Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Decision establishing the Community action programme for youth - (presented by the Commission)
Date: 1998-05-27
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, action programme, vocational training, young person, youth employment

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 27.05.1998 
COM0998) 331  final 

98/0197 (COD) 

Proposal for a 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL DECISION 

establishing the Community action programme for youth 

(presented by the Commission) 

EXPLANATORY  MEMORANDUM 

I. 

INTRODUCTION 

In presenting  its three decision  proposals  in the domain  of education,  training and 
youth, extending and broadening the scope of the current  Community action  programmes 
which  finish  on  31  December  1999,  the  Commission  is  making  concrete  the  strategic 
guidelines  announced  in  "Agenda  2000"  and,  in  the  three  domains  in  question,  in  its 
Communication  of  November  1997  "Towards  a  Europe  of  Knowledge"1.  In  that 
document, the Commission  has already indicated  what  should be the principle  dimensions 
and strategic axes of Community action aiming to contribute to a progressive  construction 
of a European  educational  space  oriented  towards  the  development  of competences,  the 
enrichment of citizenship and the development  of employability through the acquisition of 
competences.  The central common objective of these three proposals is to  support,  at all 
levels, the process of lifelong education and training. 

These  three  proposals  translate  the  willingness  to  implement  an  integrated 
approach:  together  they  translate  the  political  will  to  stress  the  central  objective  of 
lifelong  education  and  training  in  a  European  context  characterised  by  the  progressive 
construction  of  a  European  educational  space  oriented  towards  the  development  of 
knowledge,  the  enrichment  of  citizenship  and  the  development  of  employability  through 
the acquisition of competences.  The joint actions envisaged  in each decision proposal will 
contribute to  strengthening this integration.  In a world  which is rapidly  changing,  notably 
from  the effects  of technological evolution and the information  society, the divide between 
"education"  and  "training"  is  becoming  more  and  more  porous,  the  same  goes  for  the 
distinction between initial and continuing training or even the distinction between  "formal" 
and "informal"  education. 

The  same  approach  is  envisaged  for  implementation  and  management.  As 
compared  to  the  current  programmes,  they  translate  the  same  desire  for  simplification, 
concentration,  and decentralisation whilst ensuring greater transparency  which is likely to 
strengthen access for those using the programmes. 

Different  elements have been taken into account in the approach  proposed: 

The  acquired  experience  of  the  programmes:  all  the  current  programmes 
* 
(as well as the preceding ones) have been the  subject  of in-depth  evaluations  which  have 
brought  out  the  impact  of the three programmes  on the policies  and  systems  of Member 
States in the domains concerned. They have also highlighted the European  added  value of 
the  actions  undertaken  in  the  different  programmes  both  in  terms  of  mobility  for  the 
different  groups  targeted  in  the  domains  of  education,  training,  and  in  terms  of 
transnational  co-operation  partnerships.  They  have  also  drawn  attention  to  a  certain 
number  of  weaknesses  -  essentially  arising  from  the  complexity  and  slowness  of 
procedures which  the  present  proposals  intend to  correct.  In this respect  the table  in the 
following  section  (section  III)  shows  how  and  in what  ways the  decision  proposals  take 
into account this desire for concentration,  simplification  and transparency. 

1  COM(97) 563 final 

* 
Complementarity  and  coherence with the other interventions of the  Community 
in the domains covered by these three proposals: as much with the policy of knowledge -
in particular the 5th Framework programme for  Research  and Technological  development 
-  as with  other  domains  such  as culture  and  audio-visual,  the  completion  of  the  internal 
market, the information  society, environment, consumer protection,  SMEs, social policies, 
employment  and  public  health,  it  is  necessary  to  ensure  this  coherence  and  this 
complementarity  in  order  to  reinforce  the  effectiveness  of  interventions  and  the  value 
added of Community action. 

In this context, the three proposals also stress, notably as far as vocational training 
is concerned,  the close and  continuing  link to  be implemented  at  Community  level and in 
the  Member  States  with  the  interventions  of  the  Structural  Funds,  in  particular  those 
relevant to the European  Social Fund.  Education  and training, as well as the full  exercise 
of citizenship, contribute to strengthening economic and social cohesion. 

* 
The  new  context  introduced  by  the  co-ordinated  strategy  for  employment: 
this  strategy,  defined  by  the  extraordinary  European  Council  on  employment  in 
November  1997, and the Employment Guidelines which resulted from this, clearly indicate 
that  formal  and  informal  education  as well  as training,  taken  in the  widest  sense,  are  an 
essential  dimension  of  employability  and  adaptability;  they  can  strongly  support  the 
development  processes  of the  capacity  for  entrepreneurship  and  are a  significant  support 
for  equal  opportunities.  The three  decision  proposals  strongly  integrate  this  dimension  -
notably  as  to  the  nature  of  the  contribution  of  these  three  programmes  (in  particular 
Leonardo da Vinci) to the implementation  of a Community strategy for  small and medium 
sized enterprises. 

