities, short-term activities will give priority to support 
for projects for groups of young people, although support for individual actions 
will not be excluded, particularly for activities lasting over one month. In the case 
of short-term activities, living in a multi-cultural group is an important starting 
point for promoting intercultural learning and provides support - by acting as a 
peer group - for young people who have never had a transnational experience and 
even more for disadvantaged young people. 
61. The educational project on which European voluntary service activities are based 
requires sound preparation and supervision of young volunteers so that these 
young people can be readily integrated into these projects. In the particular case 
of long-term projects, specific measures need to be envisaged to bring together 
young volunteers, to enhance the European dimension of activities and, in 
particular, to promote language and intercultural learning. As mentioned in the 
interim pilot action progress report, preparation and supervision are already part 
of the pilot action. 
62. From the point of view of follow-up at the end of European voluntary service, 
measures to help young volunteers to formulate and clarify their longer-term 
personal plans should also be envisaged. 
SECTION 2 - THIRD COUNTRIES 
63. The activities covered by Section 2 are voluntary service activities carried out by 
young people from the Community in non-EU countries. 
Activities within this section, which is in keeping with the general objectives of 
the programme, entail gradual stepping up of cooperation with third countries 
geared towards intercultural learning and cooperation between young people; 
towards understanding, exchanges of ideas and peace between the European Union 
and third countries; towards improved knowledge and awareness among young 
people of the realities of life in third countries; towards the discovery and 
comprehension by young people from the EU and young people from third 
countries of the cultural and social values and heritage of their respective 
countries; towards the diversification of partnerships between European and third-
country projects as well as inter-regional cooperation within these countries. 
- 18 
19 
64. Given that this Section covers a very complex field and that experience in this 
field is more limited than in the case of intra-Community action, the Commission 
proposes that development should be progressive and pragmatic. The approach for 
developing this external section will be described in a specific evaluation after the 
pilot action. On this basis, short-term activities and measures to support ventures 
whose aim is to lay the foundations for the development of significant long-term 
activities will be organised as a first stage. Due account should be taken of the 
specific features of these activities in the monitoring of the programme as 
described in particular in par. 85. 
65. Lastly, the comments made above in point 61 on the preparation and supervision 
of young volunteers also apply to activities in third countries. 
SECTION 3 - INNOVATIVE NETWORKS 
66. The response to the calls for expression of interest and the Commission's many 
bilateral contacts with potential pilot networks and European voluntary service 
organisations under the pilot action point to the need for a long-term effort to 
diversify the range of activities likely to best match the current demand from 
young people. This concerns both the opening up to European voluntary service 
of networks active in several areas connected with social development and the 
opening up existing networks of voluntary service organisations to other 
approaches. The crucial importance of this diversification and this opening is also 
stressed in the ex ante evaluation report. 
67. This Section covers both intra-Community activities and activities with third 
countries and is accordingly based on these findings. It is intended to support the 
opening up to European voluntary service of networks active in a number of fields 
connected with the development of society; to encourage endeavours to set up 
voluntary service organisations and to persuade groups having values to which 
young people themselves give priority to take part in the programme. The ongoing 
evaluation systems that will be integrated within each of these networks will also 
help to bring the programme and its implementation into line with the 
contemporary demands of young people. 
SECTION 4 - DEVELOPING A SENSE OF INITIATIVE AND ENTERPRISE 
68. The pilot action soon showed that the national authorities and the various field 
operators see this aspect as one of the most significant added values of European 
voluntary service. Although the pilot action includes ways of testing practical 
arrangements, it is clear that both European validation and follow-up of young 
people upon completion oï their period of service require a proper legal 
framework which implies the cooperation of the Member States and a long-term 
approach. The Commission has therefore provided for a specific section to cater 
for these requirements and has devoted an article (Art. 8) of its draft decision to 
validation. 
19 
20 
The support provided under this Section takes the form of follow-up assistance for 
young volunteers on the basis of the projects of the young people concerned, 
sponsored by partners. Grants and premiums are not therefore paid directly to 
young volunteers. These projects may take a wide range of forms, including the 
launch and creation of ventures, businesses, etc., or additional vocational training 
or academic education. 
69. It should be stressed, as regards the launch or creation of businesses, that this type 
of support takes account of the age of the entrepreneurs which is seen as an asset 
and not as a handicap. 
70. Lastly, this section will also serve as a very important indicator for the evaluation 
of the programme in terms of follow-up and impact. 
SECTION 5 - COMPLEMENTARY MEASURES 
71. The pilot action and the ex-ante evaluation highlight the need to include certain 
complementary measures in the programme. The ex-ante evaluation stresses in 
particular the need for central and decentralised strategies to support the 
recruitment, preparation and counselling of volunteers, and ways of finding 
partners for projects and organisations. It also recommends that an action be 
included in the programme to foster local, regional and national cooperation 
between institutions/organisations and between sectors of activity (partnerships). 
This is borne out by the preliminary progress report on the pilot action. The 
actions covered by Section 5 are accordingly intended to support the development 
of the quality and European dimension of all the programme's activities. They 
cover preparation and supervision, support for the development of European 
partnerships and information on and evaluation of all aspects of the programme's 
activities and their spin-off effects. Three actions are proposed for this purpose: 
5.1 Preparation and supervision 
5.2 European partnerships 
5.3 Information and evaluation 
5.1 Preparation and supervision 
72. It quickly emerged from contacts with operators at various levels under the pilot 
action that there was a need to allow certain education players (mentors, contacts, 
etc.) and project managers to train up to the tasks implicit in supervising and 
preparing young volunteers in an international context. As indicated below, while 
ad hoc experiments will be conducted under the pilot action, clearly a pluri-annual 
programme alone - in that it permits a long-term approach - can fulfil this 
requirement. The actions envisaged in this connection seek to cater for this 
requirement. 
20 
21 
Two target groups are envisaged: 
supervisors; 
European project leaders. 
73. It will also be necessary to support and promote the production of educational 
materials specifically designed for short-term and long-term European voluntary 
service activities within the European Union and in third countries. 
Supervisors 
74. Long-term young volunteers as well as the projects in which they are working 
need to be overseen by supervisors: 
mentors for young volunteers within host projects; 
reference persons, independent of host projects, at local, regional or 
national level. 
75. Host projects will have to provide the necessary guarantees as regards the 
supervision of young volunteers throughout their service. It should be stressed in 
this respect that this supervision will be provided by personal mentors responsible 
for the educational and personal support that young people are likely to need 
during their service. 
76. In addition to these tutors, systems independent of host projects should be 
established in each Member State with a team of reference persons who can, in 
all confidentiality and confidence, deal with the various problems that young 
people, young people's supervisors and host project leaders may encounter. 
77. Mentors and reference persons therefore have a key role to play in the success and 
the quality of European voluntary service activities. From this point of view, 
Section 5.1 is in particular intended to allow the various mentors and supervisors 
to acquire the skills and resources needed to supervise young people in an 
international context, especially within long-term activities. 
European project leaders 
78. The success of European voluntary service projects also depends on the quality 
of their management. Local projects wishing to take part in the programme's 
actions often have little or no experience of managing transnational projects. For 
this reason, the Commission considers that it is essential to provide opportunities 
for training at European level so that this target group can gain the experience and 
resources needed efficiently to manage such projects. 
22 
5.2 Partnerships 
79. At this stage in the proceedings the pilot action confirms that local projects, which 
are the foundation of European voluntary service, do not have the European 
contacts they would need to be able to identify potential partners on their own. 
The pilot action provides an ad hoc response to this need and makes it possible 
to try out practical solutions. The fact remains, however, that this is a long-term 
task which needs specific measures - not feasible given the resources and 
framework of the pilot action - as part of a long-term approach and within a 
clearly-defined legal framework. The Commission has therefore made provision 
for a specific complementary measure in the programme proposed. 
This action of the programme is not intended to duplicate other types of assistance 
and initiatives to support local development (LEDA, etc.) or European 
partnerships between local communities (twin towns, etc.). In the light of the 
findings of the ex-ante evaluation, the Community needs to contribute to Member 
States's efforts to encourage local/regional/national partnerships between public 
and private partners that are geared towards European voluntary service and could 
well take the form of European partnerships. A further aim of this action is to 
facilitate and promote the establishment of these transnational partnerships. 
80. Support for the preparation, launch and operation of these partnerships is essential, 
bearing mind that local projects often lack the European contacts that they need 
to locate potential partners themselves. 
81. As the ex-ante evaluation notes, it will also be necessary to create mechanisms 
helping to bring the various partners into contact, in order, in particular, to involve 
. the maximum possible number of small local associations and young people not 
belonging to associations. Some of the paths that the pilot action has taken are 
intended to create these conditions. It is for this reason that the Commission has 
targeted both specialist organisations and the establishment of pilot networks. 
5.3 Research, information and evaluation 
82. Cooperation, at European level, in the area of research, information and evaluation 
will play a key part in the success of the Community action. As the ex-ante 
evaluation notes, a system will need to be set up for the continuous collection and 
dissemination of data on the operation of the programme. 
83. In the area of information, the creation of systems which, at local, regional and 
national level, provide information and advice on the various aspects of the 
programme, including legal and administrative aspects, for as many young people 
as possible, will need to be encouraged and supported. As the ex-ante evaluation 
notes, priority needs to be given to simple and readily accessible mechanisms of 
the "local information counter" type and, in this context, to the promotion of a 
wide range of private as well as public information channels - commercial and 
. ?? -
23 
public channels such as the media, municipalities, leisure facilities and 
employment offices and other places frequented by large numbers of young people 
- in order to contact young people who are not members of trie conventional 
networks of organisations or associations. As the ex-ante evaluation also stresses, 
disseminating information on past experiences of European voluntary service and, 
in particular, on the pilot action should play a part, through discussions and 
transfers of experience, in highlighting the European added value of the proposed 
action. 
84. Studies should make it possible to highlight a number of aspects linked to the 
programme's objectives and in particular aspects connected with the exercise of 
responsible citizenship and the integration of young people into active life. 
Moreover, as the ex-ante evaluation stresses, feasibility studies of voluntary 
service conducted by young people themselves should also be possible in this 
Section. 
85. The ex-ante evaluation rightly stresses the evaluation problems that are raised, in 
general, by innovative programmes. In the case of the European Voluntary Service 
programme, the report notes that these problems are aggravated by the intangible 
nature of the results and processes linked to the programme. Concepts such as, for 
instance, enhanced personal development or the promotion of responsible 
citizenship are difficult to place on an operational footing. 
86. The report also notes that account should be taken of links between the proposed 
programme and other youth programmes, especially the Youth for Europe 
programme. From this point of view, and in keeping with the recommendations 
of the ex-ante evaluation, the Commission considers that a more general 
evaluation framework for youth programmes needs to be prepared as part of 
Section 5.3, as an integral part of the evaluation of the multiannual programme. 
It also considers that the evaluation of the pilot act4on should be seen as an 
integral part of the evaluation of the programme. Lastly, Article 10 of the draft 
decision stipulates that sometime in the second year of implementation of the 
programme the Commission will submit to the Council and the European 
Parliament an evaluation report which can if need be serve to define new 
guidelines and arrangements for implementation. 
