COMVIISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMViUNITIES 
C0M(91) 355 final 
Brussels, 4 October 1991 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL 
AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 
THE "YOUTH FOR EUROPE" PROGRAMME 
ANNUAL REPORT 1990 

CONTENTS 
INTRODUCTION 
II THE STRUCTURE AND GENERAL OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME 
III THE OPERATIONAL AND ADVISORY INFRASTRUCTURE 
IV DEVELOPMENT AND RESULTS OF THE ACTIVITIES WITHIN ACTIONS 
A, B, C, D, AND E OF THE PROGRAMME 6 
THE EVALUATION OF THE "YOUTH FOR EUROPE" PROGRAMME 11 
VI FUTURE PERSPECTIVES 12 
\ 
I INTRODUCTION 
1. The "Youth for Europe" Programme is an action programme for the 
promotion of youth exchanges in the European Community. The programme 
was adopted for the period 1 July 1988 to 31 December 1991 \ 
2. A first report outlining the development of the Programme during its 
first 18 months of operation, from July 1988 until the end of 1989, was 
presented by the Commission on 1 August 1990 2. 
3. This report covers the Programme's second year of implementation, as 
provided for in article 9 of the Council Decision. It focuses on the 
activities carried out in 1990, and examines the current state of the 
Programme's implementation, in conformity with the objectives of the 
Programme as set out in the Council Decision. The report also 
addresses the challenges which lie ahead in the third and final year of 
the implementation of "Youth for Europe". This report was written 
during the period when the Commission's proposal for the extension of 
the programme was being discussed. The second phase of the Programme 
was agreed by the Council at its first meeting called specifically to 
discuss youth matters, on 26 June 1991. At this meeting the Council 
also agreed a Resolution on priority actions in the Youth Field, which 
sets out four priority areas for Community operations, including the 
extension of youth exchange and mobility. The Commission looks forward 
to developing work in this field, in cooperation with the Member 
States, in the years to come. 
II THE STRUCTURE AND GENERAL OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME 
4. The "Youth for Europe" Programme is designed to provide a range of 
incentive measures to promote the development of youth exchanges in the 
European Community, by increasing the number of youth exchanges in all 
the Member States and by according particular attention to the 
involvement of young people from regions in which few opportunities to 
meet young people from other Member States have previously existed. 
5. The Programme is designed, in particular, to enable the participation 
of young people whose personal circumstances have previously prevented 
them from participating in existing exchanges between the Member 
States. 
6. Improving the quality of youth exchanges is another of the Programme's 
main objectives, as is encouraging diversification in youth exchanges 
and improving the balance between Member States. 
1 Decision 88/348/EEC of 16 June 1988 
2 COM (90) 378 
7. The measures are primarily aimed at young people aged between 15 and 25 
years. Supplementary measures are provided for multipliers such as 
youth organisations, youth workers, and bodies which can play a role in 
the promotion and organisation of exchanges, so as to enable young 
people to gain maximum benefit from their participation in exchanges. 
8. The Programme provides for various actions aimed at developing and 
achieving its general objectives across the Member States : 
Action A : direct financial support for youth exchanges; 
Action B : support for the organisation of short study visits for 
youth workers; 
Action C : support for non-governmental organisations for the setting 
up and development of a youth exchange infrastructure; 
Action D : support for structures designated by the authorities in 
each Member State, as responsible for the coordination of 
the "Youth for Europe" programme in that Member State (the 
"National Agencies"); 
Action E : support for training activities for youth workers, 
particularly at a European level. 
An estimated budget of some 15 million ECU was to finance the first 
phase of the Programme from 1989 to 1991, which should allow for some 
80.000 young people between 15-25 years of age in the Community to 
benefit from the programme. The credits available for 1990 amounted to 
6.5 mill ion ECU. 
