No C 308/6 Official Journal of the European Communities 8. 12. 90 
II 
(Preparatory Acts) 
COMMISSION 
Proposal for a Council Decision adopting an action programme to promote youth exchanges 
and mobility in the Community — the 'Youth for Europe' programme 
COM(90) 470 final 
(Submitted by the Commission on 15 October 1990) 
(90/C 308/06) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community, and in particular Article 235 
thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
Having regard to the opinion of the European 
Parliament, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and 
Social Committee, 
Whereas the Member States, when they became parties 
to the Treaty establishing the European Economic 
Community, declared themselves 'determined to lay the 
foundations of an ever closer union among the peoples 
of Europe'; 
Whereas, in order to achieve this objective, the Treaty 
has provided for powers to take action to ensure 
freedom of movement for employed and self-employed 
persons and those receiving services; 
Whereas specific measures should be taken to assist 
young people to develop their sense of initiative, to 
foster an awareness in them of their abilities and respon­
sibilities, and to enable them to comprehend the 
European context of their lives; 
Whereas the Council and the Ministers for Education, 
meeting within the Council, at their meetings on 13 
December 1976 C) and 12 July 1982 (2), were resolved 
(') OJ No C 308, 30. 12. 1976, p. 1. 
(2) OJ No C 193, 28. 7. 1982, p. 1. on the need adequately to prepare young people for 
adult and working life, and adopted action programmes 
relating thereto; 
Whereas the European Council, meeting on 28 and 29 
June 1985, adopted the conclusions of the ad hoc 
Committee on a People's Europe, which called for the 
promotion of youth exchanges within the Community 
and for an effective network of exchanges within and 
between Member States; 
Whereas the European Parliament in its resolutions of 12 
March 1981 on youth activities (3), of 7 June 1983 on 
youth exchanges (") and of 16 December 1983 on a 
European Voluntary Service Scheme for Young 
People (5), advocated strengthening Community activities 
in this field; 
Whereas the Commission, in its document 'Education 
and training in the European Community — Guidelines 
for the Medium-Term' (*) set out the need for a new 
Community-wide commitment to invest in people, in 
their skills, their creativity and their versatility, since 
without investment in the present and future workforce, 
Europe's capacity to innovate, to compete and to create 
wealth and prosperity for all its citizens will be severely 
impaired; 
Whereas project-centred youth exchanges are an appro­
priate method of enabling young people to understand 
more about the European Community and its Member 
States; whereas they thus contribute to the training and 
0 OJ No C 77, 6. 4. 1981, p. 38. 
(4) OJ No C 184, 11. 7. 1983, p. 22. 
(s) OJ No C 10, 16. 1. 1984, p. 286. 
(*) COM(89) 236, 2. 6. 1989. 
8. 12. 90 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 308/7 
preparation of young people for adult and working life 
and to the development of a greater awareness of their 
capacities and responsibilities; 
Whereas a substantial improvement in the quality and 
quantity of youth exchange and mobility in the 
Community can be achieved by a series of support 
measures at Community level, and taking into account 
the experience and the current contribution of organisms 
already working in this field; 
Whereas the Council on 16 June 1988 adopted Decision 
88/348/EEC (') establishing the 'Youth for Europe' 
programme to promote youth exchanges in the 
Community; whereas it is now expedient that this 
programme should be extended; 
Whereas, the Treaty has not provided the necessary 
powers, other than those of Article 235, 
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 
Article 1 
The second phase of the 'Youth for Europe programme' 
to promote youth exchanges and mobility in the 
Community is hereby adopted for the period 1 January 
1992 to 31 December 1994. 
Article 2 
1. The 'Youth for Europe' programme, in its second 
phase, shall comprise a range of incentive measures to 
promote the development of Youth Exchanges and 
Mobility in the Community. The measures are directed 
at young people (normally of 15 to 25 years of age), as 
well as youth organizations, youth workers, public auth­
orities, non-governmental organizations and all other 
bodies active in promoting youth exchanges or mobility. 
Its objectives shall be as set out in the Annex. 