87. Lastly, the Commission also takes up the ex-ante evaluation's recommendations 
that it is important for young people from different backgrounds to take part in 
the evaluation process and for the various partners to be pro-actively involved in 
formulating the programme's evaluation framework. 
«B-
DECISION 
OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 
establishing the Community Action Programme 
"European voluntary service for young people" 
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular 
Articles 126 thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission1, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee2, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions3, 
Acting in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 189b of the Treaty4, 
Whereas the Essen European Council, meeting on 9-10 December 1994, and the Cannes 
European Council, meeting on 26-27 June 1995, stressed the need to undertake new 
actions to promote the social and occupational integration of young people in Europe; 
Whereas the conclusions of the Florence European Council (21-22 June 1996) stressed 
the importance of helping young people to become integrated into active life and, in this 
respect, noted with interest the idea of a European voluntary service; 
Whereas the Council requested the Commission to propose practical measures to promote 
transnational cooperation in the field of voluntary service5; 
Whereas the Council, in its Resolution of 5 October 1995 on cooperation with third 
countries in the youth field, stressed the need to step up cooperation, particularly with 
regard to voluntary service, with third countries with which the Community has 
concluded association and cooperation agreements; 
Conclusions of the Council and the Ministers of Youth of 30 
November on the promotion of voluntary service periods for young people, OJ 
C348 of 9.12.1994. 
Council Resolution of 5 October 1995 on ccoperation with third countries in the youth field (OJ No C296 of 
10.11.1995) 
!</ 
Whereas the European Council of 25-26 June 1984 asked Member States to take steps 
to encourage young people to take part in projects organised by the Community outside 
its frontiers, and whereas they recommended that Member States take on board as one 
of the objectives of their social policies the incorporation of social protection for 
development volunteers or the correction of shortcomings; 
Whereas the Parliament has also expressed its support, on many occasions, for the 
development of a voluntary service at Community level, in particular in its Resolution of 
22 September 1995 on the establishment of European civilian service7; 
Whereas voluntary service activities also exist in a range of forms in several Member 
States and a number of non-governmental organisations are working in this field; 
Whereas, despite these experiences, transnational voluntary service actions remain limited; 
Whereas it is necessary to create new opportunities for the transfer and application of 
experience and good practice and to promote new partnerships; 
Whereas the pilot action launched in January 1996 and still in progress is designed inter 
alia to test the arrangements for decentralised implementation of long term voluntary 
service activities looking ahead to the multi-annual programme envisaged, and whereas 
the initial results of this pilot action are described in an interim progress report; 
Whereas an independent ex ante evaluation for a multi-annual programme of voluntary 
service has been carried out in accordance with the principles put in place by the 
Commission for the second phase of its SEM 2000 ('sound and efficient management') 
programme ; 
Whereas this interim report already provides a basis for the programme's legal and 
financial structure, and a framework for its administrative management; and whereas the 
Commission will scrutinise the results of the pilot action at the half-way stage (second 
progress report) before taking full stock of the final results upon completion of the pilot 
action for the purpose of the discussions to be held as part of the co-decision procedure 
on the proposal for a decision and will, if need be, submit amendments to its proposal, 
particularly in relation to activities in non-EU countries; 
Whereas a number of legal obstacles stand in the way of the development of voluntary 
service; 
Whereas this Decision therefore establishes a Comm nity framework which is intended 
to overcome these obstacles and to promote the development of transnational voluntary 
service activities; 
B4-1127/95 (PE 193.734) 
SEC(95)1814/5 
Whereas participation in voluntary service activities by young people is an educational 
experience that may promote their integration into active life; 
Whereas it is necessary to reinforce the links between the actions undertaken by this 
programme and those pursued within the framework of social policy, particularly action 
on training and access to employment for young people supported under the European 
Social Fund (both mainstream and the 'Employment-Youthstart' Community Initiative), 
the fight against racism and xenophobia, and cooperation with third countries; 
Whereas, in order to facilitate this transition into active life, complementary links need 
to be established between European voluntary service and local employment initiatives; 
Whereas voluntary service may help to meet new social needs and may also reveal new 
kinds of professions and activities; 
Whereas participation in the voluntary service actions covered by this Decision takes 
place on a purely voluntary basis, since these activities are non-profit-making and the 
volunteer/host project relationship can in no case be assimilated with the 
employee/employer relationship; 
Whereas young volunteers taking part in this programme will have adequate means of 
subsistence and will not, therefore, represent a burden to the host country; 
Whereas European voluntary service activities are not a substitute for military service, for 
the alternative service formulae provided in particular for conscientious objectors or for 
the compulsory civilian service that exist in Member States and are not a substitute for 
potential or existing paid employment; 
Whereas all young people resident in a Member State may apply to take part in European 
voluntary service, without discrimination; 
Whereas the participation of young nationals of third countries legally resident in a 
Member State also needs to be promoted; 
Whereas implementation of this programme must be based on decentralised structures 
designated by Member States in close cooperation with the national authorities 
responsible for youth questions, with a view to ensuring that Community action supports 
and complements national activities whilst respecting the principle of subsidiarity, as 
defined in Article 3b of the Treaty; 
Whereas in its Communication of 13 June 1995 on "A European strategy for encouraging 
local development and employment initiatives"9, the Commission notes that local 
development and employment initiatives are spreading throughout the European Union 
as they are found to provide a genuine response to current aspirations; 
COM(95)273. 
- 4 -
? A 
Whereas European voluntary service activities directly involve local and regional 
authorities, bearing in mind the role they will play in direct support for projects as well 
as in the development of local information and in following up young people at the end 
of their service; 
Whereas the social partners should play an important role in the development of a 
European voluntary service not only to avoid any activity that is a substitute for potential 
or existing employment but also to build on the experience acquired in order to help 
young people to become integrated into active life; 
Whereas the Agreement on the European Economic Area10 sets out enlarged'cooperation 
in the field of education, training and youth between the European Community and its 
Member States, on the one hand, and the countries of the European Free Trade 
Association and the European Economic Area, on the other hand, and that Article 4 of 
Protocol 31 states that the countries of the European Free Trade Association and the 
European Economic Area shall take part, from 1 January 1995, in all Community 
programmes in the field of education, training and youth that are already in force or have 
been adopted; 
Whereas the programme "European voluntary service for young people" is open to the 
participation of the associated countries of Central and Eastern Europe, in accordance 
with the conditions set out in the Additional Protocols to the Association Agreements on 
participation in Community programmes to be concluded with those countries; whereas 
this programme is open to the participation of Cyprus and Malta on the basis of 
additional appropriations under the same rules as apply to the EFTA countries, in 
accordance with procedures to be agreed with those countries; 
Whereas the Association and Cooperation agreements provide for exchanges of young 
people; 
Whereas this Decision establishes for the full duration of the programme a financial 
framework which constitutes the preferential point of reference for the budget authority 
during the annual budgetary procedure within the meaning of Point 1 of the Joint 
Declaration of 6 March 1995 by the European Parliament, the Council and the 
Commission; 
Whereas the Community's financial perspective is valid up until 1999 and will have to 
be revised for the period beyond that date; 
Whereas an agreement on a modus vivendi between the European Parliament, the Council 
and the Commission concerning the implementing measures of the acts adopted pursuant 
to the procedure referred to in Article 189b of the Treaty took place on 20 December 
1994; 
HAVE DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 
OJ Ll of 3.1.1994, p 3. 
- 5 
1 
Article 1 
Establishment of the programme "European voluntary service for young people" 
1. This Decision establishes the Community action rogramme "European voluntary 
service for young people", as described in the Annex and hereinafter referred to 
as the "programme", concerning European voluntary service activities for young 
people within the Community and in third countries. 
The programme is adopted for the period from 1 January 1998 to 31 December 
2002. 
2. This programme comes within the context of the general objectives of a 
cooperation policy in the youth field as set out in the programme Youth for 
Europe (Article 1, paragraph 2). It is intended, while respecting equal 
opportunities for men and women, to encourage mobility among young Europeans 
as part of an active citizenship, to give them the chance of an educational 
experience in a variety of sectors of activity, to promote their active contribution 
to the construction of Europe and cooperation between the European Union and 
third countries, through their participation in transnational activities of benefit to 
the community. 
Article 2 
Framework, objectives and resources 
1. This programme, based on increased cooperation between the Member States, 
offers young Europeans a recognised educational experience, at transnational level, 
involving both the acquisition of skills and abilities and the demonstration of 
responsible citizenship in order to help them to become integrated into active life. 
2. In accordance with the general objective set out in Article 1, the specific 
objectives of this programme shall be as follows: 
a) to step up participation by young people resident in a Member State in 
long-term or short-term transnational activities of benefit to the 
community, within the Union and in third countries; 
b) to promote an educational experience accredited at the European level; 
c) to encourage a spirit of initiative and enterprise among young people in 
order to promote their integration into active life and their contribution to 
the development of the objectives of the programme; 
d) to promote access to the programme for all young people; 
3. For this purpose, and in accordance with the general objective set out in Article 
1, and the specific objectives described in the previous paragraph, the main 
elements of this programme shall be as follows: 
a) to support long-term or short-term transnational activities of benefit to the 
community, within the Union and with third countries; 
b) to support networks of innovative initiatives, particularly in the social, 
environmental and cultural fields and with regard to the fight against 
different forms of exclusion; 
c) to support projects that help to build on the experience acquired and are 
intended to further the follow-up of these young people; 
d) to develop and support the preparation, particularly linguistic and 
intercultural, and the supervision of young volunteers, in particular long-
term volunteers, "mentors" and European* project leaders so that the young 
volunteers can benefit from high-quality actions connected with the 
objectives of the programme; 
e) to support the quality of all the programme's activities, the development 
of their European dimension and to contribute to cooperation in the youth 
field by supporting Member States' endeavours to improve services and 
measures linked to European voluntary service, particularly through 
measures to provide young people with information on the objectives of 
the programme and through studies and continuing evaluation through 
which the operation and guidelines of the programme can be brought into 
line with the needs of target groups. 
Article 3 
Financial provisions 
1. The financial framework for the implementation of the programme during the 
period 1998-1999 shall be ECU 60 million, in keeping with current financial 
perspectives. Proposals shall be put forward in accordance with the procedure set 
out in Article 10 in order to determine the financial framework for the final three 
years of the programme (2000-2002). 
2. The budget authority shall determine the appropriations available for each 
financial year within the limits of the financial perspective. 
Article 4 
Positive action to facilitate access to the programme 
1. Special attention shall be paid to ensuring that all young people can have access, 
without discrimination, to the programme's activities. 
<L1 
2. The Commission and the Member States shall ensure that special efforts are made 
for young people who experience the most difficulties in being included in 
existing action programmes at both Community and national, regional and local 
levels, due to cultural, social, physical, economic or geographical reasons. These 
efforts shall be proportional to the problems encountered by this target group. 