Ill THE OPERATIONAL AND ADVISORY INFRASTRUCTURE 
The "Youth for Europe" Programme is implemented by the Commission in 
accordance with the Council Decision. To this end, the Commission works 
in active collaboration with the Member States. 
The "Youth for Europe" Advisory Committee 
10. The Commission is assisted in the implementation of the Programme by an 
Advisory Committee. This Committee is composed of two representatives 
from each Member State, who were appointed by the Commission on 
proposal of the respective Member States. The Council of Europe and 
the Youth Forum of the European Communities are invited to be present 
as observers in the Committee. 
11. The Advisory Committee met twice during the period covered by this 
report. It was consulted as to the overall development of the Programme 
in the various Member States, in particular with regard to the 
budgetary, evaluation and training aspects, and was asked to advise the 
Commission on the second phase of the "Youth for Europe" Programme. 
12. As a result of the cooperation between the Commission and the 
Committee, "Youth for Europe" is becoming an integral part of the 
Member States' youth policy activities. The Commission continues to 
regard the advice and support of the Committee as essential to the 
further development of the Programme. 
The National Agencies 
13. One of the Programme's particular features is its decentralised 
implementation in Member States. The Member States have each designated 
a body (the National Agency) responsible for the coordination of the 
Programme at national level in line with the Council Decision. In 
Belgium, there are three "National" Agencies, one for each of the three 
language communities. 
14. In 1990, the National Agencies continued to develop, and to contribute 
to the achievement of the objectives of the "Youth for Europe" 
Programme. One reason for the success of the Programme is the fact that 
the Agencies are in direct contact with the main beneficiaries of the 
Programme at national level, the young people themselves. 
15. However, when compared to the period 1988/89, the focus of cooperation 
between the Commission and the National Agencies has shifted. During 
the launching phase of the Programme, the main objective was to 
establish viable operational structures. In the intermediate phase of 
the Programme, however, efforts were focussed on the implementation of 
specific aims of the Programme, such as providing educational guidance 
and practical support to young people. 
16. The decentralised nature of the Programme requires regular 
communication between the National Agencies and between them and the 
Commission. In 1990, at three working meetings between the National 
Agencies and the Commission, work procedures and difficulties 
encountered by the Agencies were discussed. The meetings also enabled 
the Commission to keep abreast of developments in the Member States 
concerning the implementation of the programme, such as participation 
of priority target groups, and to discuss certain practical aspects of 
this implementation with the National Agencies. 
17. In addition to the working meetings, the Irish National Agency 
organised a thematic seminar on the European dimension in youth 
exchanges in Galway, Ireland in March 1990, in cooperation with the 
Commission. The seminar explored the ways in which the "Youth for 
Europe" Programme is effectively heightening the European awareness of 
the young people participating. The seminar helped to identify key 
elements of the European dimension in youth exchanges, to examine the 
degree to which youth exchanges support the development of European 
awareness among young people and to determine the steps to be taken to 
reinforce the impact of this awareness. 
The European Community Youth Exchange Bureau 
18. The Commission is assisted by an external technical unit, the European 
Community Youth Exchange Bureau (ECYEB), in the implementation of the 
"Youth for Europe" Programme. 
19. In 1990, the ECYEB assisted the Commission in particular with the 
dissemination of information on "Youth for Europe", the applications 
made by European non-governmental organisations to the Commission for 
financial support, the central management of Action B, the monitoring 
and the evaluation of the Programme, the overall coordination of the 
European-level training courses, and the preparation and follow-up of 
Advisory Committee and National Agency meetings. In addition, the ECYEB 
was of assistance to the Agencies in all aspects related to the 
implementation of the programme. 
