it it 
it it COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
Brussels, 11.05.1995 
COM(95) 159 final 
THE YOUTH FOR EUROPE PROGRAMME 
ANNUAL REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION 
- 1993-
CONTENTS 
! Introduction 
li The structure and general objectives of the Programme 
III The operational and advisory infrastructure 
IV Development and results of the activities within 
Actions of the Programme Page 
V Future perspectives 
Annexes 10 
INTRODUCTION 
The Youth for Europe Programme is an action programme designed to promote youth 
exchanges m the European Community. The second phase of the programme was adopted 
by the Council Decision of the 29 July 1991, and covers the period 1 January 1992 to 31 
December 1994'. 
In 1993, the Commission presented a report detailing the first year of implementation of 
the second phase of the Programme2. 
The present report covers the second operational year of the second phase and is based on 
the information provided by the National Agencies responsible for the implementation of 
the Programme at national level in the Member States. 
II THE STRUCTURE AND GENERAL OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME 
The second phase of the Youth for Europe Programme comprises a range of incentive 
measures to promote the development of youth exchanges in the European Community, 
by increasing their «umber in all Member States and by according particular attention to 
the involvement of young people who have little opportunity to meet young people from 
other Member Stales. 
The Programme is designed, m particular, to stimulate the participation of young people 
whose personal circumstances have previously prevented them from taking part in existing 
exchanges between Member States. 
The Programme is also aimed at improving the quality of youth exchanges by diversifying 
the type of projects, achieving a better balance between the Member States and by 
providing youth workers involved in these exchanges with relevant training. 
Youth for Europe exchange projects are aimed at young people aged between 15 and 25 
years. Additional measures are aimed at those able to generate a multiplier effect so that 
young people can derive the maximum benefit from their participation in exchanges. 
Decision 91/395/EEC of 29 July 1991,OJ I..2.17. p.25 
COM (93) 524 
8 During its second phase, the Programme comprises various actions designed to support and 
achieve its general objectives across the Member States : 
Action I I : direct support for youth exchanges; 
Action 1.2 : voluntary service activities; 
Action 1.3 : support for the organization of short study visits for youth 
workers; 
Action 1.4 : support for training activities for youth workers, particularly at 
European level; 
Action 1.5 : pilot projects; 
Action II : support for infrastructures designated by the authorities in each 
Member Slate as responsible for the coordination of the Youth for 
Europe Programme at national level (National Agencies). 
An estimated budget of 25 million ECU was initially earmarked for the financing of the 
second phase of the Programme from 1992 to 1994. Operational Community budgetary 
provision for the period covered by this report amounted to 9.5 million ECU. 
Ill THE OPERATIONAL AND ADVISORY INFRASTRUCTURE 
According to article 4 of the Council Decision, the Youth for Europe Programme is 
implemented by the Commission in active cooperation 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 comprising two representatives from each Member State, appointed by the 
Commission following nominations by each country. The Council of Europe and the 
Youth Forum of the European Communities arc invited to attend the Committee's meetings 
as observers. 
11. The Advisory Committee met three times during the period covered by this report. It was 
consulted on the overall development of the Programme in the various Member States, in 
particular with regard to budgetary, evaluation and training aspects, the access of the 
EFTA/EEA countries to the Programme and the preparation of the third phase of the Youth 
for Europe Programme. The Committee was also informed about the implementation of 
the Priority Actions in the Youth Field by the Commission. In the light of the enlargement 
of the Programme to the EFTA/EEA countries, the Commission invited representatives 
from those countries to attend the Advisory Committee meetings as observers, the 
discussions focusing on the procedures to be established, breakdown of the overall funds 
available for the Programme and detailed budget per Action, and the measures and timing 
for the implementation of the Programme. 
The National Agencies 
12 The Youth for Europe Programme was the first largely decentralized Community 
programme According to the terms of the Council Decision, the Member Slates arc 
responsible for the promotion, coordination and co-financing of its actions and 
accompanying measures. Each country was required to designate structures to this end 
(National Agencies). In Belgium, there are three "National" Agencies, one for each of the 
three language communities. 
13. These structures were set up during the first operational year of the first phase of the 
Programme. Their essential task was to implement the Programme, establishing direct 
contact with young people in their own country, and providing advice on the Programme, 
as well as its administration. 
14 In the light of the future enlargement of the Programme to include the EFTA/EEA 
countries, the designated future National Agencies of the Programme were invited, from 
the beginning of the year covered by this report, to make preparations for their access to 
the network of the National Agencies and to ensure that the necessary steps were taken for 
the implementation of the Programme at national level. Is 1993, the Commission organized 
a training course for these new National Agencies focusing on the operational procedures 
for all the Actions of the Programme and on the inter-agency consultation procedure. 