Article 5 
Participation by associated countries 
This programme shall be open to the participation of the associated countries of central 
and eastern Europe (CCEE) in accordance with the conditions set out in the Europe 
agreements and the Additional Protocols to the Association Agreements on participation 
in Community programmes that have been or are to be concluded with those countries. 
This programme shall be open to the participation of Cyprus and Malta on the basis of 
additional appropriations under the same rules as apply to the EFTA countries, in 
accordance with the procedures to be agreed with those countries. 
Article 6 
Links with other Community actions and cooperation 
with the relevant international organisations 
1. The Commission and the Member States shall ensure that the programme is 
compatible with and complementary to other actions undertaken for young people 
by the Member States and the Community. 
2. They shall promote cooperation relating to this programme to allow 
complementarity of the programme with the relevant international organisations, 
in particular the Council of Europe. 
Article 7 
Cooperation with Member States 
1. The Commission and the Member States shall take the necessary measures to 
develop the structures set up at European, national, regional and local level for 
achieving the objectives of the programme, for facilitating the access of young 
people and other partners at local level to the programme, for evaluating and 
monitoring the actions set out in the programme and for applying consultation and 
selection mechanisms. 
2. Each Member State shall endeavour to adopt the measures necessary to ensure 
that the young people participating in the programme do not encounter obstacles, 
especially as regards the right of residence in the host Member State for the 
period of the voluntary service and the maintenance of their entitlements, in 
particular those linked to their social protection. 
> 
Article 8 
Validation 
Young volunteers shall receive a European certificate, drawn up by the Commission in 
cooperation with the Member States, attesting to their participation in European voluntary 
service and the experience and skills that they have acquired during this period. 
Article 9 
Committee 
1. The Commission shall implement this programme in accordance with this 
Decision. 
2. In the performance of this task, the Commission shall be assisted by a committee 
composed of two representatives appointed by each Member State and chaired by 
the representative of the Commission. 
3. The representative of the Commission shall submit to the committee, in 
accordance with the procedure set out in paragraph 4, a draft of the measures to 
be taken in respect of: 
the committee's internal rules of procedure; 
the annual plan of work for the implementation of the actions of the 
programme; 
the general balance between all the sections of the programme; 
the criteria for determining indicative allocation of funds among the 
Member States; 
the procedures for monitoring and evaluating the programme. 
4. The Committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft measures referred to in point 
3 within a time limit which the chairman may lay down according to the urgency 
of the matter. The opinion shall be delivered by the majority laid down in Article 
148 (2) of the Treaty in the case of decisions which the Council is required to 
adopt on a proposal from the Commission. The votes of the representatives of the 
Member States shall be weighted in the manner set out in that Article. The 
chairman shall not vote. 
The Commission shall adopt measures which shall apply immediately. However, 
if these measures are not in accordance with the opinion of the committee, they 
shall be communicated by the Commission to the Council forthwith. In that event: 
a) the Commission may defer application of the measures which it has 
decided for a period of two months from the date of that communication; 
b) the Council, acting by a qualified majority, may take a different decision 
within the time limit referred to in point a). 
5. The Commission may consult the committee on any other matters relating to the 
implementation of this programme. 
6. The representative of the Commission shall submit to the committee a draft of the 
measures to be taken. The committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft within 
a time limit which the Chairman may lay down according to the urgency of the 
matter, if necessary by taking a vote. 
The opinion shall be recorded in the minutes; in addition, each Member State 
shall have the right to ask to have its position recorded in the minutes. 
The Commission shall take the utmost account of the opinion delivered by the 
committee. It shall inform the committee of the manner in which its opinion has 
been taken into account. 
Article 10 
Monitoring and evaluation 
1. On implementation of this Decision, the Commission shall take the necessary 
measures to ensure the monitoring and continuous evaluation of the programme, 
taking account of the general objective referred to in Article 1, the specific 
objectives defined in the Annex, the provisions laid down in Article 4 and any 
input provided by the committee set up under Article 9. 
2. During the course of the second year of this programme, the Commission shall 
* present to the European Parliament and to the Council an evaluation report which 
will serve to define any new implementing guidelines and methods,and a new 
budget framework for the final three years of the programme. 
3. In the light of the evaluation report referred to in paragraph 2 and the proposals 
made by the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council shall envisage 
the possibility of adjusting the programme, extending some actions or making 
provision for new actions. 
Article 11 
This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its publication in the Official Journal. 
Done at , 
For the European Parliament For the Council 
The President The President 
- 10 -
Jh 
ANNEX 
In order to promote mobility among young people within the framework of active 
citizenship, their practical participation in the creation of European solidarity and their 
integration into active life, the Community shall support European voluntary service 
activities within the Union and in third countries, projects to follow up these activities 
and European cooperation measures to develop their quality and their European 
dimension. 
The basic principles on which the Community action is based are as follows: 
local partnerships between the various public/private partners involved in the 
integration of young people into active life; 
transnational partnerships between host projects - validated by the Member States 
and the Commission - and sending projects; % 
guarantees from the point of view of the preparation and supervision of young 
volunteers and their physical conditions, insurance and social protection; 
the inclusion, within host projects, of "mentors" having an important role to play 
in the supervision of young volunteers and in the validation of the skills acquired 
and the preparation of measures following up the experience; 
validation of the educational experience; 
follow-up for young volunteers and the enhancement of the skills that they have 
acquired. 
In order to meet these basic objectives, the Community is organising the current 
programme which is made up of five main sections. These five sections are interlinked 
and are flexible enough to meet the needs of the young people concerned in the most 
appropriate way. 
SECTION 1 - INTRA-COMMUNITY 
1. The Community shall support long-term (in principle for six months to one years) 
and short-term (in principle from three weeks to three months) transnational 
projects allowing young people - aged between 18 and 25 - resident in a Member 
State to play an active part in activities which help to meet the needs of society 
in a wide range of fields (social, environmental, cultural, etc.) and which are 
likely to have a direct impact on the well-being of the populations of the host 
communities. The aim of these projects shall be to provide young people from the 
Union with an educational experience and to bring them into contact with other 
cultures and experience new ideas and projects in an intercultural context. 
2. The assistance awarded under this section should not exceed 50% of the total 
expenditure incurred, subject to point 3. 
- 11 -
3} 
3. In accordance with Article 4, paragraph 2, ot the Decision, efforts shall be made 
to help young people facing cultural, social, economic, physical or geographical 
difficulties. These efforts must be proportional to the difficulties that participation 
in existing action programmes raises for this target group. In this context, 
financial assistance greater than the 50% set out in point 3 may be awarded, or 
support, where appropriate, for other activities likely to facilitate participation by 
this target group, including preparation and follow-up actions. 
4. Assistance shall be awarded to: 
LONG-TERM ACTIVITIES 
5. Long-term activities shall place the emphasis on the acquisition of appropriate 
experience from European voluntary service projects and on the follow-up of 
young volunteers' activities. 
6. The Commission shall certify, at European level, the skills acquired from this 
formative experience and from the follow-up of young volunteers at the end of 
these activities. 
PREPARA TIONAND SUPER VISION 
7. Actions intended (particularly as regards language, intercultural development, etc.) 
to build on the European dimension of activities, to prepare young long-term 
volunteers prior to departure and to promote their integration during these 
activities and at the end of European voluntary service. 
8. Actions (particularly training in setting up projects etc..) to promote the 
development of follow-up projects for young volunteers at the end of their 
European voluntary service. 
SHORT-TERM ACTIVITIES 
9. The Community shall support short-term transnational projects intended to make 
young people genuinely aware of the potential of actions linked to the principle 
of active citizenship, the impact that these activities may have on their lives and 
to familiarise all the partners with the concept of active citizenship. 
10. These projects will initially involve groups of young people. Support for 
individual participation in a host project may be envisaged depending on the 
length of the project, its nature or the profile of the young volunteer. 
SECTION 2 - THIRD COUNTRIES 
1. The Community shall support long-term (in principle 6-12 months) and short-term 
(in principle from three weeks to three months) transnational projects allowing 
young people - aged between' 18 and 25 - resident in a Member State to play an 
active part in third countries in activities which meet the needs of society in a 
wide range of fields (social, environmental, cultural, etc.) and which are likely to 
- 12 -
ni 
have a direct impact on the well-being of the populations of the host communities. 
The aim of these projects shall be to provide young people with an educational 
experience and to bring them into contact with other cultures and experience new 
ideas and projects in an intercultural context. 
2. The appropriations awarded under this Section shall in principle cover the costs-
of the activities of young people residing in the Member States. 
3. Assistance shall be awarded for: 
LONG-TERM ACTIVITIES 
4. Long-term activities shall place the emphasis on the acquisition of appropriate 
experience from European voluntary service projects and from the follow-up of 
young volunteers' activities. 
5. The Commission shall certify, at European level, the skills acquired from this 
formative experience and from the follow-up of young volunteers at the end of 
these activities. 
PREPARATION AND SUPERVISION 
6. Actions making it possible to lay or consolidate the foundations needed for the 
development of transnational European voluntary service projects with third 
countries, in particular long-term activities. 
7. Actions intended (particularly as regards language, intercultural development, etc.) 
to build on the European dimension of activities, to prepare young long-term 
volunteers prior to departure and to promote their integration during these 
activities and at the end of European voluntary service. 
8. Actions (particularly training in setting up projects etc.) to promote the 
development of follow-up projects for young volunteers at the end of their 
European voluntary service. 
SHORT-TERM ACTIVITIES 
9. The Community shall support short-term transnational projects intended to make 
young people genuinely aware of the impact that these activities may have on 
their lives and to familiarise all the partners with the concept of active citizenship. 
10. These projects will initially involve groups of young people. Support for 
individual participation in a host project may be envisaged depending on the 
length of the project, its nature or the profile of the young volunteer. 
SECTION 3 - INNOVATIVE NETWORKS 
1. Assistance shall be awarded for actions coordinated by innovative networks, 
particularly in the social, environmental and cultural fields and with regard to the 
fight against different forms of exclusion. 
2. This assistance shall cover innovative networks of initiatives both within the 
Union and with third countries. 
3. Support for these innovative networks shall be intended to help, on the one hand, 
these networks to develop practical European voluntary service activities and, on 
the other hand, to help these networks to take on a European voluntary service 
dimension. 
SECTION 4 - DEVELOPING A SENSE OF INITIATIVE AND ENTERPRISE 
1. Assistance may be awarded for projects intended to build, in a concrete way, on 
the experience that young people have acquired from European voluntary service 
and thus to promote their integration into active life. 
2. This assistance will allow young volunteers to develop their sense of initiative and 
enterprise by helping them to: 
launch complementary training projects; 
develop voluntary service initiatives that follow on from the activities that 
they have undertaken; 
launch economic activities, including business creation. 
3. Special attention should be paid to the commitment of (public and/or private) 
partners to these projects in order to support, help and sponsor young people's 
strategies of integration into active life. 
SECTION 5 - COMPLEMENTARY MEASURES 
5.1 Preparation and supervision 
1. In addition to actual voluntary service activities, assistance will also be awarded 
for actions intended to underpin the work of "mentors" and European project 
leaders. These actions shall concern activities supported at intra-Community level 
as well as in third countries. They are intended, on the one hand, to ensure that 
the content of the formative experience is of high quality and, on the other hand, 
to help to develop certification methods. 
