28. 1. 85 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 25/1 
II 
(Preparatory Acts) 
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
Opinion on the Council proposal establishing a third joint programme to encourage the 
exchange of young workers within the Community (*) 
(85/C 25/01) 
On 5 June 1984 the Council of the European Communities decided to consult the 
Economic and Social Committee, under Article 235 of the Treaty establishing the 
European Econonic Community on the abovementioned proposal. 
The Section for Social Questions which was responsible for preparing the Committee's 
work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 8 November 1984 in the light of the report 
by Mr Low. Mr Dassis and Mr De Bruyn acted as co-rapporteurs. 
At its 221st plenary session held on 21 and 22 November 1984 (meeting of 21 Novem­
ber 1984), the Economic and Social Communittee unanimously adopted the following 
opinion. 
1. The aims and the expansion of the programme 
1.1. The Economic and Social Committee broadly 
endorses the proposal for a Council Decision estab­
lishing a third joint programme to encourage the 
exchange of young workers within the Community. 
In its opinion on the first and second programmes, 
the Committee repeatedly emphasized the value of 
such programmes, particularly with respect to the 
goals set by the Commission, viz. to further the 
vocational knowledge of young workers, to heighten 
their awareness of the problems in the working 
world, to establish contacts with occupational circles 
in the host country, to improve young workers' 
knowledge of the living conditions and industrial 
relations in the host country and to encourage ade­
quate information as to the aims and the functioning 
of the Community. 
(•) OJNoC 153, 13.6. 1984, p. 5. 1.2. Experience with the first, and particularly the 
second programme were positive. As a result the 
number of participants rose from 256 in 1979 to 
approximately 1200 in 1983, despite the limited fi­
nancial resources available; these positive exper­
iences provide sufficient justification for continuing 
and expanding the programmes, even though a 
number of implementation problems remain to be 
solved. 
1.3. The Committee is convinced that the third 
programme can also make a valuable contribution 
to preparing young people for working life, by giv­
ing them the chance (a) to acquire further vocational 
skills through practical job experience and (b) to 
familiarize themselves with the life-style and cus­
toms of the host country. 
1.4. The Committee would recall that one of the 
original main aims of the programme was to create a 
No C 25/2 Official Journal of the European Communities 28. 1. 85 
European awareness particularly amongst the youth 
of Europe, as a step towards gradual integration. 
This aspect should receive now more attention than 
ever. 
1.5. Against this background and in view of the 
high level of youth unemployment in many Member 
States, the Committee also broadly welcomes the 
Commission proposal that the third programme 
should encompass young people who are registered 
a job-seekers and who have acquired a basic voca­
tional training or practical work experience. 
1.6. Participation in an exchange programme can 
help to boost these young people's prospects of 
being integrated or reintegrated into the world of 
work. The number of applicants for previous pro­
grammes has however always far outstripped the 
Commission's financial resources. Care should 
therefore be taken to ensure that the inculsion of 
young job-seekers in the third programme does not 
raise expectations which cannot be fulfilled. 
2. The financing of the programme 
2.1. In its second report to the Council on the pro­
gress of the second programme (COM(84) 255 final), 
the Commission refers to estimates that the total 
costs for projects proposed by the responsible autho­
rities for 1984 will be three times the sum at the 
Commission's disposal. Since the Community bud­
get will, in the foreseeable future, continue to be one 
of the main sources for financing the programme, 
the success of the expanded third programme might 
be jeopardized by the tightness of budgetary re­
sources. 
2.2. The Committee therefore believes it to be im­
perative that the available resources be distributed 
efficiently. In view of the redistribution of the ESF's 
tasks, its recommends investigating the scope for 
assigning ESF resources to the programme. 
At any rate, particularly in view of the rising costs 
per participant, the overall resources should be 
pitched higher than originally proposed. Considera­
tion should also be given to a contribution by the 
Member States, particularly in respect of exchanges 
of unemployed young people, since their employ­
ment prospects are enhanced by such programmes. 