* 
The  opening  of  the  programmes:  extending  the  co-operation  already  entered 
into  with  the  EFTA/EEA  countries  and  the  associated  countries  of  Central  and  Eastern 
Europe  as  well  as  with  Cyprus,  which,  thanks  to  a  considerable  effort,  have  already 
resulted  in  active  participation  in  the  current  programmes,  the  three  proposals  clearly 
indicate  (Article  10)  the  willingness  to  open  up  the  Community  action  programmes  to 
applicant  States  in  the  pre-accession  phase.  The  three  domains  concerned,  do  indeed 
provide  a positive  and  concrete  support  mechanism  for  the  process  of  enlargement.  The 
present programme is also open to participation by Turkey according to the procedures to 
be established with this country.  It is also open to participation by Malta according to the 
procedures to be agreed with this country. 

* 
The  principle  of  subsidiarity  and  the  European  added-value  of  Community 
action:  the Community  actions and measures proposed  in each of the decision  proposals 
do  not  do  not  call  into  question,  in  accordance  with  the  treaty  provisions,  the 
competences  of  Member  states.  In  fact,  Community  action  supports  and  completes  the 
actions undertaken  by Member  States,  and  the  procedures  proposed  for  implementation 
and management  strengthen cooperation in this respect by ensuring a greater transparency 
in  the  running  of  the  programmes.  Conversely,  the  European  dimension  of  the  actions 
implemented, notably in terms of physical and virtual mobility in the form  of transnational 
pilot  projects  and  European  networks  as  well  as  the  support  for  actions  to  promote 
linguistic competences enrich education and training practices in Member States 

I. 

A. 

PUTTING IN PLACE A KNOWLEDGE  POLICY 

A priority objective 

Both the Treaty of Amsterdam and Agenda 2000 resolutely place the knowledge policy at 
the  heart  of future  developments  in the European  Union:  "knowledge policies,  research, 
innovation, education and  training -  are  of decisive  importance for  the future  of the 
Union...  Like  research,  education  and 
training  represent  essential  immaterial 
investments ". 

As  stated  in  the  Commission  communication  Towards  a  Europe  of  knowledge,  the 
objective  is  to  "promote  the  highest  level  of  knowledge  for  its  people  through  broad 
access to education and its permanent updating". 

Education, lifelong training and youth-related policy involve three objectives: 

(a) 

(b) 

to promote employment, in line with the Luxembourg European Council decisions, 
by developing the skills and competences and an enterprise  culture which  changes 
in work and its organisation have made necessary; 

to  increase the  potential  of  knowledge  in  order  to  create  the  social  and  technical 
conditions of innovation  which represents a major  asset  for  economic growth  and 
for improving standards of living; 

(c) 

to  guarantee  citizens  access  to  a  European  experience  likely  to  strengthen  a 
common feeling of identity with and belonging to a Common space. 

B. 

A coordinated and simplified approach 

The proposals  submitted  take the utmost  account  of what  has been achieved  through  the 
programmes now coming to an end, particularly with regard to three major aspects: 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

a legal basis, drawn up for  these programmes  and these  actions, and  underpinned 
by experience, it sets out clearly the Community's responsibilities in this area, 

implementation  which has constantly  sought  to  act  as a fulcrum  for  action by the 
Member States, 

a  common  core  of  activities  which  has  built  up  on  the  basis  of  six  measures: 
physical  and  virtual  mobility,  importance  of  networking,  promotion  of  language 
skills, support for innovatory projects and products, better knowledge of systems. 

The  partnerships  formed  at  the  European  level  have  by  and  large  raised  the  profile  of 
Community  action  by  improving  its  quality  and  opening  up  opportunities  for  access  to 
knowledge for  the citizens of Europe.  Thanks inter alia to this experience,  two  thirds  of 
them  today  would  like  to  see  Europe  play  a  specific  role  in  the  areas  of  education, 
vocational training and youth. 

In the context of the implementation  of these three programmes, the Commission  will also 
put in place working groups made up of well known people from the relevant areas. When 
these  groups  are  set  up,  the  Commission  will  aim  to  ensure  an  equal  participation  of 
women  and  men  and  will  encourage  the  Member  States  to  the  same  when  forming  the 
programme Committees. 

The expectations of the various publics and players concerned  by these programmes have 
prompted  the  Commission  to  present  them  in  a  co-ordinated  manner,  which  means  that 
after  31 December  1999  it  will  be  possible  to  better  cater  for  the  major  objectives  of 
Community  action  in the areas  of education  and  vocational  training  and  in  youth-related 
matters. 

In  its  communication  Towards a  Europe  of  knowledge,  the  Commission  set  out  the 
advantages of closely coordinating the three decisions  in an overall  approach.  To do this, 
it used the experience amassed and which at all levels of involvement  points to the need to 
develop  common  'channels'  and  'bridges'  conducive  to  the  emergence  of  a  genuine 
European education area. 

The proposals submitted to attain the objective  of lifelong  education  and training reflect  a 
more coordinated approach which comes out at three levels: 

(a) 

Firstly,  the  implementation  of the three  programmes  sets  out  clearly  to  gradually 
build up this European  education  area  as an  open  and  dynamic framework giving 
tangible expression  to  the objective  of lifelong  education  and training.  While each 
programme  has  specific  actions  as  a  function  of  the  objectives  pursued,  these 
actions are nevertheless implemented by using one or more of the six measures: 

•  physical mobility for people undergoing training and for teachers, 

•  various forms of virtual mobility and arrangements for using the new ICTs, 

• 

• 

• 

• 

the development of co-operation networks at European level, 

the promotion of language and cultural skills, 

the  development  of  innovation  through  European  co-operation  using  pilot 
projects based on transnational partnerships, 

the  constant  improvement  of  Community  references  for  the  systems  and 
policies  relating  to  education,  training  and  youth  in  the  Member  States 
(data base, good practices). 