2. The term "mentors" means people supporting and supervising young volunteers 
during European voluntary service activities within hosting projects and those who 
act as contact points for young volunteers and projects within relay structures at 
national, regional or local level. 
- 14 -
Special attention shall be paid to projects having little or no experience of transnational 
activities. 
Mentors 
3. Activities intended to prepare and support mentors from the point of view of their 
tasks of supporting and supervising young volunteers during transnational 
voluntary service activities. 
European project leaders 
4. Activities intended to develop the ability of European project leaders effectively 
to carry out their administrative tasks in a European context (financial and 
administrative management and follow-up of European projects, legal aspects, 
etc.). 
5.2 Partnerships 
1. The Community shall support activities to promote partnerships at 
local/national/regional level - between public and private partners - geared towards 
European voluntary service and leading potentially to transnational partnerships. 
'•• .•• * 
2. Assistance shall be awarded for activities to facilitate and promote the creation of 
transnational partnerships between local/regional/national partnerships wishing to 
work together within the framework of this programme either within the Union 
or with third countries. 
3. Special attention shall be paid to local projects/initiatives which have little or no 
experience of or opportunity for contacts at European level. 
5.3 Research, information and evaluation 
1. Support for activities to launch awareness, information and advisory systems at 
local, regional, national and transnational level to promote and support the 
objectives of the programme. 
2. In the particular area of studies and evaluation connected with the objectives of 
the programme, the Community will concentrate its efforts on the analysis and 
dissemination of data and the promotion of Community cooperation in this field. 
The Commission will, in cooperation with the Member States, monitor and 
evaluate this programme in an ongoing way in order, when necessary, to bring it 
into line with needs arising during implementation. 
- 15 -
PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL RESOLUTION 
The Council considers that the following steps should be taken for the effective 
implementation of the programme "European voluntary service for young people". 
A. Right of residence 
As the programme of European voluntary service for young people provides participants 
with adequate means of subsistence and adequate social coverage and since they do not 
therefore represent a burden for the host country, the Member States shall take the steps 
necessary for participants: 
• in the case of nationals of Member States: 
automatically to be awarded a residence permit 
• in the case of nationals of third countries legally resident in a Member State: 
to be awarded a residence permit without difficulties and, where necessary, a visa 
for the duration of the voluntary service; and to retain, on their return from 
European voluntary service, the right of residence in the Member State in which 
they are normally resident 
• in the case of nationals of third countries resident in third countries: 
to benefit from simplified formalities for the award of a residence permit and, 
where necessary, a visa for the duration of the European voluntary service 
B. Social protection 
1. General remarks 
Member States shall ensure that volunteers under this programme are 
given proper social cover for the duration of their service. 
Member States shall take all the steps necessary for young volunteers -
both nationals of EU countries and nationals of third countries legally 
resident in a EU country - taking part in the programme to retain, for the 
duration of their voluntary service, their social security entitlements, 
including their entitlements to any non-contributory benefits. 
2. Specific provisions 
Since European voluntary service for young people is an educational experience 
in the context of an informal education programme, the Member States shall take 
all the steps necessary: 
it 
a) as regards entitlement to unemployment benefits 
for jobseekers - nationals of Member States or of third countries legally resident 
in a Member State - not to lose, at the end of European voluntary service, their 
acquired entitlements to unemployment benefits and, during the period of 
voluntary service, to be exempt from the obligation to be available for work. 
b) as regards family allowances 
for the parents of young volunteers - nationals of Member States or of third 
countries legally resident in a Member State - to continue to receive family 
allowances. 
C. Tax and social security contributions 
The Member States shall endeavour to take all the steps necessary to ensure that 
European voluntary service activities for young people are not assimilated with paid work 
or employment and therefore that such activities are not subject to mandatory taxation 
and social security schemes. 
? -
European voluntary service 
for young people 
Multiannual programme for European voluntary service 
Financial Statement 
/ _ 
1 TITLE OF OPERATION 
European voluntary service 
2 BUDGET HEADING INVOLVED 
B3-1011 
3 LEGAL BASIS 
Article 126 of the Treaty on European Union. 
European Parliament and Council Decision No 97/ of 
4 DESCRIPTION OF OPERATION 
4.1 General objective 
The aim of the programme proposed is to promote voluntary service activities for young 
people aged 18-25 both within the European Union and in non-EU countries (associated 
countries, Mediterranean countries, developing countries, etc.). The European voluntary 
service programme will provide young people with a educational experience which will 
be accredited by a European certificate, will be recognised by the players of the social 
and business sectors, and will consist of short-term (3 weeks - 3 months) or long-term 
(6-12 months) voluntary.service activities benefitting the hosting communities. These 
activities could, for example, involve assistance to people; social services; environmental 
protection; the preservation and enhancement of heritage; tackling drug abuse; the fight 
against racism or xenophobia; activities in the arts, sports or culture, etc. 
The idea is to use routes other than the traditional educational or vocational training 
pathways to give young people an original way of integrating into society while at the 
same time offering them the opportunity to make a real contribution to building Europe 
- and with it a sense of European identity and citizenship - and also to demonstrating 
solidarity between EU and non-EU countries. 
The programme comprises five sections, the first four of which will directly involve 
young people through: 
- long- or short-term voluntary service activities performed within the European 
Union and involving young people resident in the EU (Section 1); 
v 
long- or short-term activities involving young people from Member States in non-
EU countries (Section 2); short-term activities involving young people from 
different Member States in a project in a non-EU country; 
- voluntary service activities in innovative networks (Section 3); 
- projects following up voluntary service activities with support for the spirit of 
initiative and enterprise in order to build on the experience acquired (Section 4). 
Section 5 will consist of a range of complementary measures designed to ensure the 
smooth running of the programme and to enhance its quality and the European dimension 
(preparation/supervision, coordination, information, studies, evaluation, partnerships). 
4.2 Period covered and arrangements for renewal or extension 
Five-year action programme (1998-2002). 
Renewal and revision as a function of the programme evaluation findings. 
5 CLASSIFICATION OF EXPENDITURE OR REVENUE 
5.1 Non-compulsory expenditure 
5.2 Differentiated appropriations 
5.3 Type of revenue involved 
None 
6 TYPE OF EXPENDITURE OR REVENUE 
The general principle applied for most of the projects is that of granting a subsidy for co-
financing with other sources from the public or private sector (institutional partnerships 
involved: NGOs, local authorities, private initiatives, the business sector) to a maximum 
of 50% of the cost. Consideration may be given to a higher subsidy in the case of young 
people finding it difficult to gain access to existing action programmes or in the case of 
an innovatory project. 
By way of exception, subsidies of over 50% may be paid for information or study 
activities carried out by third parties and for activities to support initiative and 
entrepreneurial spirit. 
kt 
7 FINANCIAL IMPACT 
7.1 Method of calculating total cost of operation (definition of unit costs) 
7.1.1 Method of calculation and type of activity 
The total cost of the operation is calculated partly on the basis of an estimate of unit 
costs for. each of the actions envisaged depending on their specific features, and partly 
on the basis of their frequency or anticipated scope. The total cost required for the action 
is thus the result of applying these unit costs to the activities which can be perceived in 
a strictly quantitative way (point 1 below) or of extrapolating data from the pilot 
experiments in progress and data derived from related activities implemented as part of 
Community exchange and mobility programmes, as regards activities defined in terms of 
scope (point 2 below). 
1. The quantitative approach can be used for the following activities: 
- long- or short-term EU voluntary service activities 
- long- or short-term voluntary service activities in non-EU countries 
- voluntary service activities within innovatory networks 
- support for the spirit of initiative and enterprise 
- training up of education players and project managers (mentors, 
coordinators, advisers). 
2. The global approach is more appropriate for the following activities: 
- partnerships 
- studies, information, evaluation 
- structures for the coordination/implementation of the programme (at 
central and decentralised levels). 
7.1.2 Associated unit costs 
Long- and short-term voluntary service activities within and outside the European Union 
The basic principle for these activities is that of Community co-financing which may not, 
as a rule, exceed 50% of the total cost of the project. 
For activities falling within the section for non-EU countries, only expenditure connected 
with young volunteers resident in one of the EU countries*will be covered by the 
appropriations earmarked for the European voluntary service programme. 
Long-term 
The Commission's financial aid will be used to co-finance the following eligible 
expenditure for a period of voluntary service: 
/ ? 
- payment of an allowance to young volunteers 
- insurance cover against sickness, accidents, invalidity, third party liability 
-" accommodation 
- food 
- preparatory activities (particularly language tuition and intercultural preparation) 
- travelling costs 
- administrative management and back-up (field supervision and support) throughout 
the period of voluntary service, plus miscellaneous costs (specific programme 
costs). 
The Commission's financial contribution may not exceed 50% of the overall budget for 
the programme. The estimated average costs, based on what has been learned from the 
pilot action, are as follows: 
EU/LT ECU 
Volunteer's allowance 2 200 
Insurance 250 
Accommodation 2 500 
Food 2 800 
Preparation 1 400 
Travelling costs 500 
Supervision/Administration 750 
/other 
TOTAL 10 400 
Community contribution 5 200 Non-EU countries/LT ECU 
Volunteer's allowance 1 400 
Insurance 800 
Accommodation 2 000 
Food 2 200 
Preparation 1 400 
Travelling costs 1 000 
Supervision/Administration/ 1 300 
other 
TOTAL 10 100 
Community contribution 5 050 
The bulk of non-Community co-financing can reasonably be expected to cover 
accommodation and subsistence (notional accounting of contributions in kind). The 
Community contribution could thus be devoted to certain elements essential for the 
implementation of the project: travelling, insurance, volunteers' allowances, 
preparation, supervision. 
Short-term 
Short-term activities will in principle be group-based in order to keep costs down 
while still giving prominence to the opportunities for cross-cultural learning. 
Exchanges under the Youth for Europe programme show that the daily cost for a 
young person, excluding insurance and travelling, is approximately ECU 25. Assuming 
an average duration of 60 days, subsistence and programme costs for a volunteer 
would thus be 1 500 Ecus, giving a total per capita cost for short-term activities as 
follows: 
EU/short-term ECU 
Subsistence and 1 500 
programme costs 
Travelling costs 500 
Insurance 100 
TOTAL* 2 100 
Community contribution 1 050 Non-EU countries/short- ECU 
term 
Subsistence and programme 1 500 
costs 
Travelling costs 1 000 
Insurance 200 
TOTAL . 2 700 
Community contribution 1 350 
Innovatory networks 
The sums needed for this section are based on the experience with pilot networks set up 
as part of the European voluntary service pilot action. The cost per volunteer is 
substantially higher because of the specific features involved (innovatory and 
experimental dimension, integrated projects in terms of preparation, supervision, back-up 
and evaluation). The first networks organised under the pilot action suggest that the 
Community contribution per volunteer would be ECU 8 000 for this type of activity, 
calculated on the basis of around 40 volunteers per network. The unit cost per network 
would thus be ECU 320 000. 