IV DEVELOPMENT AND RESULTS OF THE ACTIVITIES WITHIN ACTIONS A.B.C.D AND E 
OF THE PROGRAMME 
ACTION A: direct financial support for youth exchanges 
20. Support is given to bi- tri- or multilateral exchanges of a minimum 
duration of one week, which involve groups of young people aged between 
15 and 25 years residing in a Member State of the Community. The 
projects must have an educational purpose and be theme-related. As 
explicitly set out in the Council Decision, priority is given to youth 
exchanges which : 
are conceived and organised by the young people themselves; 
bring together young people from different social, economic and 
cultural backgrounds; 
include, in particular, young people from regions of the 
Community where few opportunities to meet young people from other 
Member States have previously existed; 
include young people who experience the most difficulties in 
being included in existing exchange programmes. 
21. For the support of youth exchanges in 1990, National Agencies received 
a budget attributed to the various Member States, which was calculated 
on the parameters set out in the Council Decision. 
22. Throughout 1989 National Agencies were operational in all Member 
States. In 1990, their working capacity extended, thereby improving the 
implementation of the Programme. However, the extent to which 
individual Agencies were fully operational varied considerably 
throughout 1990, and had an effect on the participation from and in 
certain Member States. 
23. Action A, the core of the "Youth for Europe" Programme, continued to 
attract the interest and the participation of young people in youth 
exchanges throughout the Community. The further development of the 
National Agencies' working infrastructures enabled them to improve 
their response to the demand, the overall result being not only an 
increase in projects in quantitative terms but also in qualitative 
terms. 
24. In quantitative terms, the National Agencies received more applications 
for youth exchanges in the first half of 1990 than they had received 
during the entire previous year. This was welcomed by all Agencies, but 
also increased the need to consider the quality of youth exchanges as 
a priority. At the time of writing, the provisional statistics 
available indicate that in 1990, about 28.000 young people (see table 
1) participated in exchanges supported by the Agencies within the 
framework of Action A of the Programme, as compared to some 24.000 in 
1989 (see table 2). An estimated breakdown of these participants by 
sex, age and level of education is set out in tables 3-5. 
25. During the launching of "Youth for Europe", the main objective was to 
make young people interested in the opportunities provided by the 
Programme. At this stage, emphasis is attached to the best possible 
exploitation of these opportunities, while interpreting the objectives 
set out in the Council Decision more closely : the disparity between 
the number of applications and the financial means available has 
obliged the National Agencies to apply priorities in the allocation of 
grants. In this context, National Agencies have extended their tasks to 
include providing advice and guidance : assisting in the preparation of 
projects, increasing the quality of projects and ensuring that young 
people themselves participate in the planning of the exchanges. 
26. As a result of the extended advice and guidance provided by the 
Agencies, applicants in 1990 appeared to understand better the criteria 
and the specific nature of the "Youth for Europe" Programme. The 
projects awarded grants by all National Agencies were generally more 
theme-related, very often incorporating the European Dimension as an 
integral part of the exchange, and youth leaders have begun to realize 
that both preparation and evaluation are vital to the overall 
educational value of an exchange. 
27. Due to the efforts made by the National Agencies throughout 1990, on 
average, 30% of all participants who benefited from the "Youth for 
Europe" Programme were young people who were not members of youth 
organisations and associations. The participation of youth 
organisations who have not traditionally been involved in youth 
exchanges also increased. However, young people with no previous 
experience of exchanges, but with the motivation and commitment to 
prepare an exchange, do not always find it easy to organise exchanges 
which fulfil the educational requirements set out in the Council 
Decision. 
28. In some Member States, youth exchange in general is at a very early 
stage of development. For this reason, bilateral projects continued to 
be the most popular in 1990, though tri-and multilateral exchanges 
increased on average by 10% across the Community compared to 1989. The 
rate of this increase is linked to the fact that multilateral 
exchanges require specific educational and financial support. This may 
also prove an obstacle to projects initiated by young people 
themselves. 
29. It should also be mentioned that multilateral exchanges incur higher 
costs, which could have serious financial consequences if the National 
Agencies were to increase the support allocated to such exchanges. For 
this reason, National Agencies, which have already attributed 20% of 
their youth exchange budget to multilateral activities, can forward 
further multilateral projects to the Commission for selection and grant 
allocation from the credits available. 