15. The priorities of the National Agencies have changed since the first phase of the 
Programme. With the development of the Programme and its acknowledgement by young 
people at all levels, the National Agencies played aft important role in the provision of 
counselling and guidance for young people and youth organisations wishing to participate 
in the Programme- The National Agencies have played a very relevant role in providing 
information on the Programme, other existing possibilities at European level and on the 
envisaged future perspectives. 
16 Two joint working meetings of the National Agencies were organised in 1993, dealing 
mainly with operational aspects of the Programme and the enlargement of the Programme 
to include the EFTA/EEA countries. Particular attention was paid to the development of 
the National Agencies network in terms of communication and cooperation. 
Representatives of the designated future National Agencies attended both working 
meetings. 
17. The National Agencies also took part in two study visits to the EFTA/EEA countries at the 
invitation of the designated National Agencies in the respective countries. The first visit 
was held in Finland, Sweden and Norway, and the second in Austria and Liechtenstein. 
Both provided the National Agencies with an opportunity to become acquainted with youth 
work and youth structures in the countries concerned, to meet representatives of National 
Youth Councils and youth organisations, and to have an overall view of the youth policy 
and future perspectives in each of the countries visited. 
18 The Portuguese National Agency invited the new EFTA/EEA National Agencies to take 
part in a study visit designed to provide participants with an in-depth view of the youth 
work situation and youth structures in Portugal, and to further develop cooperation between 
youth organisations in the countries concerned. This type of activity has proved to be 
particularly successful in terms of developing contacts with countries with which no youth 
exchange tradition exists. 
19. The Italian National Agency and the Commission co-organised a thematic seminar on 
information, in Rome in October 1993. The seminar focused on the importance of quality 
information provision in relation to the development of youth exchanges, and on proposals 
for the further development of various models such as intcr-agency communication, a 
centralized partner-finding system, and information activities to be supported at local, 
regional, national and European level. Discussion on participation criteria and aims, and 
methodological and didactic contents resulted in a scries of recommendations to the 
National Agencies which should be implemented in the third year of the second phase. 
Technical Assistance Unit 
20. The Commission is assisted in the overall implementation of the Programme by a technical 
assistance unit, the Petra/Youth Bureau. 
21. The Pctra Youth Bureau was established to assist the Commission in the implementation 
of the second phase of the Youth for Europe Programme and the Priority Actions in the 
youth field, in addition to the implementation of the second phase of the Pctra Programme. 
22. In 1993, the Youth Unit of the Petra Youth Bureau continued to assist the Commission, 
in the dissemination of information about the Youth for Europe Programme, the processing 
of grant applications submitted by European non-governmental organisations to the 
Commission, the central management of Action 1.3, the general monitoring and evaluation 
of the Programme, the overall coordination of European-level training courses, and the 
preparation and follow-up of Advisory Committee and National Agencies' meetings. In 
addition, the Youth Unit provided advice to the National Agencies in all aspects related 
to the implementation of the Programme, assisting in particular the designated EFTA/EEA 
National Agencies in preparing their access to the Programme. 
IV DEVELOPMENT AND RESULTS OF THE ACTIVITIES WITHIN ACTIONS OF THE 
PROGRAMME 
Action 1.1 : direct support for youth exchanges 
23. Support is accorded to bi-, tri- or multilateral project-centred exchanges lasting at least one 
full week and involving a group of 16 to 60 young people aged between 15 and 25 years, 
residing in the Member States. The projects must have an educational purpose and be 
theme-related. As explicitly stated in the Council Decision, priority in allocating support 
is given to exchanges which : 
are specially designed for young people with disadvantaged backgrounds; 
bring together young people with different social, economic and cultural 
backgrounds; 
make young people aware of the European dimension, for example through their 
multilateral nature; 
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; 
concern young people living in peripheral areas and/or linguistic areas having a 
limited coverage. 
24 According to the decentralized nature of the Programme, in 1993 the National Agencies 
received the major part, of the overall budget - 76.6% - for the direct support of youth 
exchanges (see Annex 1 ). 
25 The particular importance of Action II in the context of the Programme should be 
emphasized This Action enabled young people throughout the Community lo become 
involved in multinational youth projects thus enabling them to raise their awareness and 
deepen their knowledge of other European countries and their cultures. The National 
Agencies' working infrastructures were adapted lo meet the increasing demand, the result 
showing an improvement in the numbers and in the quality of the projects supported. 