Article 3 
1. The Commission shall implement the second phase 
of the 'Youth for Europe' programme in conformity with 
this Decision. 
The following shall be determined in accordance with 
the procedure set out in paragraph 2: 
— the general guidelines concerning the measures 
provided for by the programme, its operation and its 
assessment, 
(') OJ No L 158, 25. 6. 1988, p. 42. — the general balance concerning the exchanges 
between Member States and concerning the various 
types of actions. 
2. The Commission shall be assisted by the committee 
established by Article 4 of Decision 88/348/EEC. 
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. 
3. The committee may examine all matters concerning 
the implementation of the programme. 
Article 4 
As from 1 January 1992 the annual credits necessary to 
cover the Community contribution to the actions 
provided for in the programme will be established in the 
annual budgetary procedure, taking into account the 
results of the programme as well as any new needs which 
may emerge during its operation. These credits are 
intended to finance the various Actions which form part 
of the programme. 
The appropriations deemed necessary for the first year 
of the second phase of the programme will form part of 
future budgets within the framework of the present 
financial forecasts 1988 to 1992 agreed jointly by the 
three institutions in June 1988, and their development. 
Article 5 
The Commission shall see to it that there is consistency 
and complementarity between this action programme 
and other activities of the Member States and the 
Community affecting youth exchanges. In this 
connection, account will be taken of the activities of the 
Council of Europe, inter alia in the field of information 
and training for youth leaders. The Commission shall 
also maintain regular contacts with international organ­
izations working in the field of youth exchanges. 
No C 308/8 Official Journal of the European Communities 8. 12. 90 
Article 6 
1. Member States shall lend their support to achieving 
the objectives of the 'Youth for Europe' programme as 
set out in the Annex by taking appropriate measures to 
that end. 
2. Each Member State shall: 
(a) designate an existing body or set up one or more 
competent bodies responsible for coordinating the 
implementation of the programme at national level, 
although this may not necessarily be the only task 
assigned to such body or bodies; (b) endeavour, as far as possible, to adopt the measures 
necessary to ensure that young people who have 
participated in exchanges under the programme do 
not lose their entitlements, particularly those linked 
to social security. 
Article 7 
The Commission shall submit to the European 
Parliament and to the Council an assessment of the 
implementation of the programme, after the end of the 
second year of the second phase. 
ANNEX 
ACTION I 
Promoting youth projects which entail the exchange and mobility of young people 
1. For the purposes of this Action, the term 'youtn exchanges' shall refer to project-centred bilateral 
exchanges and multilateral exchanges and encounters arranged on the basis of joint plans between indi­
viduals or groups of young people between the ages of 15 and 25 years, other than those which take 
place in the context of school or vocational training. These project-centred exchanges will have a 
minimum duration of one week in a Member State and shall be specifically planned so as to enable them 
to develop skills for active and working life by: 
gaining understanding, at first hand, of the economic, social and cultural life of the country in which 
the exchange takes place (including the situations and problems of young people), through direct 
contact with the local community in the host country, 
establishing cooperative relationships between groups of young people from different States within 
the Community, 
exchanging ideas and identifying common interests with young people from other countries taking 
part in the exchange, 
strengthening their awareness of belonging to Europe. 
2. The objectives of this action of the Touth for Europe' programme shall be as follows: 
(a) to promote project-centred youth exchanges within the European Community for an increasing 
number of young people from all the Member States, including, in particular, regions in which few 
such opportunities are customarily available; 
(b) to promote improvements in the quality of youth exchanges, in particular through assistance with 
the preparation and organization of exchanges, so as to achieve maximum impact and to increase to 
the utmost the benefit to the young people concerned, in particular by enabling them to play an 
active part in organizing the exchanges; 
8. 12. 90 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 308/9 
(c) to encourage, so far as possible, diversification in youth exchanges and achieve an improved balance 
between Member States, inter alia by the promotion of multilateral exchanges, so as to extend 
participation, in particular, to young people from all kinds of social, economic and cultural back­
grounds; 
(d) to support the pursuit of European activities aimed at developing ongoing links between young 
people and groups of young people in the various Member States; 
(e) to identify ways and means of overcoming the various financial, legal and administrative obstacles 
which may inhibit participation in, or the organization of, youth exchanges; 
(f) to define, in the light of experience gained, new actions which may be undertaken directed towards 
filling any gaps discovered in existing youth exchange programmes. 