8 
30. The participation of disadvantaged young people is a priority within 
the Programme. In 1990, this participation increased, 1/3 of all 
participants being disadvantaged for socio-economic, geographical, 
cultural or physical reasons. 
31. The attempts to improve the regional balance 1n youth exchanges across 
the Member States continued successfully In 1990. This did not only 
apply to Member States on the periphery of the Community, but also to 
the regional participation within Member States. In pursuing the 
regional diversification of youth exchanges, the National Agencies 
actively encouraged partnerships between regions less familiar with 
youth exchanges. 
ACTION B : support for the organisation of short study visits for 
youth workers. 
32. This Action is conceived as a measure supporting the implementation of 
Action A. As the quality of a youth exchange largely depends upon the 
level of exchange organisers'knowledge of the situation of young people 
in potential partner countries, Action B addresses an important 
preparatory activity. 
33. Short study visits supported under Action B of the "Youth for Europe" 
Programme enable multilateral groups of youth workers to acquaint 
themselves with the situation of young people In other Member States, 
and provide them with the opportunity to make appropriate contacts with 
youth organisations and youth groups, and to establish links for the 
organisation of future exchanges within the Programme. 
34. In 1989/90 5, the Commission allocated 400 Action B bursaries to 
National Agencies. The recruitment, selection and preparation of the 
participants, as well as the practical organisation of the visits 
themselves were the responsibility of the National Agencies. 
35. There is a growing trend to organise short study visits on a regional 
basis and National Agencies are increasingly assisted in doing this by 
bodies familiar with the respective regional youth services. In 1990, 
the feedback received on the basis of an evaluation questionnaire by 
the National Agencies from participants is wery positive. Both the 
personal and professional objectives of participants in short study 
visit were shown as having been met. For most participants, such visits 
are their first experiences of a multilateral group of youth workers 
tackling a theme of common interest, in another Member State. Short 
study visits forged new contacts and provided the stimulus for a number 
of youth exchange projects in 1990/1991. 
The administration of Action B follows the academic year 
36. In 1990, the National Agencies received, on average, three times more 
applications than bursaries available. As a consequence, higher 
qualitative criteria had to be applied in the recruitment and 
preparation of participants, and National Agencies placed more emphasis 
on the adequate preparation of participants, linking this Action to the 
wider context of European youth exchanges within the "Youth for Europe" 
Programme. Overall, the theme of most short study visits reflected the 
specific objectives of the "Youth for Europe" Programme. An increasing 
number of short study visits organised during 1990 dealt with the 
situation of disadvantaged young people in the Member States. A growing 
tendency to select participants in short study visits according to the 
theme of the visit was observed; A growing number of participants were 
youth workers at grass-root level, involved in youth groups and 
organisations working with disadvantaged young people. Such 
participants can subsequently act as multipliers in reaching 
disadvantaged young people. 
ACTION C : support for non-governmental organisations for the setting 
up and development of a youth exchange infrastructure. 
37. Under Action C, the Commission supports youth organisations represented 
in at least 6 Member States, who wish to expand their youth exchange 
activities. The support is limited to the launching of the 
infrastructure during the first two years : the grant for the second 
year is only paid if the continued existence of the infrastructure is 
guaranteed without Community support thereafter. 
38. In 1990, the Commission received 20 applications, of which 8 were 
selected for funding. Three beneficiaries applied for second-year 
funding and 5 were first year beneficiaries. The projects funded in 
1990 varied in their nature : they included the development of youth 
exchange infrastructures for disabled young people, for youth mobility 
in general, for disadvantaged young people, and for the setting up of 
an information network between associations supporting the integration 
of young people into local communities. 
