WRITTEN QUESTION P-1796/97 by Lissy Gröner (PSE) to the Commission (20 May 1997)

Subject: Pilot phase of 'European Voluntary Service'

1. How many volunteers have been placed since the beginning of the pilot phase and in which countries up to 1 May 1997?

2. How many of these have been placed through the decentralized strand?

3. Why did the Commission change the application procedure for international organizations?

4. Can the Commission explain the situation of placed volunteers in the light of the projected figure of 2 500 volunteers?

Answer given by Mrs Cresson on behalf of the Commission (16 June 1997)

The European voluntary service pilot action aims to test a new approach to the development of voluntary service activities for young people in a European context, particularly through the adoption of a decentralised strategy for implementation. This decentralised approach aims to facilitate the participation of local organisations and to respond effectively to the needs and realities of projects and volunteers.

The necessary framework for this decentralised approach to implementation is now in place. A national structure, responsible for assisting the Commission with the implementation of the pilot action, has been appointed in each Member State. These national structures have been distributing information and raising interest in European voluntary service since the second half of 1996. As a result, the Commission has now received expressions of

interest in hosting volunteers from just under 1000 organisations from across the Community. This represents a potential of almost 3000 places for young volunteers. The Commission and national structures have also been contacted by thousands of young people who would like to participate in European voluntary service.

The national structures, together with the Commission, are currently supporting match-making between hosting projects, sending projects and volunteers. This is a complex and time-consuming process, particularly since many of the partners concerned do not have previous experience of transnational voluntary service, and long-term voluntary service projects require significant commitments and responsibilities from all of the partners concerned.

The Commission will produce a second progress report relating to the implementation of the European voluntary service pilot action in July 1997. This will provide detailed figures and analysis of the implementation of the pilot action. However, the Commission can already provide the following information in response to the specific points raised by the Honourable Member:

1. 346 young people have now been placed in European voluntary service projects. The Commission is sending more detailed figures on the breakdown of volunteers and projects by country direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's Secretariat.

2. 313 of these volunteers are participating in projects supported through the centralised strand of the pilot action (80 in flagship projects, 33 in third countries and 200 in projects submitted by members of the Association of voluntary service organisations (AVSO)). 33 volunteers have been placed so far through the decentralised strand (ie projects submitted through national structures). The Commission expects to see significant increases in the numbers of volunteers during the next two months. A total of 220 volunteers should be active in flagship projects by the end of July. A further 57 young volunteers are currently preparing to take part in European voluntary service projects in third countries. 750 additional projects have been approved through the decentralised strand and should begin in the next few weeks. Several hundred more are in the match-making phase and should be ready to start by the late summer.

3. The Commission decided to broaden the centralised strand (ie projects submitted directly to the Commission) in 1997 to include European youth organisations as well as the voluntary service organisations which are members of AVSO. It has also decided to focus on multilateral European voluntary service projects involving partners in several countries. This approach is intended to diversify the range of organisations involved in the centralised strand, to encourage the development of cooperation and new partnerships between different organisations and to broaden and reinforce the quality and content of the projects supported. The Commission has also encouraged youth and voluntary service organisations to submit applications for bilateral exchanges of volunteers through the decentralised strand.

4. The implementation of the pilot action to date has confirmed the existence of a significant level of interest both from young people who wish to participate as young European volunteers, and from projects which are keen to host these volunteers. Matching volunteers with hosting and sending projects is complex and a completely new experience for many of the partners concerned. Nevertheless, the Commission expects that, by the end of July 1997, 2000-2500 young people will be offered the opportunity to participate in European voluntary service.