(b) 

Secondly, the proposals for European Parliament  and  Council decisions in each of 
these three fields, and therefore  the features  of the formal  arrangements  proposed, 
while  not  being  absolutely  identical  on  account  of  the  specific  characteristics  of 
these  areas,  are  assembled  along  the  same  lines  and  contents,  and  are  based  on 
arrangements  which  often  differ 
little  on  essential  points,  e.g.  committee 
procedures. 

(c) 

Lastly, these three proposals contain specific provisions for launching joint actions. 
The Commission will accordingly be putting forward appropriate initiatives, in the 
form  of  joint  calls  for  proposals,  for  instance,  in  close  cooperation  with  the 
programme committees concerned. These joint actions should in particular make it 
possible to develop: 

•  a common information system, 

•  a  coordinated  system  for  observing  good  practices  with  regard  to  lifelong 

education and training, 

• 

joint actions on education and training multimedia, 

•  European centres of knowledge located regionally. 

H. 

THE YOUTH  PROPOSAL 

I. 

Introduction 

The evaluation of the third phase of Youth for Europe took into consideration  the integration of the 
'Priority  Actions in the Field of Youth', which were launched  in  1992, into a broader framework. 
It found that this integration  had brought added coherence to Community cooperation  in this field, 
while encouraging the development of youth exchanges which existed before  the third phase of the 
programme. 

•  More than  60,000  young  people  have taken  part  each  year,  in youth  exchanges,  with  half  of 
the organisations organising these exchanges being new to the programme.  This confirms  that 
this  action  plays  an  important  role  in  bringing  new  beneficiaries  to  Community  cooperation. 
37% of the budget allocated by the Community to youth exchanges has benefited  young people 
from  disadvantaged  backgrounds.  Moreover,  the  evaluation  underlined  the  fact  that  youth 
exchanges  encourage  young  people  and  the  organisations  involved  to  participate  in  other 
Community  actions.  However,  too  many  exchanges  continue  to  be  of  a  bilateral  character, 
although they are generally outside traditional  schemes based on national bilateral agreements. 
It  would  therefore  appear  essential  to  promote  wider  access  to  this  action  by  simplifiying 
procedures  and  making  available  a  budget  which  allows  for  multilateral  exchanges.  The 
launch  phase  has  also  set  the  foundations  for  youth  exchanges  with  third  countries  by 
encouraging the gradual diversification  of traditional  exchange flows. 

•  The  evaluation  and  a  survey  of  beneficiaries  have  underlined  the  fact  that  the  'Youth 
Initiatives1 action has mobilised  young people and assocations  who would  never have thought 
otherwise of participating  in a European programme.  More than a third of them  have allowed 
the  creation  of  a  new  association. 
It  is  therefore  appropriate  to  boost  this  option  and  to 
encourage in a more systematic way the creation of networks of such initiatives. 

•  The management  of the programme allows more than  70% of the Community  funds  available 
to  benefit  directly  young  people.  In this  way,  they  arc  involved  in the  good  management  of 
Community  funding. 

•  The  ongoing  evaluation  of  the  European  Voluntary  Service  pilot  action  has  confirmed  the 
relevance  of  an  individualised  approach  which  provides  a  response  to  the  needs  of  young 
people and projects.  More than 2300 young people have benefited from this action,  according 
to their particular availability and needs.  This has offered  a new kind of commitment to young 
people who are confronted  with significant  obstacles (health, drugs or serious social  exclusion) 
while providing them with the necessary personal  support, particularly  in the framework of the 
Flagship  projects.  For  young  people,  European  Voluntary  Service  represents  an  important 
experience  of  informal  education,  a  new  departure  and  an  opportunity  to  come  into  contact 
with  a  new  social  and  cultural  environment.  It  is  appropriate  to  offer  periods  of  voluntary 
service of variable durations in order to facilitate  access to this action.  Experience drawn  from 
the  pilot  action  has  confirmed  that  European  Voluntary  Service  is  an  effective  means  of 
acquiring social and personal  skills, as well as language skills.  It can also provide a source of 
motivation for young people to pursue their active integration  in society. 

Q  Despite  some  limited  weaknesses  linked  to  operational  procedures,  Community  cooperation 

has played a dynamic role which must be maintained. 

1 

2. 

3. 

The  Commission  is  proposing  an  action  programme  in  the  field  of  cooperation 
policy  for  the  benefit  of  young  people.  The  actions  are  concerned  with  informal 
education  and  are  aimed,  in  a  specific  pedagogical  context,  at  involving  young 
people  in  the  construction  of  Europe,  encouraging  their  active  participation  and 
offering  them a formative  experience. They thus contribute to the education  of the 
young  citizen  by  fostering  the  Member  States'  cooperation  in  this  area  They 
cannot, however,  be envisaged  in the same context  as actions relating to  education 
and training  structures: the target  groups,  the  objectives  pursued  and  the national 
authorities responsible are different.  They therefore  call for a specific programme. 