ACTION D : support for structures designated by the authorities in 
each Member State, as responsible for the coordination of 
the "Youth for Europe" programme in each Member State. 
39. The Council Decision provides that the National Agencies shall be 
responsible for information, providing consultation facilities, 
training and the administration of grants for projects within the 
"Youth for Europe" Programme. The Commission contributes financially 
to the operation of the National Agencies. 
40. During 1990, most Member States increased their financial contribution 
for the infrastructure of the Programme in their country. As youth 
exchange activities in a particular country increase, so generally does 
the supplementary financial contribution made by that country. It 
should be noted that, for the period covered by this report : 
10 
all National Agencies had installed computerised facilities to 
deal with applications and the other administrative tasks; 
telefax facilities have ensured that all Agencies were able to 
respect the deadlines established for consultation and 
coordination work; 
all National Agencies were sufficiently staffed to ensure a full-
time service for their public. 
41. Throughout the year, National Agencies continued to disseminate 
information on "Youth for Europe", directed at young people, exchange 
organisers, and relevant bodies at regional and local level. Special 
attention was paid to not merely "spreading the word", but to 
concentrating efforts on the identification of specific information 
needs of target groups and on the means to respond to these needs. 
42. The National Agencies did not launch wide-scale information campaigns 
in 1990 in order to avoid creating expectations which could not be met 
due to budgetary restrictions. Nevertheless, National Agencies were 
faced with a 60% increase of Action A applications overall as compared 
to 1989, which indicates a growth in general awareness for the "Youth 
for Europe" programme. 
43. To respond to specific information needs, National Agencies formed 
active partnerships with regional and local structures in the Member 
States and : 
produced information kits, targeted at youth groups and 
organisations providing a basis for a better understanding of the 
support and application mechanisms within "Youth for Europe" for 
first-time applicants. 
developed information material aimed at the priority target 
groups of the Programme - disadvantaged young people and youth 
workers with no previous experience in youth exchanges. 
44. As a conclusion, the "Youth for Europe" National Agencies, in close 
cooperation with the Commission, offered a wide range of services in 
1990 : 
a partner-linkage service for youth groups in the different 
Member States, in particular for those groups which have until 
now had little or no opportunity to participate in existing 
exchange schemes; 
the promotion of the European dimension in exchange projects; 
the provision of 'educational' guidance and practical support, 
improvement of the quality of exchanges and increasing the 
involvement of the priority target groups. 
ACTION E : support for training activities for youth workers, 
particularly at a European level. 
11 
45. This support for training of youth workers is allocated to training 
activities bringing together participants from two or more Member 
States, in matters related to youth exchanges. In 1990, support for 
training courses was allocated to two series of activities. On the one 
hand, the funding of three pilot training courses at European level. 
The Commission set up an educational training group in close 
cooperation with all National Agencies and the European Youth Centre of 
the Council of Europe. The group, coordinated on the Commission's 
behalf by the European Community Youth Exchange Bureau, prepared and 
carried out three pilot training courses in Spring 1990, respectively 
in Italy, Denmark and Greece, involving youth workers from all Member 
States. 
46. The three courses were evaluated by their leadership teams and by the 
educational training group. The experience gained and the conclusions 
drawn from the three courses confirm the Commission's intention to give 
priority to the European level training and further training of youth 
workers for youth exchanges. The pilot training courses have led to 
new working structures in a number of Member States, in particular in 
those with less experience of European youth exchanges; and a European 
network of trainers was established. As a result, National Agencies 
now have available experienced trainers for further training activities 
at national level. 
47. The Commission also supported three multilateral training activities in 
1990 : two submitted by National Agencies and one submitted by a non­
governmental organisation; overall, 70 youth workers participated in 
these courses. 
V THE EVALUATION OF THE "YOUTH FOR EUROPE" PROGRAMME 
48. At the beginning of 1990, the Commission held a series of bilateral 
evaluation discussions with national delegations from each Member 
State. The aim was to examine the current state of the implementation 
of the Programme, to discuss specific difficulties encountered and 
possible improvements to be envisaged. 