Support for the spirit of initiative and enterprise 
Average assistance for supplementary/additional training: ECU 4 000 (possible reference 
= average amount of aid spent on training for job seekers in France in 1996: FF 5.31 
billion for 236 000 training periods, i.e. FF 22 500 per training period or ECU 3 468). 
Average aid for the creation of a new activity/implementation of an initiative: 
as this is more complex to implement than a training action, it is once again assumed that 
the cost would be higher. The unit cost is thus put at ECU 6 000. 
Complementary measures 
Supervision. Experience since the start of the pilot action and that gained through other 
Community actions make it possible to: 
- calculate the cost of arrangements for decentralised implementation 
(national structures) and for back-up/central coordination (operational 
support structure) of the programme for the different types of supervisory 
activities; 
- estimate the average unit cost of training up mentors, coordinators, 
advisors, project managers: ECU 30 000 per seminar for 30 people. 
Lr 
Partnership: to calculate the amount to be allocated under this heading the parallel has 
been drawn with similar action to assist networking and cooperation between structures 
conducted in the area of education, training and youth. 
Information-studies-evaluation: the amount necessary for these actions has been 
extrapolated from experience with programmes in the areas of education, training and 
youth and in that of implementing the European voluntary service pilot action. 
7.1.3 Explanatory information on the calculations (Sections 1 and 2) 
The calculation is therefore as follows (tl 
EU Long-term 
for 1998 
for 1999 
EU short-term 
for 1998 
for 1999 ie hypothesis used for the exact number and the distributionof volunteers is given in 9.1.3) 
No of 
volunteers 
2 870 
3 575 
No of 
volunteers 
1 080 
2 205 X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X Unit 
cost 
5 200 
5 200 
Unit 
cost 
1 050 
1 050 == 
= Total (ECU) 
14 924 000 
18 590 000 
1 134 000 
2 315 250 Rounded off 
(million ECU) 
14.9 
18.6 
1.1 
2.3 
Non-EU long-term 
for 1998 
for 1999 
Non-EU short-term 
for 1998 
for 1999 No of 
volunteers 
pm 
360 
No of 
volunteers 
pm 
220 X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X Unit 
cost 
5 050 
Unit 
cost 
1 350 == 
= Total (ECU) 
1 818 000 
297 000 Rounded off 
(million ECU) 
1.8 
0.3 
7.2 Itemised breakdown of cost 
BREAKDOWN 
Section 1 INTRACOMMUNITY 
Al Long-term activities 
A2 Short-term activities 
Sub-total Section 1 
Section 2 NON-EU COUNTRIES 
B1 Long-term activities 
B2 Short-term activities 
Sub-total Section 2 
Section 3 INNOVATORY NETWORKS 
C Support for innovatory networks 
Section 4 The spirit of initiative and 
enterprise 
D Aid to initiatives and training 
Section 5 COMPLEMENTARY 
MEASURES 
E. Preparation and supervision (training, 
coordination) 
F. Partnerships 
G. Information/Studies/Evaluation 
Sub-total Section 5 
TOTAL 1998 
14.9 
1.1 
16.0 
pm 
pm 
pm 
1.6 
1.7 
3.6 
0.7 
1.4 
5.7 
25.0 1999 
18.6 
2.3 
20.9 
1.8 
0.3 
2.1 
2.2 
2.4 
4.6 
1.0 
1.8 
7.4 
35.0 2000 
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-2001 
-
- • 
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-2001 
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-TOTAL 
-
-
. -
0.0 
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7.3 Operational expenditure on studies, expertise, etc., included in part B of the 
budget 
In million ECU 
Studies 
Experts' meetings 
Conferences and congresses 
Information and publications 
TOTAL 1998 
0.4 
0.3 
0.2 
0.5 
1.4 1999 
0.6 
0.3 
0.2 
0.7 
1.8 2000 2001 2002 Total 
7.4 Schedule for commitment/payment appropriations 
Commitment appropriations 
Payment appropriations 
1998 
1999 
2000 
2001 
2002 + 
TOTAL 1998 
25.0 
17.5 
7.5 
25.0 1999 
35.0 
24.5 
10.5 
35.0 2000 
-2001 
-2002+ 
-TOTAL 
-
17.5 
32.0 
10.5 
60.0 
8 FRAUD PREVENTION MEASURES 
All contracts, agreements and legal commitments concluded between the Commission and 
the beneficiaries of payments allow for first- and second-degree checks in situ (i.e. on the 
direct beneficiary of the Community subsidy or the second-degree beneficiary in the case 
of an activity managed in a decentralised manner) by the Commission and the Court of 
Auditors. Moreover, the recipients of aid in respect of actions are obliged to submit 
1 Ç 
financial reports and accounts which are analysed both from the point of view of contents 
and from the point of view of eligibility of expenditure in accordance with the objective 
of Community financing and taking due account of the contractual obligations and the 
principles of sound and efficient financial management. 
The agreements between the Commission and the organisations designated to manage the 
decentralised activities will include a number of clauses which these organisations must 
incorporate in the agreements with the final beneficiaries in order to guarantee the highest 
level of protection possible in respect of the interests both of the final beneficiaries and 
of the Community. 
9 ELEMENTS OF COST-EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS 
9.1 Specific objectives; target population 
Basic position 
Voluntary service activities already exist to some extent in certain Member States, but 
their scope is still limited as ares their contents, transnational aspects, tangible results in 
terms of social integration, their interaction with other institutional players in civil 
society. Furthermore, there is no consistency in this area at Community level, although 
the introduction of a European dimension into this type of activity could substantially 
enhance interest and impact, and at the same time boost the understanding and 
commitment of young people in relation to the construction of a Europe which tomorrow 
they will have to support and carry forward. 
Alongside this lack of a common purpose in the area of voluntary service is the fact that 
in many countries action taken for the benefit pf priority target groups - particularly 
young people - and implemented at the national level has failed. And the proliferation 
of such arrangements is reflected in an increasing marginal cost for an ever declining 
marginal effectiveness. 
The arrangements for integration through employment are sometimes hampered by 
undesirable effects; these include the 'windfall' effect (i.e. the measure is used by 
beneficiaries but they would have acted in the same manner without it); substitution effect 
(use of financial assistance or a grant to the detriment of people not receiving a grant: no 
net creation of employment or activity); 'shift' effect (assistance targeting a problem 
population but displacing the problem to another population group). These three effects 
in combination generate a dilution effect. In other words, when it comes to jobs, the 
number of jobs actually created is lower than the number of jobs subsidised. The specific 
features (emphasis on creation of activities and new services) and the individualised back­
up in European voluntary service and their proximity in local terms means that these 
activities should be less vulnerable to such effects. This makes them more attractive and 
is a guarantee of greater effectiveness. 
10 
M 
Overall impact 
The European voluntary service programme takes a new look at the problem of 
integrating young people into working life by seeking to address the issue from a broader 
standpoint than that of employability of young people in the strict sense, and by taking 
action which directly benefits the young people rather than the different players or 
intermediaries (mainly in the economic context) traditionally given the role of facilitators 
of their integration. 
This approach will permit bridges to be established between employment policies and 
social and public policies, particularly those targeting young people, in order to take 
better account of the changes in the world of work (alternation between paid employment, 
social activities, leisure time, etc.). 
Numerous aspects set European voluntary service activities apart from existing national 
arrangements (assisted contracts, training aid, voluntary activities): 
- the European dimension (or international dimension for activities with non-EU 
countries); added value in terms of language and cross-cultural learning; 
- tangible contribution to the active development of the concept of European 
citizenship and to defining its content among and by young people; 
- local anchoring and matching of volunteer tasks to requirements hitherto 
unsatisfied within a local community (creation of activities); flexibility and 
adaptability of the arrangement, quality of individual back-up of the young 
volunteer; 
- possibility of repatriation to the sending country or of extension within the host 
country of experience acquired, and possibility of starting up a new activity upon 
completion of the period of service thanks to assistance for initiative and training; 
- the arrangement is not focused exclusively and immediately on the employability 
or the qualifications of the young people, but on all-round stimulation of their 
social aptitudes: reawakening their energies, and a positive attitude by giving 
meaning to the social content through solidarity, the building-up of responsibility 
within an environment ("the foreigner") marking a break with habit. The point is 
to offer young people an experience capable of re-establishing their sense of 
belonging to a community, and re-awakening their conscience as citizens; these 
are effects which are difficult to measure in economic terms but which are 
essential in terms of social cohesion; 
- preparation of young people for a working life which will be renewed and 
reshaped in relation to the traditional order we know and which implies the well-
trodden path of education-work-cessation of work-retirement; 
- local impact: knock-on activities, strengthening of the social fabric, leaving behind 
the stereotypes born of lack of knowledge about other people; etc. 
Notion of critical mass 
If the European voluntary service programme is to have the desired impact the volume 
of activity - primarily meaning the number of young volunteers involved - must reach 
an adequate level and achieve the critical mass without which this impact will fall below 
expectation and the number of players involved will be too small in relation to the scale 
of the problem addressed (number of beneficiaries and potential institutional partners out 
of proportion in relation to the actual volume of activity) and the European dimension and 
the ethos of the programme will be lost in the mass of other arrangements targeting 
young people. 
The action's multiplier effect cannot take off at European level unless a minimum number 
of partners (young people, local authorities, associations, the business sector, etc.) are 
involved. If we can get the right number to act, to innovate and to change their habits, 
to form new partnerships, then the action envisaged is likely to generate significant and 
durable effects, to bring about a radical change in behaviour and to create an impetus and 
a degree of autonomy specific to the activities of European voluntary service. 
Given the programme's ambitious nature (in terms of preparation, back-up, adaptation to 
the needs of young people and in terms of final objectives), there has to be substantial 
initial investment taking account inter alia of the critical mass of activities to be achieved 
if the infrastructures to be set up are to be cost-effective and if interest is to be elicited 
at the local level and subsequently generate a knock-on effect. The external ex-ante 
evaluation conducted as part of the preparation of this proposal confirms the substantial 
potential that exists for activities in the area of voluntary service; this is also borne out 
by the initial results of the pilot action (over 700 host projects - many of which involve 
several volunteers - recorded in three months by the operational support structure 
coordinating the decentralised section of the pilot action). 
This critical mass cannot be achieved with the budgetary constraints stemming from the 
current financial perspective (1995-1999). Be that as it may, this critical mass must be 
built up to gradually as the programme picks up momentum. The target figures for the 
first two years as regards the volume of young volunteers and are in the following ranges: 
Year 
Number of young people 1998 
4 000 - 4 400 1999 
6 500 - 7 000 2000 
-2001 
-2002 
-
Experience and good practise learned from the pilot action conducted by the 
Commission in 1996 and 1997 should, from 1998, lend a greater dimension to the 
programme. Considering the starting point (experimental stage), it is reasonable to set 
as a target for 1998, the first year of the programme, a number of young volunteers 
which is almost twice that of the pilot action, thereafter pursuing an increment of 50% 
for the following year. 