This  programme  contributes  to  the  creation  of  a  Europe  of  Knowledge  by 
providing a complement to the education available in Europe. It is addressed  to all 
young  people,  with  no strings  attached.  It  is designed  to  stimulate their  creativity 
and provide them with a variety of opportunities to take an active part in the life of 
society.  The  methods  used  and  the  different  approaches  are  based  on  means  of 
action in keeping with young people's expectations.  It thus contributes to  shaping 
a European Union that is close to its citizens. 

Launched  some ten  years  ago,  the  Community's  cooperation  policy  in  the  youth 
field  has  stimulated  the  development  of  national  and  local  actions  for  young 
people,  especially  the  most  disadvantaged.  It  has  made  the  European  Union  a 
prime  ground  for  trying  out  and  developing  such  actions.  It  has  also  offered  an 
opportunity  for  opening  up  to  other  countries  beyond  the  traditional  links 
maintained  by  the  Member  States  with  certain  geographical  areas.  Over  this 
period,  Community  cooperation  has  widened  its  sphere  of  action  from  group 
mobility  to  promotion  of  the  initiative  of  young  people  themselves  and  to 
European  voluntary  service  for  young  people.  It  has thus  succeeded  in  involving 
new  partners  in  this  action  while  at  the  same  time  strengthening  the  "youth" 
structures in the Member States. 

IL 

The arrangements  proposed 

4. 

5 

The  new  "Youth"  programme  incorporates  the  "Youth  for  Europe"  and 
"European voluntary  service for young people" programmes, while reinforcing  the 
initiatives  intended  to  help  young  people  create  their  own  activity  through  the 
"opportunity for youth" action which forms the link between these two actions 

In line with  its approach  in the field  of education  and training,  the  Commission  in 
fact  feels that  the time has come to  step up the integration  of Community  actions 
for young people and to increase their impact by linking them to other  Community 
programmes in the fields of,  in particular,  formal  education and vocational training 
This  greater  integration  is  intended  to  consolidate  and  enhance  what  has  been 
achieved  so far.  It will encourage the continuation  and development  of  innovatory 
actions at Community level and will help to improve the quality of action  to  assist 
young people and cooperation between the various players. 

ACTION  1: EUROPEAN  VOLUNTARY  SERVICE  FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 

6. 

Action  1 is in keeping  with the approach  initiated  by the  pilot  action  and  confirms 
the  approach  proposed  by  the  Commission  for  the  multiannual  programme. 
Tlirough  its  individualised  approach  and  the  large  numbei  of  partners  involved, 

8 

European  voluntary  service  makes it  possible  to find appropriate  activities  for  all 
young people.  In accordance with the results of the specific  evaluation on  projects 
in  non-EU  countries,  in  response  to  the  request  from  young  people  and 
associations  we will keep on  a small  number  of  activities  outside  the  Community 
countries. 

ACTION 2: YOUTH FOR EUROPE 

7. 

8. 

9. 

After ten years of Community experience in this area, the exchanges still have their 
rightful place within  a programme  of action  for  young  people,  especially  because 
they provide a first experience of Europe from the age of 15. 

For  this  new  programme,  it  is  proposed  to  diversify  even  further  the  forms  of 
mobility  of  groups  of  young  people.  The  objective  is  to  foster  acceptance  of 
diversity  and  tolerance,  by  stepping  up  sporting  and  cultural  activities  with  a 
pedagogical aim accessible to all young people. 

Exchanges  of  young  people  with  non-EU  countries  serve  the  same  educational 
purpose  as  intra-Community  exchanges.  Although  this  is a  small-scale  activity,  it 
has  made  it  possible  to  support  model  activities  for  youth  workers  in  the 
Member States  and  non-EU  countries.  The  mid-term  evaluation  of the  Youth  for 
Europe  III  programme2  confirms  the  impact  of  these  multilateral  activities  in 
combating prejudices  and the multiplier effect  of the approaches developed jointly. 
It  expresses young  people's  increasing  awareness that  they  have a part  to  play in 
the construction  of a promising future  with many common interests.  The  presence 
of young Europeans,  for  example,  in meetings between  young  Israelis  and  young 
Palestinians or between young blacks and young whites from South Africa  gets the 
message across clearly that Europe means peace. 

ACTION 3: OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUTH 

10. 

Youth  Initiative  projects  are  an  excellent  way  for  young  people  to  take  their 
destiny  in their  own  hands.  They  represent  a  concrete  and  accessible  opportunity 
to  realise  their  plans.  They  give  them  a  chance  to  develop  and  express  their 
creativity,  either individually  or  collectively.  In the  present  programme,  they  have 
two dimensions: they support  a project  carried  out  by a young person  or group of 
young  people  and  they  provide  a  link  and  a  practical  follow-up  at  the  end  of 
participation in a European programme. 

11. 

The  experience  of  the  Youth  Initiative  projects  in  the  Youth  for  Europe 
programme  (see evaluation)  has  shown that  one in every  three  projects  results in 
the creation of jobs. 

ACTION 4: JOINT ACTIONS 

12. 