26. In quantitative terms, the applications for youth exchange projects increased and the 
National Agencies thus had to assess applications in even greater detail to establish their 
relative quality. 
27. The Programme had a greater impact on youth organisations throughout Europe and the 
National Agencies were obliged to apply priorities in the allocation of grants, due to the 
disparity between the number of applications received and the financial means available. 
The National Agencies played an important role providing advice and guidance and this 
contributed, to a large extent, to the general improvement in the quality of the projects. 
28. The provisional reports from the National Agencies indicate that some 40.000 young 
people have benefitted directly from the Programme in 1993, an increase of 33% on the 
1992 participation figures. Concerning the gender of the participants, the equal 
participation of young men and women in the Programme in 1993 followed the trend 
identified in die previous year. 
29. National Agencies' reports also indicate that amongst the participants who benefitted from 
the Youth for Europe Programme were young people who were not members of youth 
organisations and associations, and that new organisations were involved in the 
Programme, the demand coming mainly from regional and local level. 
30. The most popular type of projects within Youth for Europe continued to be bilateral 
exchanges. However, as youth organisations develop their international contacts and 
enlarge their networks, trends indicate that tri- and multilateral exchanges will increase. 
31. Due to the higher costs incurred in supporting multilateral exchange projects, and the 
significant impact on the National Agencies' financial provision, National Agencies which 
have already allocated 20% of their exchange budget to multilateral activities can forward 
further multilateral projects to the Commission for selection and grant allocation at central 
level. 
32. In 1993, the Commission received 60 applications for multilateral exchange activities, 31 
from European NGOs and 29 forwarded by National Agencies. The Commission funded 
42 projects, of which 25 concerned European NGOs and 17 concerned National Agencies. 
Overall, some 1,788 participants were involved. 
33 The projects supported reflected a wide range of interests and priorities among young 
people across the European Community. Themes varied, the predominant ones being 
environmental issues, the media, artistic expression and European awareness, but all 
provided an opportunity for communication between young people in a multicultural 
setting. 
34. The Council Decision clearly states that one third of the budget should be allocated to 
exchanges for participants who are disadvantaged for socio-economic, geographical, 
cultural or physical reasons. The figures provided by the National Agencies demonstrate 
that this proportion has in fact been surpassed. 
35 An increase of bilateral youth exchange projects between countries with little exchange 
tradition, mainly on the periphery of the Community, and also more diversified regional 
participation within Member Slates should be noted. Considerable efforts were made by 
the National Agencies to promote bilateral contacts between youth organisations and 
organized bilateral training courses for youth leaders, in particular with the 'EFTA/EEA 
countries, in view of the future enlargement of the Programme, thus continuing to ensure 
and further improve regional balance in youth exchanges across the Member States. 
36. The efforts made by the National Agencies in finding appropriate partners abroad 
contributed to a large extent to the increase of regional balance. The partner-finding system 
set up during the first phase of the Programme improved in efficiency during the period 
covered by this report. A working group of the National Agencies dealing with this 
specific subject was set-up and its recommendations, discussed in detail with all the 
National Agencies in a working meeting held in Rome, in October, will be implemented 
before the end of the second phase of the Programme. 
Action 1.2 : voluntary service activities 
37. The Council Decision states that : "... Grants shall be made available on a experimental 
basis to support transnational projects enabling young people to take part in voluntary 
service activities in another Member State". In this context, "voluntary service activities" 
means activities in which young people devote their time and efforts to a cause of value 
to society, excluding similar activities which exist in some Member States in the 
framework of compulsory military service or as an alternative thereto". 
38. In the light of the activities supported, the experience gained in 1993 will be a basis for 
the future and recommendations to adapt the established guidelines, to meet the needs and 
requests from young people for new types of projects, will be taken into account for future 
use. 
39. The activities supported by the Commission were not only limited to practical work, but 
also allowed for interaction between the participants and the hosting community. The 
quality of participants' preparation before departure was one of the main selection criteria 
for grants, and importance was attached to the monitoring and support of the young people 
during their stay. Also, emphasis was placed on the multiplier effects and the benefit to 
the volunteer's community upon his return, as well as the follow-up and thorough 
evaluation of the projects. 
40. Voluntary service activities were managed at central level during the experimental phase. 
The National Agencies, however, played an important role providing participants and 
organisations with detailed information, advice and counselling, and were informed of the 
Commission's decisions on the projects supported. 