12 
The build-up of the programme to a critical mass in terms of activities generated and 
young people involved will really take hold during the third year. This, build-up could 
be swift and on a large scale, for two years of pilot action and two years of the actual 
programme will have made it possible to build up networks, to raise awareness among 
potential partners, to run in infrastructures and to prepare projects in line with this 
planned build-up. 
The evaluation of the voluntary service programme during the second year will probably 
point to the need to emphasise certain activities: studies on young people, providing 
information for young people and the different players involved, training, networking, 
types of activity, etc. This therefore implies providing for possible revision and 
redirection of certain activities or certain objectives, along with the establishment of new 
budget amounts for the remainder of the programme (as from the year 2000). 
Additional comment 
While the European voluntary service programme will involve numerous activities, its 
cornerstone will be the activities which involve young people directly. In this connection, 
it is interesting, by way of introduction, to place in a proper perspective the total cost of 
a volunteer for the Community budget in relation to that of a young non-active person 
for national budgets. The total average cost for the Community budget of a long-term 
volunteer is put at ECU 5 200. By way of comparison, here are some figures for: 
- public expenditure per student in the countries of the European Union 
Public expenditure per student (1992) 
(third cycle) 
COUNTRY 
Germany 
Austria 
Belgium 
Denmark 
Greece 
Luxembourg 
Spain 
Finland Average expenditure 
(ECU) 
5 046 
4 483 
5 277 
5 169 
-
-
2 904 
6 664 COUNTRY 
France 
Ireland 
Italy 
Netherlands 
Portugal 
United Kingdom 
Sweden 
Non-weighted average Average expenditure 
(ECU) 
4 638 
5 600 
4 507 
6 718 
-
7 989 
5 485 
4 707 
The above figures do not include public financing contributing to the subsistence 
expenditure of students. 
13 
the minimum annual guaranteed income (irrespective of age, but applicable 
to young people fulfilling conditions of eligibility). 
Annual minimum guaranteed income 
(1992) 
COUNTRY 
Germany 
Austria 
Belgium 
Denmark 
Greece 
Luxembourg 
Spain 
Finland Guaranteed income 
(ECU) 
3 096 
-
5 400 
4 464 
-
7 788 
-
-COUNTRY 
France 
Ireland 
Italy 
Netherlands 
Portugal 
United Kingdom 
Sweden 
Non-weighted average Guaranteed income 
(ECU) 
3 792 
3 624 
3 000 
6 396 
-
2 988 
-
4 505 
9.1.1 Sections I and 2: long-term and short-term activities 
The ex-ante evaluation stresses that in the interests of consistency the programme should 
be geared to the individual needs of young people and therefore have a flexible structure. 
The evaluation accordingly concludes that the European voluntary service programme 
should provide not only for long-term activities but also for short-term activities in order 
to enable young people to combine different options. 
The existence of a section of short-term activities will make it easier to involve in the 
programme young people for whom it is difficult to gain access to existing programmes 
(because of their economic or social circumstances, their level of education or training, 
handicaps, etc), and for whom a period of long-term voluntary service would therefore 
be inappropriate. The ex-ante evaluation stresses that interest in an experience of life and 
activity in a foreign country often goes hand in hand with academic achievement and high 
income and that young people facing problems (ethnic minorities, low income groups) 
are less likely to undertake a long-term voluntary service experience. 
Target population: the programme primarily targets young Europeans aged 18-25. 
While, the action potentially targets all this population, the core of the target is more 
restricted: young people seeking an alternative experience before commencing their 
careers, young people sidelined from the traditional education and training tracks, young 
job seekers, young people who have no qualifications, young people with problems (for 
geographical, social, cultural, physical, economic and other reasons). Various studies 
quoted by the ex-ante evaluation show that depending on the country concerned 12-42% 
14 
r 1 
of young people take part in voluntary service activity (in the broader sense of the term 
and irrespective of duration). The target population is potentially at least equal to this 
percentage of young people which already takes part in voluntary activities. 
Specific objectives: to involve young people resident in EU countries and aged 18-25 in 
voluntary service activities throughout the countries of the European Union and in non-
EU countries with which the EC has established association and cooperation agreements. 
The aim of these voluntary service activities is to offer young people new ways of 
personal development and integration into working life by taking part in activities of 
direct benefit to a host community and introducing every young person - unshackled from 
the constraints/inflexibility/formalism specific to the traditional education and training 
pathways - as a fully-fledged player within this host community. 
The non-EU country section will make it possible to promote activities involving non-EU 
countries as an area of action for young people, in order to foster among these young 
people the values of solidarity, tolerance and interest in other people. 
Sample distribution of young volunteers in Sections 1, 2 and 3 of the programme, 
used for the purposes of calculations: 
Year 
Short-term 
EU 
Non-EU countries 
Long-term 
EU 
Non-EU countries 
Total Sections 1 and 2 
Innovatory networks 
Total number of young 
people 1998 
1 080 
1080 
pm 
2 870 
2 870 
pm 
3 950 
200 
4 150 1999 
2 425 
2 205 
220 
3 935 
3 575 
360 
6 360 
280 
6 640 2000 
-
-
-
-
-
-
-2001 
-
-
-
-
-
-
-2002 
-
-
-
-
-
-
-5 years 
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
The projected distribution between long term and short term projects is in the ratio of 40 
to 60. The distribution between EU projects and non-EU projects is in the ratio of 90 to 
10 because of the increased cost and the complexity peculiar to projects implemented on 
the territory of non-EU countries. 
15 
Budget for Sections 1 and 2 of the programme 
BREAKDOWN 
SECTION 1: INTRA-COMMUNITY 
Al LONG-TERM ACTIVITIES 
A2 SHORT-TERM ACTIVITIES 
SUBTOTAL FOR SECTION I 
SECTION 2: NON-EU COUNTRIES 
Bl LONG-TERM ACTIVITIES 
B2 SHORT-TERM ACTIVITIES 
SUBTOTAL FOR SECTION 2 
TOTAL 1998 
14.9 
1.1 
16.0 
pm 
pm 
pm 
16.0 1999 
18.6 
2.3 
20.9 
1.8 
0.3 
2.1 
23.0 2000 
-
-2001 
-
-2002 
-
-TOTAL 
-
-
These figures do not take account of the different support measures needed to 
accompany the running of the programme and implemented under Section 5 of the 
programme. 
In order to keep costs down, thought could be given to associating private players 
more closely, e.g. firms attracted by the European dimension of the educational 
experience offered by European voluntary service activities could become involved in 
the long-term activities of the programme by having some of their young employees 
or trainees take part. The firm would then be asked to match the Community 
contribution in funding the expenditure in respect of the volunteer. A further incentive 
in this connection would be to allow the firms concerned to deduct this contribution 
from the various charges and taxes they pay for training (apprenticeship tax, trading 
tax, 1% training levy, .etc.). 
The cost for this category of young people would thus not burden the programme's 
appropriations either for the costs directly linked to activities or for costs connected 
with supervisory measures. 
The volume of volunteers could thus be stepped up for instance as follows. 
Sabbatical year 
Number of volunteers 
of\vhichEU(80%) 
of which non-EU countries (20%) 1998 
100 
80 
20 1999 
250 
200 
50 2000 
-
-2001 
-
-2002 
-
-5 years 
-
-
In addition, it is essential for the business sector to contribute in terms other than 
monetary to the European voluntary service programme. They could play a very useful 
role in backing and following up young volunteers by giving them advice, help in kind, 
mentoring. This would be advantageous all round. It would be an opportunity for firms 
to show their commitment to the fabric of society, the host community would benefit 
from this integrating role played by the firm, the young person will see his energy 
channelled to good effect through the commitment around him. 
9.1.2 Innovatory networks 
The pilot action has highlighted what the ex-ante evaluation has confirmed, i.e. the 
need to encourage organisations and institutions involved in voluntary service to take 
part in an innovatory way, particularly by endeavouring to make specific 
adjustments to cater for the current expectations of young people and society 
(environment, fight against racism, fight against drug abuse, etc.). 
Specific-objectives: to step up cooperation between the Member States, interregional and 
interlocal cooperation (establishment of transnational relations starting from the local 
level) and cooperation between the Commission and the Member States through exchange 
of experience, development of common initiatives, the creation and strengthening of 
networks and links at intra-Community level for the benefit of young people, the 
implementation of concerted action for young people and benefitting them directly; to 
foster the development of new interinstitutional partnerships involving associations, local 
authorities, the business sector locally and Europe-wide. 
Target population: NGOs, local authorities, institutions belonging to networks or eager 
to form a network in order to implement integrated transnational voluntary service 
projects around a theme and/or major innovation. 
Budget: 
Innovatory networks 
Number of networks 
Number of volunteers (ca. 40 per 
network) 
Cost (in million ECU) 1998 
5 
200 
1.6 1999 
7 
280 
2.2 2000 
-
-
-2001 
-
-
-2002 
-
-
-5 years 
-
-
-
9.1.3 Support for the spirit of initiative and enterprise 
The activities under the European voluntary service programme have basically been 
designed with a view to the long term. The point is to provide a profitable experience, 
a springboard or a bridge for the creation of future activities. When constructive and 
dynamic projects can emerge after completion of voluntary service, it is essential for its 
promoter not to be hampered in his initiative, meaning also financial obstacles (initial 
investments, start-up capital, etc.). Otherwise the philosophy underpinning the programme 
and which is seeking to achieve long-term integration of young people in durable social 
activities, would be at odds with the instruments it makes available. 
17 
,- f 
Armed with the skills acquired, his training and the self-confidence built up during the 
period of European voluntary service, the young volunteer will, through the section 
"Support for the spirit of initiative and enterprise" be offered the wherewithal to use his 
experience in a tangible and appropriate fashion. 
Target population: young people having participated in the activities under the pilot 
action or the European voluntary service programme. Notionally, it is hoped to provide 
follow-up support for around 10% of long-term activities and 2.5% of short-term 
activities under this section. 
Specific objectives: to support projects and initiatives by young people during or after 
their voluntary service and on the basis of the experience acquired during this service, to 
foster their access to additional training activities identified during their service; to allow 
young people to benefit from their experience in terms of social, vocational and 
occupational integration, and, in this context, to make the best use of the educational 
experience acquired by issuing young people with a European certificate upon completion 
of their period of voluntary service; to enable local authorities to create and strengthen 
new social approaches, to stimulate the emergence and development of new sources of 
jobs or social activities and to try out new forms of integration of young people. 
Two types of aid will be available as a function of the lessons learned and the needs 
identified by the young person after his/her voluntary activity: 
- Aid for the creation or launching of initiatives: such aid will not be a 
subsidy for setting up a business but rather an incentive to initiative in 
overcoming specific start-up problems which all too often stifle young 
people's initiative. 
- Aid for training or additional training: such assistance 
would be given with the idea of providing an appropriate 
response to the need emerging during and then articulated 
after the period of voluntary service to undertake fresh or 
additional training. 