Cooperation  in  the  youth  field  has  shown  what  it  can  contribute  to  the 
development  of  informal  education,  particularly  through  the  young  people 
themselves.  However,  the  potential  afforded  by informal  education  measures will 
be  fully  exploited  only  by  reinforcing  the  synergies  with  formal  education 

COM(1998) 52 final. 

resources  and  vocational  training  systems.  This  programme  makes  provision  for 
this possibility by supporting joint  actions with, inter alia, these two  sectors.  This 
will enable projects covering several types of target  public or players to present an 
activity  which  meets  the  young  people's  needs  irrespective  of  the  sector  -
institutional  or  non-institutional  - where  they  put  in their  effort.  Information  and 
the dissemination of innovative practices seem to be prime, but not exclusive, areas 
for  presentation  of  such  projects  that  will  illustrate  the  value  and  pertinence  of a 
multisectoral approach. 

ACTION 5: ACCOMPANYING  MEASURES 

13. 

14. 

15. 

16. 

The  accompanying  measures  support  and  complement  the  programme's  actions. 
They  are  aimed  at  consolidating  and  enhancing  the  benefits,  at  continuing  and 
developing  innovatory  actions  at  Community  level,  and  at  boosting  quality, 
particularly by means of exchanges of good  practices and training of organisers in 
what the European dimension represents. 

This  issue  is  crucial  for  the  youth  field,  where  the  majority  of  players  are  not 
accustomed to planning their activity with a view to transnational cooperation. The 
experience acquired  under the "Youth  for  Europe  IIF'  programme  has shown  the 
key part played by cooperation  in stimulating the diversification  of the players and 
the growth of active partnerships. 

The  experimental  actions  will  facilitate  the  emergence  of  innovations  relating  to 
topics  or  approaches  that  are  significant  for  young  people.  They  will  be  able  to 
deal  with  subjects  that  traditionally  do  not  belong  to  the  youth  sector,  and  will 
make it  possible to  try  out  methods  that  can  be applied  to  informal  education.  It 
will thus be possible to develop sporting or cultural activities which could  motivate 
young people to develop methods of peer training or mentorship that  have proved 
themselves in other sectors. 

The effectiveness  of information  depends to a large extent  on its ability to  convey 
itself  in  ways  that  are  in  keeping  with  the  sensitivity  of  the  target  public.  The 
action  "information  for  young  people" under  "Youth  for  Europe  III" has made it 
possible to develop tools that are effective  because they can cover young  people's 
spheres  of  interest  and  develop  approaches  specific  to  this  social  group.  These 
methods  have  the  characteristic  of  incorporating  the  dimension  of  advice  and 
monitoring  that  is  often  essential  for  proper  use  of  the  information.  The 
Commission  therefore  intends  to  continue  the  development  and  dissemination  of 
targeted  information  produced  for  and  by  young  people.  It  will  endeavour, 
particularly through  cooperation with areas such as formal  education  and training, 
to make this information  accessible wherever young people meet and act. 

17. 

In accordance with the request from the European Parliament and the Council, the 
Commission will support studies, especially with a view to assessing the impact of 
European programmes on young people's lives. Although we have many individual 
accounts  on  the  subject  of  "Europe  has  changed  my  life",  we  do  not  have  any 
systematic analyses of this European added value. 

10 

III.  Budgetary  resources 

18 

In  order  to  be  able  to  achieve  these  objectives,  it  is  absolutely  vital  for  the 
programme  to  have  budgetary  resources  that  adequately  reflect  the  nature, 
quantity  and  quality  of the  actions  planned.  This  is the  only  way  that  we  will  be 
able to avoid disappointing expectations and discouraging involvement because the 
budget allocated  is too  small. Given the innovatory nature of certain  actions,  such 
as  European  voluntary  service  or  opportunity  for  youth,  it  is  essential  for  these 
activities to reach a critical mass. 

IV.  Conclusion 

19.  Actions for  cooperation  in the field of  youth  represent  an  important  opening  for 
the  diversification  of  pathways  for  active  integration  of  young  people  and 
promotion  of their citizenship at Community level. They have shown that they  are 
able to  meet  young  people's  needs  quickly  and  make  their  capacity  for  initiative 
and their creativity a tool for integration and solidarity. 

20. 

The Commission  believes  that  this  programme  as  it  stands  will  contribute  to  the 
consolidation  of activities that  are very successful  and will give them  a  significant 
impact, thereby helping to create a European area that is open to all young people. 

11 

Youth for Europe 
European Voluntary  Service 

Youth 

2 programmes 

10 objectives 

I 
J 
J 
| 
|  8 main actions 
20 sub-actions 

Improved visibility with a single, large Community  'youth' programme 

More focused  objectives, concentrating on young people 

[ 1 programme 

3 objectives 
(encouraging  solidarity  by  promoting  European 
Voluntary  Service  by  young  people,  promoting  the 
participation  of  young  people 
in  European 
construction  through  youth  exchanges ;  promoting 

|  young people's sense of initiative and creativity. 