41 In 1993, the Commission supported 42 voluntary service projects. Time and effort of 
young people was devoted to a variety of projects in the field of environmental protection, 
development of youth exchange projects and youth networks, assistance to the elderly, 
local community work, street work, drugs prevention, the fight against racism and 
xenophobia. It should be noted that the reduced participation in this Action demonstrates 
the continuing difficulties encountered by young people when travelling and working 
outside their own country; the existing legislation at national level not yet being adapted 
to encourage youth mobility. A thorough evaluation of the impact of this Action within the 
Programme will be presented in the near future. 
Action 1.3 : short study visits 
42 This Action contributes lo a large extent to the development of international contacts 
between youth workers and youth organisation officers, with a view to developing contacts 
thus encouraging youth organisations to become involved in youth exchange projects which 
may be implemented under Action II. Multilateral groups of youth workers, interested 
in the same topics and issues, are given the possibility of meeting potential partners and 
discussing joint projects. 
43 In 1993, the Commission allocated 400 bursaries lo the National Agencies. The 
recruitment, selection and preparation of the participants, as well as the contents and the 
practical organisation of the visits were the responsibility of the National Agencies. 
44 The National Agencies are assisted in the organisation of short study visits by bodies 
familiar with youth work. As the programme became known, different types of 
organisations, mainly at regional and local level, applied to the National Agencies for the 
organisation of the short study visits. The National Agencies can ensure diversification, the 
current situation showing a wider regional spread than in previous years. The evaluation 
questionnaires completed by the participants strongly emphasize the value of this Action 
particularly in the context of youth exchange projects which emerged from the contacts 
made during the visits. 
45 The demand for participation in short study visits increased significantly during the period 
of this report. Due to the disparity of the applications received and the number of bursaries 
available, the National Agencies applied stricter criteria when selecting the participants. 
It should also be noted that the EFTA/EEA countries have sent participants to study visits 
during this year at their own expense, thus preparing in advance their full participation 
when the Programme is enlarged. 
Action 1.4 : support for training activities 
46. Activities supported under this Action include training activities of youth workers from two 
or more Member States, or training related to youth exchanges. 
47. The activities supported by the Commission included : multilateral training activities 
submitted by European NGOs, and training courses organised by the National Agencies. 
Of the 21 applications received, 17 were approved, 10 of which were submitted by 
European NGOs and 7 by the National Agencies, involving a total of 378 participants. 
Particular attention was paid by the National Agencies in the organisation of bilateral 
training courses, involving youth workers and trainers from countries or regions with 
reduced cooperation to date. 
Action 1.5 : pilot projects 
48 The Council Decision provides aid "... for pilot projects relating to youth workers, with the 
chief aims of : 
making them aware of the situation of young people in other Member States; 
enabling them to establish the contacts necessary for the organisation of 
exchanges; 
promoting intcrcultural training". 
49. Two main areas of activity were launched : training and information material and the 
systematic exchange of information between youth worker trainers and training institutions. 
Furthermore, other pilot projects directly linked to the development of youth exchanges 
and mobility in the European Community could also be submitted for funding. 
50. The projects supported by the Commission included : 10 projects in the field of 
publications, pilot projects for disadvantaged young people, cross-cultural youth exchanges 
evaluation and projects illustrating models of good practice amongst young people involved 
in youth exchanges. 
51. The Commission will draw particular attention to the reports of the activities carried out 
under this Action, in order to learn from a broad variety of experiences which may lead 
to the diversification of future activities. An overall evaluation will be available during the 
third year of the second phase. 
Action II : support to National Agencies 
52. The Council Decision specifies that the Commission shall provide support for the National 
Agencies in connection with the development of information, consultation facilities, 
coordination of activities, and the administration of grants for projects within the Youth 
for Europe Programme. 
53. The dissemination of information continued to be a priority of the National Agencies. 
Efforts were made to provide information on the Programme to the potential target groups, 
young people, exchange organisers and relevant bodies at local, regional and national level, 
decentralising this provision and meeting specific needs and interests. 
54. The National Agencies are often identified by young people in general as the main source 
of information related not only to youth affairs, but also to other specific interests of young 
people like vocational training, education, job opportunities, etc. As a consequence, the 
National Agencies played a major role as providers of advice and guidance to young 
people and youth organisations, having to adjust their working structure to meet the 
increasing demand. Several types of information activities were held by the National 
Agencies : courses at regional and national level, bringing together youth workers and 
those responsible in youth structures; bilateral training courses bringing together youth 
organisation representatives from two different countries, in order to encourage the 
development of bilateral youth exchanges; multilateral training courses at European level, 
mainly focused on the development of intercultural learning. 