49. The evaluation focussed on four areas : 
an analysis of the established organisational infrastructures; 
the role and the degree of awareness in "Youth for Europe" in the 
various Member States; 
the implementation of the political objectives and educational 
directives of the Council Decision by the National Agencies and 
youth organisations/groups; 
the current development of the measures supporting youth 
exchanges, in particular the short study visits and the training 
and further training activities for youth workers. 
50. The results obtained reflect a positive assessment of the "Youth for 
Europe" Programme and served as a basis for an evaluation of the 
Programme made by the Commission in response to the European Parliament 
Resolution of 16 February 1990 on the access of young people to 
Community education and training programmes. This evaluation gave an 
12 
initial breakdown of Action A participants by Member State and region, 
age, sex, educational level and social background (see point 28 and 
tables 1-5), and was based on information provided by National 
Agencies. A further evaluation of the Programme to be carried out In 
1991, will be based on a direct survey of the young people taking part 
in Action A of the "Youth for Europe" Programme. 
VI FUTURE PERSPECTIVES 
51. The "Youth for Europe" Programme has become an additional source for 
youth exchange activities in certain Member States with traditions in 
the youth exchange field, whereas 1n others 1t provides a new framework 
for mobility and exchange. In those Member States in particular where 
general knowledge and experience of European exchanges is very limited, 
"Youth for Europe" can play a leading role in the promotion of European 
awareness. 
52. The growing awareness of the Programme throughout the Community is 
reflected in an increase in demand for financial support which by far 
outstrips the budget available. 
53. As is recorded above (point 3), on 10 October 1990, the Commission 
presented its proposals for the second phase of the "Youth for Europe" 
Programme 6; and the Decision adopting the extension of the Programme 
was adopted on 29 July 1991. 
54. The second phase of the Programme will aim to promote youth exchange 
across the European Community, for the benefit of some 140,000 young 
people across the Community between 1 January 1992 and 31 December 
1994. In particular, Ministers expressed their support for the 
increased involvement of disadvantaged young people in Youth for Europe 
II, whether this disadvantage be due to personal, socio-economic or 
geographical circumstances. 
55. Under Action I, the Programme will continue to provide direct support 
for youth projects involving exchange and mobility, which bring 
together young people aged between 15 and 25 years. In line with the 
emphasis placed on the participation of disadvantaged young people, 
both by the Commission in its proposal and in the subsequent Council 
Decision, a minimum of one third of the credits available for the 
direct support of youth exchange activities will be earmarked for 
exchanges involving disadvantaged young people, and funding for such 
projects could cover up to 75% of the total costs. 
56. For the first time, grants will be allocated on an experimental basis 
for transnational projects which enable young people to take part in 
voluntary service activities in another Member State. Priority will be 
accorded to voluntary activities which favour young people in the host 
country. The Programme will continue to support study visits and 
training for youth workers, so as to increase their understanding of 
the skills required for the successful organisation of youth exchanges, 
and their knowledge of the host countries involved. 
COM (90) 470 
13 
57. A series of accompanying measures are foreseen under Action II of Youth 
for Europe II. These include encouraging Initiatives which promote 
youth mobility within the Member States and Improving young people's 
access to services at national level; encouraging cooperation between 
Member States in the field of youth; informing young people and youth 
workers about Youth for Europe II. 
58. Although the Commission had initially proposed an amount of 37 MECU, 
the Council agreed to an estimated budget of 25 MECU over the 3 years 
of the second phase of the Youth for Europe Programme, a sum that will 
be subject to review on the basis of the evaluation of the first phase 
of the Programme. The Commission regrets this reduction but trusts that 
the evaluation, in which Member States and National Agencies have 
declared their intention to cooperate, will easily justify the level of 
budget initially proposed. 

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