A rationalised structure 

• 

service 

4 main actions 
for  young  people,  youth 
(voluntary 
initiatives  and  accompanying 
exchanges,  youth 
measures  targeted  at  youth  workers  and  young 
people) 
7 sub-actions 

Concentration of measures by type of beneficiary 

6 main actions for young people 
Scattering  of  measures 
workers : 4 training activities 

3 main actions for young people 

targeted  at  youth  Gathering together  of measures targeted  at youth 
workers :  1  training action 

A more decentralised implementation 

50% of actions decentralised 
70% of budget managed at decentralised level 
40% of projects selected at centralised level 

80% of actions decentralised 
85% of budget managed at decentralised level 

|| 15% of projects selected at centralised level 

Simplification of management at national level 
2 networks of National  Structures  for  decentralised  1  network  of  National  Structures  for  decentralised 
management 

|  management 

Improved communication between the Commission and 
National Structures and  'real-time' monitoring 
Communication  and  monitoring  on  a  case-by-  Establishment  of  a  real-time  informatics  system 
case basis 

for communication, management and monitoring 

A more integrated approach 

Absence  of links with the education  and  vocational  Joint actions explicitly forseen in the decision; 
training programmes. 

Flexibility allowing the development of other aspects 
of the programme in an integrated manner; 
Joint  launching  of  European  regional  and  local 

A more structured system of information and dissemination of results 

1 knowledge centres 

Lack of relays at local and regional level 

Dissemination on a case-by-case basis 

Relays  at  local  and  regional  level  through  the 
European regional and local knowledge centres 
at 
An  action 

explicitly 

aiming 

(5.1) 

the 

___,____,,„=====  dissemination of results 

12 

Proposal for a 
EUROPEAN  PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL DECISION 

establishing the Community action programme for youth 

THE  EUROPEAN  PARLIAMENT  AND  THE  COUNCIL  OF  THE 
EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European  Community  and  in  particular 
Article  126 thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission3, 

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee4, 

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions5, 

Acting in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article  189b of the Treaty6, 

1.  Whereas the Treaty  establishing the European  Community  stipulates that  the  latter's 
action shall inter alia contribute to the development of quality education and training; 
whereas  this  was  resolutely  reiterated  by  the  Treaty  of  Amsterdam  signed  on 
2 October  1997 which  states that  the  Community's  objective  is also  to  promote  the 
highest  possible level of knowledge for  its peoples through  wide access to  education 
and through a continuous updating of knowledge; 

2. 

3. 

Whereas, by their Decision No 818/95/EC7, the European  Parliament  and the Council 
set up an action programme regarding cooperation  in the field  of youth; whereas it is 
appropriate,  on the basis of the experience acquired from that  programme,  to  pursue 
and strenghten cooperation and Community action in that field; 

Whereas the extraordinary European Council on Employment held in Luxembourg on 
20  and  21  November  1997  adopted  a  coordinated  employment  strategy  in  which 
lifelong  education  and  training  have  a  fundamental  role  to  play  in  implementing 
guidelines8  for  the  Member  States'  employment  policies  in  order  to  enhance 
employability, adaptability, and the culture of entrepreneurship9 and to  promote equal 
opportunities; 

OJ 
OJ 
OJ 
OJ 

7  OJL87,  20.4.1995, p. 1. 
8  OJ C 30, 28.1.1998, p. 1. 
9  Communication from the Commission to the Council "Fostering entrepreneurship  in Europe: priorities 

for the future" (COM(1998) 222 final/2, 21.4.1998). 
13 

4. 

Whereas the  Commission  in its  communication  "Towards a Europe  of knowledge"™ 
set out  guidelines on the creation  of a European  education  area capable  of achieving 
the  objective  of lifelong  education  and  training,  defining  six types  of  measures  to  be 
developed  at Community level, focusing  on transnational cooperation  and designed to 
bring  added  value  to  the  action  taken  by  the  Member  States  in  full  respect  of  the 
principle of subsidiarity, in a context of simplified  procedures; 

5.  Whereas  the  White  Paper11  Teaching  and  learning -  Towards the  learning society 
states that the emergence of the learning society entails encouraging the acquisition of 
new  knowledge  and  to  this  end  providing  motivation  to  learn  at  every  opportunity; 
and  whereas  the  Green  Paper12  Education,  training,  research:  the  obstacles  to 
transnational  mobility  highlighted  the  advantages  mobility  brings  to  people  and 
competitiveness in the Union; 

6. 

7. 

8 

9. 

Whereas there is a need to promote active citizenship, to strengthen the links between 
measures pursued under this programme, and to  step up the fight against exclusion in 
all  its  forms,  including  racism  and  xenophobia;  whereas  special  attention  should  be 
focused  on removing all forms of inequality and on promoting equal  opportunities  for 
women and men; 

/99/EC [education]13 and the Council in its Decision  No 

Whereas  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  of  the  European  Union  in  their 
Decision No 
/99/EC 
[training]14  have  established  Community  action  programmes  for  the  education  and 
training fields respectively,  which  contribute  together  with  the  youth  programme  to 
implementing a knowledge policy; 

Whereas it is necessary, in order to reinforce the added value of Community action to 
ensure,  at  all  levels,  a  coherence  and  a  complementarity  between  the  actions 
implemented  in the framework of this Decision  and  the  Community  interventions,  in 
particular in the domains of culture15, audio-visual media, the completion of the Single 
market, the environment,  consumer protection,  the information  society,  SMEs,  social 
policies, employment and public health; 

the  Structural  Funds16, 
Whereas  the  Commission's  proposals  for  reforming 
particularly  the  European  Social  Fund,  and  the  Community  initiatives  stemming 
therefrom,  are  based  on  objectives  designed  to  support 
the  adaptation  and 
modernisation of policies and systems relating to education, training and employment; 

1^  Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  Council,  European  Parliament,  Economic  and  Social 

Committee and Committee of the Regions -  COM(97) 563 final of 12.11.1997. 