The criteria for allocation of such aid will be determined in order to select projects on 
their merits (i.e. their prospective viability and durability) and their dependence on 
Community funding (i.e. likelihood of being a non-starter without Community aid). 
s> 
Budget (reminder of unit costs: aid for training = 4 000 ECU; aid to initiative = 6 000 ECU) 
YEAR 
Type of aid 
Initiative 
Training 
TOTAL 1998 
Numhcr 
165 
165 
330 MECU 
1.0 
0.7 
1.7 1999 
Numhcr 
235 
235 
470 MECU 
1.4 
1.0 
2.4 2000 
Number MI-CU 2001 
Number MI;CU 2002 
Numhcr Miru 5 years 
Numhcr MP.CU 
9.1.4 Complementary measures 
The pilot action highlights what the ex-ante evaluation has confirmed, i.e. the need to 
implement as part of the programme certain additional measures. It stresses inter alia the 
need to develop at centralised and decentralised levels systems of aid for recruitment and 
support for the preparation and counselling of volunteers (national structures) and clearing 
house arrangements for projects and organisations (centralised structure in conjunction 
with the national structures). It also recommends the incorporation into the programme 
of action to encourage cooperation locally, regionally and nationally between 
institutions/organisations and between sectors of activities (partnerships). 
Additionally, the pilot action confirms the need for decentralised (designation of national 
structures in each Member State) and centralised structures (setting-up of an operational 
support structure) in order to develop a common approach and implement and coordinate 
the different sections of the programme {inter alia through the use of electronic 
communication networks and the development of common data bases) from the European 
level to the local level. 
Specific objectives: it will therefore be necessary to support national structures with this 
as their mission, through a Community contribution to their operationing expenditure. 
The pilot action has enabled Member States to propose structures whose task will be to 
implement the decentralised section of this pilot action. Most of these national structures 
are in fact the national agencies set up under the Youth for Europe programme, which 
will (as is already the case under the pilot action) permit substantial gains in effectiveness 
and savings. But the number of activities envisaged and the need for more painstaking 
individual back-up than with exchanges of young people mean that the human and 
material resources will have to be stepped up considerably within these agencies in 
conjunction with the Member States. 
An operational support structure to back up and coordinate the national structures is also 
needed at the central level in order to lead the network of national structures, to secure 
genuine consistency in their activities and to take part in the establishment of support and 
guidance mechanisms capable of coping with both routine and contingency circumstances, 
a 
as recommended by the ex-ante evaluation/This operational support structure will provide 
no technical or administrative assistance whatever to the Commission and is intended to 
serve the national structures with which it will cooperate closely in order to collect, 
analyse, aggregate and disseminate all sorts of facts and figures on the different activities 
within the programme, taking care to set up a computerised system enabling the national 
structures to monitor and keep abreast of activities virtually continuously (particularly as 
regards supply and demand of sending/hosting projects and volunteers). 
The partnerships will endeavour to stimulate, for European voluntary service and against 
a transnational backdrop, local/regional/national cooperation between players in the public 
and private sectors. 
Target population: the target population are the various players involved in the 
implementation, monitoring, coordination and supervision of projects: national structures 
designated by the Member States to carry the Community torch for certain missions 
(stimulating projects, informing the target publics, coordinating preparatory and 
supervisory activities, assisting and following up projects, taking part in the inter-agency 
network, relations with local authorities, etc.), public and private institutional partners 
likely to become involved at different levels (local/regional/national) in the area of 
European voluntary service activities. 
The preparatory and supervisory measures included in the section on supervision are 
targeted at all players involved in the implementation, operation and monitoring of 
projects. These include mentors for the volunteers, project coordinators and managers, 
advisers, trainers. 
The information/studies section is intended for the whole of the population targeted by 
the programme (as a target for information and as an area of investigation for studies): 
young Europeans aged 18-25 and other players/leaders in the area of youth policy. 
Budget (million ECU) 
Section 5: COMPLEMENTARY MEASURES 
D Supervision 
E Partnership 
F Infonnation/studies/monitoring/evaluation 
Subtotal for Section 5 1998 
3.6 
0.7 
1.4 
5.7 1999 
4.6 
1.0 
1.8 
7.4 2000 
-
-2001 
-
-2002 
-
-5 years 
-
-
These estimated costs are based on the experience under the 1996 pilot action and that 
of Community action in the area of education, training and youth, and also, as regards 
the preparatory and supervisory activities, on the number of persons concerned and per 
capita cost (cf. details below). 
20 
r d 
Community contribution to the financing of national and centralised coordination structures (for 
reference, use has been made of the amount of financing for national structures under the voluntary 
service pilot action, i.e. ECU 1.6 million in 1996, and the financing granted to the operational support 
structure for the pilot action, i.e. ECU 0.6 million in 1996). 
Coordination, information and operational support 
structures for programme implementation 
National level (co-financing by the 
Member States) 
Central level 
TOTAL 1998 
1.8 
0.6 
2.4 1999 
2 
0.8 
2.8 2000 
-
-
-2001 
-
-
-2002 
-
-
-TOTAL 
-
-
-
Training activities: cost and calculation base 
Cost 
Training 
of which, training for educational players 
of which, training for coordinators 1998 
1.20 
0.60 
0.60 1999 
1.80 
0.90 
0.90 2000 2001 2002 5 years 
Calculation base 
Number of seminars for educational players 
Number of seminars for coordinators 
Cost of seminar (ECU) 1998 
20 
20 
30 000 1999 
30 
30 
30 000 2000 2001 2002 5 years 
9.2 Grounds for the operation 
9.2.1 In the current climate of economic and social gloom for many young Europeans 
(uncertain job prospects, threat of social exclusion, new requirements in terms of 
education and training) great attention must be focused on the period of transition 
to adulthood. The European voluntary service programme has been designed 
mindful of this context which is common to most Member States. It endeavours 
to explore and use the concept of voluntary service within a context open to the 
transnational dimension (both within Europe and looking at non-EU countries) in 
order to offer young people fresh possibilities for finding their way into working 
life and discovering what European citizenship can involve. 
21 
9.2.2 The Commission has long since been aware of increasing demand from the 
Member States, the European Parliament and the NGOs for specific measures to 
be adopted to improve and bolster European activities in connection with 
voluntary service for young people as part of European cooperation in the field 
of youth. The ex-ante evaluation carried out in accordance with the financial 
directives of the SEM 2000 approach has confirmed that the circumstances are 
conducive to the introduction of a multiannual programme of voluntary service: 
support from the Member States, support from the organisations which could be 
involved, genuine interest among young people. 
9.2.3 The guidelines of the Commission White Paper Growth, competitiveness, 
employment, the conclusions of the European Councils of Essen (December 1994), 
Cannes (June 1995), Florence (June 1996) stress the need to encourage regional 
and local initiatives to create jobs which cater for the new requirements and on 
the need to step up measures to fight against social and vocational exclusion of 
young people, inter alia by developing voluntary service activities. The 
Commission feels that the initiative it intends to promote through this proposal 
can help to identify these new requirements more clearly and bring an appropriate 
response. 
9.2.4 It makes sense to place cooperation in the area of youth within a global 
perspective and an all-round social project. The European voluntary service 
programme will make it possible to establish more bridges between youth 
activities, being an active citizen and the issue of social integration of young 
people. 
9.2.5 The multiannual programme will thus provide an essential instrument of 
integration and revitalisation of the social link for many young Europeans for 
whom the future looks increasingly bleak on account of the persistent economic 
problems, the increasing egocentricity of behaviour, the constant widening of 
disparities, etc. 
9.2.6 European voluntary service activities will simultaneously provide an opportunity 
for acquiring aptitudes and skills accredited by a European certificate, and for 
coming to terms with citizenship in danger of erosion from day-to-day reality, and 
usually in a multicultural society. 
9.2.7 Against this background European voluntary service programme seeks to bring a 
tangible and appropriate response for young people in line with the need -
stressed, in the ex-ante evaluation - to take account singly of the specific 
requirements of the different categories of young people who will take part in the 
programme. 
9.2.8 Activities under the programme will thus propose innovatory responses to the new 
demands in terms of education and training, to the problems of social integration 
of young people, to the specific difficulties inherent in the transition to adulthood 
and the responsibilities of working life. Anchoring the programme locally - but 
as part of an overall transnational approach - will make for better adaptation to 
the ever-varying facets of a constantly changing world, while the role of fully-
fledged player given to the young people will make it possible to truly match their 
specific needs to the action proposed, as recommended by the ex-ante evaluation. 
9.2.9 The activities will be based on active and tangible participation in the life of a 
new community and on the creation of solid social links within this host 
environment, and will seek to enable young people to develop their social and 
occupational skills while making a contribution to the wellbeing of their host 
community. The opportunity to actually try out active and responsible citizenship 
in another country, another environment, within a culture other than that of their 
xjountries of origin will enable them to speed up the process of their own 
integration in a changing society while making an active contribution to the 
emergence of a European identity which is positive and consistent. 
9.2.10 This experience will thus help to reconcile young people with the idea and the 
reality of being a citizen in a community in which the individual can fit in, while 
at the same time helping to consolidate the construction of the Community 
through the emergence of a European concept of citizenship. The work they 
perform for the benefit of the local host community will enable young volunteers 
to experience directly what it means to be a citizen of Europe. 
9.2.11 The nature of the action envisaged and the large volume of young volunteers 
means the proposed programme will bring substantial benefit to society in terms 
of economic development and social cohesion: providing a stimulus to initiative, 
raising skill levels, enhancing employability, encouraging mobility, creating new 
activities, etc. 
9.2.12 European voluntary service activities will enrich the local socio-economic fabric 
through their immediate impact (additional activity) but also in the longer term 
by the knock-on effects in quantitative (gross volume of activity generated) and 
qualitative (stimulation of new forms of activity) terms, benefiting the young 
volunteer (long term integration) and the host community (generation of 
wellbeing) alike. 
9.2.13 The momentum generated by European voluntary service activities may indeed 
have a knock-on impact: associations, organisations, authorities or institutions 
having entered into a partnership on this occasion may wish to pursue their 
cooperation on other projects. After demonstrating its worthwhile nature, European 
voluntary service activity may lead to the creation of other initiatives along the 
same lines. 
9.2.14 The range of measures envisaged by the programme are all geared to the objective 
of transnational cooperation which provides substantial value added (particularly 
in terms of language and cross-cultural learning) to the actions operated bv *'-"-•* 
Member States or by the organisations active in the area of voluntary serv 
rn 
9.2.15 Its openness and integrated approach means that the European voluntary service 
programme will provide young people suffering de facto exclusion (owing to their 
lack of education, their low level of qualifications or their low incomes) with the 
opportunity to be mobile at European level. 
9.2.16 The activities implemented will make young people the tangible instrument 
whereby access to the European dimension and networking at European level are 
opened up locally. 
9.2.17 While certain countries have a long and well-established tradition of voluntary 
service, it is virtually non-existent at European level. The activities promoted by 
the Commission will therefore stand as new forms of activities in relation to those 
which already exist in each Member State and which they will complement and 
enhance by injecting new practices and broader horizons. 