Activities supported under this action shall be designed, in particular, to encourage the participation of 
young people who experience the most difficulties in being included in existing programmes of 
exchanges. 
The projects to receive Community assistance shall be chosen on the basis of joint criteria of quality, 
impact and efficacy responding to the programme objectives. 
3. The following measures designed to enable young people to benefit from exchanges and mobility shall 
be implemented. 
A. Direct support for youth projects involving exchange and mobility 
1. The Community shall continue the development of its system of direct financial aid to youth 
exchanges with an explicitly educational purpose, expressed in the form of a coherent project. 
1.1. Such projects will be so devised that the impact or repercussions of the exchange, in terms of 
cooperation or individual or group training, may be assessed. Exchanges organized as part of an 
educational or vocational training programme shall be excluded. Aid for exchanges under this 
section shall not exceed 50 % of the total expenses incurred (journey and programme), except 
as provided in point A. 1.4. below. 
1.2. In calculating the aid to each Member State, quantitative objectives will be assigned in relation 
to the number of young people from 15 to 25 years in its population. The calculation will also 
take account of: 
— the gross domestic product of each Member State, 
— the geographical distance between Member States, 
— the restoration of the balance of the flow of exchanges in the Community. 
1.3. In the allocation of grants, priority will be given to project-centred exchanges which: 
— bring together young people with different social, economic and cultural backgrounds, 
— make young people aware of the European dimension, for example through their multi­
lateral nature, 
— are designed also for young people with disadvantaged backgrounds, 
— stress the active participation of young people from the beginning of the project, 
— concern regions of the Community where few opportunities for exchanges are available. 
No C 308/10 Official Journal of the European Communities 8. 12. 90 
1.4. As a complement to the provision set out above, the Community shall undertake positive actions 
towards young people suffering from geographical, mental, physical, cultural, social or 
economic disadvantage. In this context, financial aid towards exchanges organized under 
section A.l may be of up to 75 % of the total; and the Community shall support such other 
activities to encourage the participation of disadvantaged young people as may be appropriate. 
Not less than one-third of the credits made available to Member States under section A.l of this 
Action shall be used for disadvantaged young people. 
2. Grants shall be made available, on an experimental basis during the first two years of the second 
phase of the programme, to support transnational projects enabling young people to take part in 
voluntary service activities in another Member State. Such activities will be in the educational, 
social or cultural fields, and will be operated by non-governmental organizations with 
experience in these fields. This provision has no bearing on similar activities existing in some 
Member States as obligatory military service. 
Grants will be of a maximum of ECU 500 per month, with an overall maximum of ECU 3 000 
per person, and of 50 % of travel costs involved. 
B. Study visits and professional development for youth workers 
The Community will continue its aid for short study visits and for the professional development of 
youth workers, as established under the first phase of the Touth for Europe' programme. 
ACTION II 
Accompanying measures 
1. Measures to accompany and support those referred to above may be carried out by the Commission, 
including measures: 
(a) to promote the implementation of pratical measures to encourage the mobility of young people in 
the Member States, including the issue of a European Youth Card to facilitate their access to 
existing services at national level; 
(b) to encourage the undertaking of collaborative activities in the field of youth work; 
(c) to provide technical expertise and support for the implementation of grant and subsidy schemes. 
2. In addition to the above, the Commission shall provide assistance for the development of activities for 
the bodies referred to in Article 6.b.l of the Decision. These activities shall be concerned with the 
development of: 
(a) information to young people and youth workers about the activities supported under this 
programme, and the application and grant systems relating to each activity; 
(b) consultation facilities, to give practical guidance on the preparation of youth exchanges and other 
projects eligible for support under this programme, including the operation of training courses 
where appropriate; 
(c) coordination of activities and exchanges of information and experience between designated 
structures in different Member States.