11  Commission's  White  Paper:  Education  and  training:  Teaching and  learning  -  Towards  the  learning 

society", Office for Official  Publications of the European Communities,  Luxembourg, 1996. 

^  Commission's  Green  Paper:  Education,  training,  research 

the  obstacles  to  transnational  mobility, 

COM(96) 462 final, 2.10.1996. 

13 
14 
^5  Proposal  for  a  Parliament  and  Council  Decision  establishing  a  singie  financing  and  programming 

instrument for cultural cooperation (2000) OJ C 211,  7 7 1998, p  18. 

^  Proposal  for  a  Council  Regulation  (EC)  laying  down  general  provisions  on  the  Structural  Funds, 

OJC  176, 9.6.1998, p. 1. 

\A 

10.  Whereas  the  European  Councils  of  Essen  (9  and  10  December  1994)  and  Cannes 
(26 and 27 June  1995)  stressed  the  need  for  further  action  to  enhance the  social and 
vocational  integration  of  young  people  in  Europe;  whereas  the  conclusions  of  the 
European  Council  of Florence  (21  and  22 June  1996) emphasised  the  importance  of 
making  it  easier  for  young  people  to  enter  the  labour  force;  whereas  the 
European Council meeting in Amsterdam (15 and  17 June  1997) expressed its support 
for  non-profit  making  activities; whereas  the European  Parliament  and  Council  have 
adopted  Decision  No  1686/98/EC  establishing  a  Community  action  programme 
"European Voluntary  Service for Young People"17; 

11.  Whereas provision should be made to open up this programme to participation  by the 
associated Central and Eastern European countries, in accordance with the conditions 
established  in the relevant  agreements,  notably the association  agreements, to  Cyprus 
on the same terms as those applied  to  the EFTA/EEA countries  as well as to  Turkey 
and Malta according to the procedures to be agreed with those countries; 

12.  Whereas  this  programme  should  be  monitored  and  continually  assessed  in  co 
operation  between  the  Commission  and  the  Member  States  in  order  to  allow  for 
readjustments,  particularly in the priorities for implementing the measures, 

13.  Whereas,  in  accordance  with  the  principles  of  subsidiarity  and  proportionality  as 
defined  in Article 3b of the  Treaty,  the  objectives  of the proposed  action  concerning 
the  development  and  strengthening  of  a  cooperation  policy  in  the  youth  field, 
including  the  European  voluntary  service  and  youth  exchanges  both  within  the 
Community  and  with  the  third  countries,  cannot  be  sufficiently  achieved  by  the 
Member  States  because  the  complexity  and  diversity  of  the  youth  field  and  can 
therefore  be better  achieved  by the Community  thanks to the transnational  dimension 
of Community actions and measures; whereas this Decision  does not go beyond what 
is necessary to achieve these objectives; 

14.  Whereas this Decision lays down, for the entire duration of the programme, a  financial 
framework offering  the budgetary authority the principal point of reference,  within the 
meaning of point  1 of the Joint  Declaration  by the European  Parliament,  the  Council 
and the Commission of 6 March  199518, during the annual budgetary procedure; 

15.  Whereas  an  agreement  was  reached  on  20 December  1994  on  a  modus  vivendi 
between  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council  and  the  Commission  concerning  the 
implementing  measures  for  acts  adopted  pursuant  to  the  procedure  referred  to  in 
Article  189b of the Treaty19, 

17  OJL 214, 31.7.1998, p. 1. 
18  O JC 102,4.4 1996, p. 4. 
19  O JC 102 4.4 1996, p. 1. 

15 

HAVE DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

1. 

Article one 
Establishment of the programme 

This Decision  establishes the  Community  action  programme  for  youth,  hereinafter 
referred  to  as  "this  programme",  concerning  the  cooperation  policy  in  the  youth 
field, including  the  European  Voluntary  Service  and  youth  exchanges  both  within 
the Community and with third countries. 

This programme shall be implemented in the period  starting on  1 January 2000 and 
ending on 31 December 2004. 

This  programme  shall  contribute  to  the  Europe  of  knowledge  through  the 
implementation  of a European  education  area fostering  the development  of  lifelong 
education  and training. It shall permit the development  of the knowledge and  skills 
conducive to the full exercise of citizenship. 

This  programme  shall  support  and  supplement  action  taken  by  and  in  the 
Member States, while fully respecting their cultural and linguistic diversity. 