55. Particular attention was paid to the preparation of the enlargement of the Programme to 
include the EFTA/EEA countries, i.e. by producing information material on the subject. 
Preparatory measures, which-were discussed in the working meeting of the National 
Agencies held in Rome, also included the setting-up of an enlarged partner finding system, 
the planning of specific study visits and training courses, the consultation procedures for 
the Priority Actions in the Youth Field, and practical measures enabling them to deal with 
this enlargement. Special financial support was provided by the Commission lo each 
National Agency. 
FUTURE PERSPECTIVES 
56. The Programme confirms its leading role in the promotion of European youth exchanges 
in general. The consolidation of the existing framework and the emergence of new 
networks and links in the field of youth mobility and exchanges are already foreseen. 
57. The support to youth exchange projects and the measures considered to be of great value 
and complementarity for its development and the increase of its quality will continue. 
Particular attention will be paid to the assessment of an increase in demand for Community 
financial aid already envisaged in the years to come. 
58. The future enlargement of the Programme to the EFTA/EEA countries will imply that, as 
from 1994, these countries will participate fully in the Programme, thus enlarging the range 
of Actions and possibilities for young people to increase their mobility throughout Europe. 
59. In the light of the enlargement of the current phase, and the preparation of the third phase 
of the Programme, the Commission launched a call for tender for the external evaluation 
of the Programme, covering the first phase and the first year of the second phase. The aims 
of the evaluation were to assess to what extent the objectives of the Programme have been 
met; to identify the European dimension and the added value of the Community's 
involvement in the Programme; and to identify and recommend new approaches and 
measures which could make the Programme more effective. The external evaluation report 
was published in the second half of the year, and was presented to the Advisory 
Committee and to the National Agencies of the Programme. 
60. On a quantitative level, the conclusions of the report indicate increasing numbers of 
participants in all Member States as the second phase continues, with particular emphasis 
placed on reaching disadvantaged young people and enabling them to participate in the 
Programme. On a qualitative level, the report underlined that the active participation of 
young people is considered to be a very strong point of the Programme. Youth exchange 
projects with an explicitly educational purpose stimulate ongoing links between participants 
and develop young people's awareness of the European dimension. Furthermore, it is 
apparent that the Programme brought added value to international youth exchange 
activities, encouraged discussion of global issues related to youth policy at Community 
level and raised the standing and image of youth work and international youth exchanges 
in many Member States. 
Annex 1 
Action II 
Action 1.2 
Action 1.3 
Action 1.4, 1.5 
Action II YOUTH FOR EUROPE PROGRAMME 
BUDGET 1993 
Direct support to youth exchanges 
Voluntary service 
Study visits 
Professional development for 
youth workers and Pilot projects 
European level activities and 
technical support 
National Agencies 7.280.000 ECU * 
120.000 ECU 
360.000 ECU 
340.000 ECU 
500.000 ECU 
900.000 ECU 
Total estimated budget available for expenditure in 1993 9.500.000 ECU 
this sum includes support for multilateral activities submitted by National Agencies and European NGOs (10%) 
Action LI : Financial aid Action 1.3 : Number of 
for youth exchanges (l) grants for the organisation 
by Member State of short study visits 
by Member State 
B 273.246 25 
D 1.097.055 55 
DK 218.395 15 
E 824.476 50 
F 822.765 55 
GR 332.803 50 
I 1.002.292 50 
IRL 214.396 15 
L 149.721 50 
NL 356.921 25 
P 351.712 25 
UK 908.218 55 
EC 728.000 
TOTAL 7.280.000 400 
<1> : Grants calculated according to the parameters set down in article 3.A. of the appendix to the Council Decision of 
29 July 1991 (91/395/EEC) 
10 
Annex 2 
YOUTH FOR EUROPE PROGRAMME 
ACTION LI - Diiect support to youth exchanges 
Number of participants Number of projects accepted 
in 1993 per National Agency in 1993 per National Agency 
B/FI 1.088 25 
B/Fr 766 33 
B/De 39 1 
D 6.933 191 
DK 1.494 84 
E 3.672 210 
F 5.742 180 
GR 
I 3.835 138 
IRL 1.656 57 
LUX 1.203 29 
NL 782 50 
P 2.544 100 
U.K. 10.016 576 
EC TOTAL! 39.770 1.674 
t 
: Projects allocated centralty 
11 
ISSN 0254-1475 
COM(95) 159 final 
DOCUMENTS 
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Catalogue number : CB-CO-95-184-EN-C 
ISBN 92-77-88346-4 
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