WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2255/97 by Amedeo AMADEO to the Commission. European voluntary service for young people
Date: 1997-07-02
Institutions: AMADEO, European Parliament
Subjects: EU Member State, education policy, employment policy, humanitarian aid, non-governmental organisation, social partners, social security, voluntary military service, young person

10. 2. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 45/163

(98/C 45/214)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2254/97

by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission

(2 July 1997)

Subject: European voluntary service for young people

The  Commission  has  submitted  a  proposal  for  a  European  Parliament  and  Council  decision  establishing  the
Community action programme (cid:145)European voluntary service for young people(cid:146) (COM(96) 610 final › 96/0318
COD). Will the Commission endeavour to avoid possible distortion of the labour market? In particular, will the
Commission bear in mind that:

›  workers(cid:146) and employers(cid:146) organizations should be associated with the programme, in order to ensure that
voluntary work does not take the place of normal employment? It is clear that the Commission proposal can
be adopted only if there is a guarantee that full employment will not be replaced by voluntary service.

› 

the  social  partners  need  to  open  a  dialogue  with  NGOs  involved  in  humanitarian  projects  where  the
assistance of volunteers may be needed?

(98/C 45/215)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2255/97

by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission

(2 July 1997)

Subject: European voluntary service for young people

The  Commission  has  submitted  a  proposal  for  a  European  Parliament  and  Council  decision  establishing  the
Community action programme (cid:145)European voluntary service for young people (COM(96) 610 final › 96/0318
COD).

By offering young people opportunities for integration into working life and acquiring professional and work
experience, the voluntary service could help combat exclusion and youth unemployment, giving Community
value added and having a desirable multiplier effect on Member States(cid:146) policies for young people.

Will  the  Commission  recognize  the  need  to  guarantee  young  people  social  protection  (sickness  and  accident
insurance,  civil  liability)  during  their  voluntary  service  and  to  ensure  that  they  retain  their  rights  to
unemployment benefit and family allowances while undertaking service in another Member State?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-2254/97 and E-2255/97
given by Mrs Cresson on behalf of the Commission

(5 August 1997)

European voluntary service provides young people with a non-formal educational experience. It gives them the
opportunity  to  immerse  themselves  in  another  cultural  and  social  context  and  to  familiarise  themselves  with
another  language.  It  also  helps  to  promote  their  broader  personal  development  by  allowing  them  to  take  on
responsibilities, work as part of a team and contribute to the development of projects in another Member State.

The Commission has stressed since the launching of the pilot action of European voluntary service in 1996 that
young volunteers should certainly not be regarded as a source of cheap labour or as means of substituting for
existing or potential paid jobs. The aims of European voluntary service are educational. The activities in which
volunteers are involved help to provide an added value to local projects in the social, environmental or cultural
field,  or  to  develop  new  initiatives  in  these  areas.  The  Commission  carefully  considers  potential  risks  of  job
substitution  in  its  assessment  of  proposals  to  host  volunteers.  It  also  examines  the  opinions  on  each  project
provided by the national structures responsible for European voluntary service, taking into account the specific
national context.

The  Commission  has  explained  the  serious  consideration  which  it  gives  to  this  issue  in  discussions  with  the
Economic and social committee, which has adopted two positive opinions on European voluntary service. The
Commission has also strongly encouraged Member States to involve the social partners in committees set up at
national level to oversee the selection of projects.