2.3. The Committee also welcomes all other meas­
ures to simplify the programme's administration 
which cut costs without jeopardizing the proper im­
plementation of the programme. 3. Involvement of the associations 
The Committee is pleased that the competent asso­
ciations are to be involved more directly. This will 
cut financial and administrative costs. The Commit­
tee sets great store on the continued appropriate 
involvement of the trade organizations and the so­
cial partners. 
4. Long-term and short-term training sources 
4.1. The Committee endorses in principle the pro­
posed experimental expansion of short training 
courses. It points out that short-term courses have 
outnumbered long-term courses since 1982. The 
Committee reiterates the position expressed in its 
opinion on the second programme, that exchanges 
involving a short stay in the host country must also 
have a high vocational training content. 
4.2. The Committee stresses that the expansion of 
short-term courses must not ignore the importance 
of long-term courses. Given their specific job-related 
content, long-term courses are more suitable than 
short-term courses for enhancing and expanding 
young people's vocational skills. This is particularly 
important for young job-seekers since many of them 
are inadequately trained and qualified and have 
therefore only slim prospects of finding suitable em­
ployment. 
4.3. The Committee attaches particular importance 
to the promotion of exhchange projects in economic 
sectors involving new technology, and information 
technology in particular. It welcomes the Council 
proposal to provide additional incentives for spe­
cific forward-looking exchange projects which take 
account of the development of the new techno­
logies. 
4.4. The Committee is pleased that participants in 
short programmes are to be provided with language 
training. At any rate such language training should 
be provided before the exchange takes place, in 
order to make the short stay in the host country 
worthwhile and not to curtail it even more. Prior 
language training in the country of origin should as 
far as possible be regarded as the norm in ex­
changes. A good language course in the county of 
origin, geared to the specific needs of participants, is 
the best way of ensuring an interesting and reward­
ing stay in the host country. 
28. 1. 85 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 25/3 
5. Geographical distribution 
5.1. The lopsided geographical distribution of the 
exchange projects has still not been solved. This is 
illustrated by the Commission reports to the Council 
on the progress of exchange programmes for young 
workers within the Community. 
5.2. Greater incentives for training in the lesser-
used Community languages could make a considera­
ble contribution here. 
5.3. The Committee welcomes the proposal to gear 
travel cost grants to distance. This will be instrumen-
Done at Brussels, 21 November 1984. 
1. General comments 
1.1. In view of the very tight deadline set for this 
opinion, the Committee will confine itself to some, 
mainly general, comments on key aspects of long-
term unemployment. tal in involving the peripheral areas of the Commun­
ity more closely in the programmes. 
6. Social protection 
6.1. The Committee has always taken the view that 
all participants in exchange programmes must be 
provided with adequate social protection. The third 
programme's proposals for this area may however 
create problems. Given the national legislation gov­
erning this area, special problems may be created by 
the proposal to treat young job-seekers as young 
persons enrolled in vocational training or other 
training courses in their country of origin. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Gerd MUHR 
1.2. The scale and serious implications of this pro­
blem have been highlighted repeatedly in many ear­
lier opinions(O- Consequently, the Committee can-
(') See in particular the opinion on social developments in 
the Community in 1982 — Rapporteur: Mr Noordwal 
(OJ No C 286, 24. 10. 1983). Opinion on the communication from the Commission to the Council on action to combat 
long-term unemployment 
(85/C 25/02) 
On 2 October 1984 the Council of the European Communities requested the Economic 
and Social Committee, under Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the European 
Community, to deliver an opinion on the abovementioned document. 
The Section for Social Question (rapporteur: Mr Noordwal; corapporteurs: Mr Be-
retta and Mr Roseingrave), which was responsible for preparing the Committee's work 
on this matter, adopted its opinion on 8 November 1984. 
The Committee unanimously adopted its opinion at its 221st plenary session held on 
21 and 22 November 1984 (meeting of 21 November 1984).