9.2.18 A multiannual programme of voluntary service activity with a European 
dimension will constitute a laboratory for creating a European status for young 
volunteers; as stressed in the ex-ante evaluation, this would substantially reduce 
the obstacles to optimum development of the action proposed and enable it to 
fulfil its potential. 
9.2.19 The approach for the action proposed as part of this proposal for a decision is 
based on the complementarity of the role of the Community and the Member 
States which will open on to intensified cooperation with the competent authorities 
at all levels (Community, national, regional and local). It will also give rise to 
institutional partnerships at the local and transnational level, thus facilitating 
initiatives involving Member States and non-EU countries and their respective 
citizens. The ex-ante evaluation lays heavy emphasis on the importance of 
organising this type, of partnership and network in order to improve the quality of 
the programme and» open up.access to organisations and institutions of all sizes. 
9.2.20 Community action will help to bring genuine European dimension for activities 
at local as well as at national level, and to secure greater cohesion in the 
distribution of resources and in terms of the results. 
9.2.21 In accordance with the lessons learned from the pilot action and in line with the 
recommendations of the ex-ante evaluation, the arrangements for implementing 
the action have been designed in order to combine decentralisation, effectiveness 
and economy of means and intermediaries optimally so that the bulk of 
appropriations will benefit young people directly. 
24 
Q 
9.2.22 Community action will permit pooling of financial resources, expertise, partners 
and networks (clearing house mechanism for projects, development of preparation 
modules) and will give the teaching content of the activities a European dimension 
(language and cross-cultural learning). It will thus offer a financial advantage 
(economies of scale, pooling of resources) and an educational advantage 
(international and cross-cultural dimension), which are significant compared to the 
isolated initiatives undertaken by the Member States in this context. 
9.2.23 The co-financing required for implementing the programme's activities will be 
centred mainly on the host project. The programme will therefore burden national 
budgets only slightly. The ex-ahte evaluation points out that this funding 
mechanism, which spares the cash-strapped public sector, is a very positive aspect 
of the programme proposed. 
9.2.24 Placing the transnational dimension at the heart of European voluntary service 
activities is, looking ahead to a society in which internationalisation and 
globalisation will be a systematically more integral part, a crucial asset in 
preparing young people for working life. 
9.2.25 The international dimension of the action will lend greater consistency and 
credibility to the drive to assemble private funds and to negotiations aimed at 
keeping certain costs (transport, insurance) down. The establishment of a 
foundation to attract additional resources particularly from the private sector (big 
European companies) would make a substantial contribution to keeping the 
financial impact of the action down or to increasing the annual intensity of 
voluntary service activities. 
9.2.26 The programme enhances the individual's personal development. Its functional 
organisation (community life), the knowledge and breadth it generates (language, 
geographical, historical, social, occupational environment, etc.), the cultural 
exchanges it enhances (between social milieux, ages, nationalities, etc.) make the 
European voluntary service programme a "holistic" educational method suited to 
the complexity of people as individuals, permitting discovery of one's self and 
others as the prelude to responsible citizenship. 
9.2.27 The European voluntary service programme is simultaneously an opportunity for 
learning and practising citizenship. It assembles around a common project 
individuals from different geographical, cultural or social backgrounds and thereby 
permits the shouldering of responsibility, self-reliance and solidarity. It contributes 
to making each participant a player who will then have a new vantage point as 
regards life as a citizen, thus enabling him to play his full active part. 
25 
t L 
9.2.28 The activities they will undertake will enable young volunteers: 
- on a personal level, to learn to make their own decisions, to stand 
on their own two feet, and to develop judgement, self-reliance and 
the ability to communicate; the learning process driven by the 
European voluntary service programme is one which is in line with 
the needs and aspirations of young people and not something 
which is foisted upon them; 
- for society, to experience what solidarity means on a daily basis 
and thus be able to discover the concept of the interdependence of 
human beings and the need to consider the interests of the 
community at large at the same time as the interests of the 
individual; 
- socially, to better perceive and understand certain social 
requirements and their origin, the function of social structures, how 
to become involved in them, and the demands on professionals in 
the areas where these activities are performed; 
- for cross-cultural learning, to appreciate the limits of their own 
traditions and cultures and to have contact with cultural, social, 
economic situations which are different and to develop their 
understanding accordingly. 
9.2.29 European voluntary service activities are based on a partnership between 
associations, the inhabitants of a town or village, local elected representatives, 
administrations and the business sector. Rallying around a host project young 
people from elsewhere to contribute to the wellbeing of their own environment, 
the European voluntary service programme prompts new partnership relations 
between institutions, something the ex-ante evaluation considers very important. 
9.2.30 As regards activities with non-EU countries, the cooperation with DGs I and VIII 
can help to develop complementarity and synergy and to test out new ways of 
cooperation and voluntary activity. 
9.3 Monitoring and evaluation of the programme 
In accordance with Article 10 of the draft decision establishing the European voluntary 
service programme, when this decision is implemented the Commission will take the 
measures necessary to ensure the continuous monitoring and assessment of European 
voluntary service, taking into account the main objective and the specific objectives. 
26 
Monitoring 
Programme implementation will be continuously monitored by the Commission from the 
point of view of its effectiveness and efficiency. Commission monitoring will include: 
- regular reports which the coordination structures and the various institutional 
partners must submit to it; 
- the contributions from the young people themselves benefiting from the 
programme; the intention is to associate young people closely in the monitoring 
and evaluation of the programme in a number of ways to be defined, e.g. 
participation in seminars, interviews, a diary to be kept by the volunteer, etc. 
Moreover, aid given under the section "Support for the spirit of initiative and enterprise" 
will per se (activity monitoring a voluntary service activity) itself be a monitoring 
instrument (particularly Sections 1, 2 and 3). 
Performance indicators 
The following indicators, some of which are advocated by the ex-ante evaluation, may 
be used to monitor and evaluate the programme: 
Output indicators 
Quantitative 
General: 
- number and origin of young people taking part in the programme 
- percentage of young people in difficulty taking part in the programme 
- equal participation by men and women 
Specific: 
- number and origin of young people taking part in each section 
- number of host and sending projects submitted to the Commission 
(Sections 1 and 2) 
- balance between long-term and short-term activities and average duration 
of activities (Sections 1 and 2) 
- balance between intra-EU and non-EU country activities (Sections 1 and 
2) 
- rate of conversion of voluntary service activities into initiatives/training 
(Section 4) 
- failure rate of voluntary service activities (Sections 1, 2 and 3) 
- failure rates of aid to the spirit of initiative and enterprise (Section 4) 
27 
U 
Qualitative 
General: 
- typology of sectors in which the activities are performed 
- geographical distribution of activities; balance of partnerships (north-south, 
regional links) 
Specific: 
- quality of educational content (Sections 1, 2 and 3) 
language skills acquired (Sections 1, 2 and 3) 
- innovatory dimension of the project (Sections 3 and 4) 
- benefit for the host community (Sections 1, 2 and 3). 
Impact indicators 
Quantitative 
General: 
- rate of creation of new activities by the young people themselves 
- rise in demand from volunteers and in provision of activities by the 
various institutional partners 
Specific: 
- rate of recruitment of young people having completed a period of 
voluntary service (Sections 1, 2 and 3) 
- number of unmet requests for voluntary service (Sections 1 and 2). 
Qualitative 
General: 
- tailoring of activities to individual requirements 
- rate of penetration of voluntary service in countries with no tradition 
thereof 
- participation by young people and the extent to which they are willing to 
shoulder responsibility 
- contribution to definiting and developing the notion of European 
citizenship; awareness of the European dimension by the different partners* 
involved 
Specific:' 
- contribution to local development (Sections 1, 2 and 3) 
- typology of skills acquired by the volunteer (Sections 1, 2 and 3) 
- persistence of the social impetus generated by their action after the 
volunteers have left (Sections 1, 2 and 3) 
- utilisation of the experience acquired during the voluntary service period 
(Sections 1, 2 and 3) 
28 
- harnessing of the experience acquired during a follow-up activity (Section 
4) 
- maintenance of transnational partnerships upon completion of voluntary 
service activities (Sections 1, 2, 3 and 5). 
Details and frequency of planned evaluations 
Article 10 of the decision stipulates that the Commission will during the second year of 
implementation of the programme submit to the European Parliament and the Council an 
evaluation report which will be used to define any new arrangements for implementation 
and a new budget for the final three years of the programme. This evaluation will also 
take account of the results of the evaluation of the pilot action and the final evaluation 
of the Youth for Europe programme. 
As stated above, there will be an evaluation of the programme during the second year. 
The relevant report, submitted by the Commission, will be based inter alia on an external 
evaluation by an independent organisation. The evaluation will also take into account 
(through the processing of data relating to the various indicators referred to above) the 
opinion of the young people themselves (self-assessment) and that of various persons 
directly involved in the projects (coordination of structures, institutional partners) or 
beneficiaries of the projects (community members, associations, districts, villages, etc.) 
who have benefitted from the presence of the young volunteers. The findings of a 
comparison between a group of young people who took part in the programme and a 
control group of young people who did not will also form part of the evaluation. 
10 Administrative expenditure 
The administrative resources needed will be assembled on the basis of the annual 
Commission decision on the earmarking of funds, taking account inter alia of the staffing 
levels and additional amounts allowed by the budgetary authority. 
29 
10.1 Impact on the number of staff 
TYPE OF JOB 
Officials or 
temporary 
agents A 
B 
C 
Other resources 
TOTAL STAFF TO BE ALLOCATED FOR 
ADMINISTERING THE ACTION 
Permanent 
jobs 
8 
1 
2 
11 Temporary 
jobs 
2 
2 OF WHICH 
Through use 
. of existing 
resources 
8 
3 
2 
13 Through 
use of 
additional 
resources DURATION 
as from 1998 
as from 
1998 
10.2 Overall financial impact of additional human resources 
(in ECU) 
AMOUNT METHOD OF CALCULATION 
Officials 
Temporary agents 
Other resources (specify budget heading) 
TOTAL 
Additional expenditure linked to the additional human resources necessary for the 
implementation of this initiative will be covered through the mobilisation of existing 
resources: 11 officials, 2 temporary agents (headings Al, A2, A4, A5) which represents 
1,300,000 ECU/year. 
30 
/ *> 
10.3 Increase in other operating expenditure generated by the operation 
(nBCU) 
BUDGET HEADING AMOUNT METHOD OF CALCULATION 
(NO AND DESCRIPTION) 
A 2510 Cost of committee meetings 46 200 2 meetings yearly of the 
Committee 
(2 representatives per Member 
State) 
v • , 
TOTAL 125 400 
The programme will additionally require expenditure for meetings (heading A 2500 -
three meetings yearly of the national structures: ECU 36 000 based on 3 x 15 members 
x ECU 800) and mission expenses (heading A 1300 - three missions yearly per Member 
State: 36 000 ECU based on 3 x 15 missions x ECU 800). This expenditure will be met 
from existing resources. 
ISSN 0254-1475 
COM(96) 610 final 
DOCUMENTS 
EN 16 
Catalogue number : CB-CO-96-656-EN-C 
ISBN 92-78-13164-4 
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities 
L-2985 Luxembourg