Article 2 
Aims of the programme 

In  order  to  allow  young  people  to  acquire  knowledge  and  skills,  and  to  exercise 
responsible  citizenship  so  as  to  become  an  active  part  of  society,  notably  by 
promoting  the  role  of  young  women,  the  objectives  of  this  programme  are 
as follows: 

(a)  to  strengthen  their  sense  of  solidarity  through  more  extensive  participation  by 
young  people 
transnational 
Community-service  activities  within  the  Community  or  in  non-member 
countries,  in  particular  those  with  which  the  Community  has  concluded 
cooperation agreements; 

in  a  Member  State 

legally 

living 

in 

(b)  to  promote an active contribution  by young  people to  the building  of  Europe 
through their participation in transnational exchanges within the Community or 
with  non-member  countries,  by  means  of  which  they  may  discover  the  true 
nature  of  Europe  in  all  its  diversity  and  become  more  aware  of  other 
environments, thus helping to combat racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia, 

(c)  to  encourage  young  peoples'  sense  of  initiative,  enterprise  and  creativity  so 
that  they  may  play  an  active  role  in  society  while  at  the  same  time 
stimulating recognition  of  the  value  of  informal  education  acquired  within  a 
European context. 

2 

In  implementing  these  objectives,  the  Commission  and  the  Member  States  shall 
ensure that  action under  this programme  is consistent  with the Community's  other 
actions  and  policies,  particularly  with  regard  to  employment,  to  the  removal  of 
inequality, to equal opportunities for women and men, and to social policy. 
16 

Article 3 
Community  actions 

1. 

The aims of this programme shall be pursued by means of the following  actions, the 
operational  content  and  the  application  procedures  of  which  are  described  in  the 
Annex to this Decision: 

(a)  European voluntary service; 

(b)  Youth for Europe; 

(c)  Opportunity for  Youth; 

(d)  Joint actions; 

(e)  Support measures 

2. 

The actions  shall be  implemented  through  the  following  types  of  measures,  in the 
form of operations which may use several of them in combination. 

(a)  support for the mobility of young people; 

(b)  promotion of virtual mobility; 

(c)  support  for 

the  development  of  European 
permitting mutual exchange of experience and good practice; 

level  cooperation  networks 

(d)  promotion of language skills and understanding of different  cultures; 

(e)  support  for  innovatory  pilot  projects  based  on  transnational  partnerships 

designed to develop innovation; 

(f) 

the  constant  improvement  of the  Community  terms  of  references  with  regard 
to youth systems and policies. 

Article 4 
Access to the programme 

1. 

2. 

3. 

This  programme  is  aimed  at  young  people,  in  principle  between  the  ages  of  15 
and 25, who  are  legal  residents  of  a  Member  States,  as  well  as those  involved  in 
youth work. 

The  Commission  and  Member  States  shall  ensure  that  all  young  people,  without 
discrimination, have access to the activities of this programme. 

The  Commission  and  Member  States  shall  ensure that  special  efforts  are  made  to 
assist young people who, for  cultural,  social, physical, economical  or  geographical 
reasons,  find  it  more  difficult  to  participate  in  existing  action  programmes  at 
Community,  national,  regional  or  local  level  and  shall accordingly  take  account  of 
the difficulties  faced by this target group. 

17 

Article 5 
Implementation  of the programme and cooperation with the Member  States 

1. 

2 

3. 

4. 

5. 

The  Commission  shall  ensure  the  implementation  of  the  Community  actions 
covered by this programme in accordance with the Annex. 

In  conjunction  with  the  Member  States,  the  Commission  shall  take  the  steps 
described in the Annex (Action 5.3) in order to make the best use of what has been 
achieved through Community cooperative action in the field of youth. 

The  Commission  and  Member  States  shall  take  appropriate  action  to  develop 
structures established  at Community and  national  level to  achieve the objectives  of 
the  programme,  to  facilitate  access to  the  programme  for  young  people  and  other 
partners  at  local  level,  to  evaluate  and  monitor  actions  called  for  under  the 
programme and to apply consultation  and selection arrangements. The Commission 
and the Member States shall ensure that they take measures designed  adequately to 
inform  and  raise  the  awareness  of  young  people  moving  to  another  country,  in 
particular  briefing  volunteers  on their  rights  and  obligations  at  European,  national 
and  local  level.  The  Member  States  shall  ensure  that  appropriate  information  and 
publicity is provided on actions supported by the programme. 

Each  Member  State  shall  endeavour  to  take  the  necessary  steps  to  ensure  the 
efficient  running of the programme and to take appropriate measures to remove any 
obstacles in gaining access to this programme. 

The  Commission,  in  cooperation  with  the  Member  States,  shall  ensure  the 
transition  between  those  actions  developed  in  the  framework  of  the  previous 
community programmes in the field of youth (Youth  for  Europe  III  and  European 
Voluntary  Service)  and  the  actions  that  will  be  implemented  in  the  framework  of 
the present programme. 

Article 6 
Joint actions 

As  part  of  the  process  of  building  up  a  Europe  of  knowledge,  the  measures  of  this 
programme  may be  implemented  as joint  actions  with  other  Community  actions  forming 
part of the knowledge policy, particularly Community programmes in the area of education 
and training. 

Article 7 
Committee 

1. 

2 

The Commission  shall be assisted by a committee composed  of the  representatives 
of the Member States and chaired by the representative of the Commission. 

The representative  of the Commission  shall submit to  the committee a draft  of the 
measures to be taken as regards: 

(a)  the  arrangements  for 

implementing 

appropriate 
programme's actions; 

the  annual  plan  of  work  for 

18 

this  programme, 

including  where 
the  implementation  of  the 

(b)  the criteria applicable for establishing the indicative breakdown of funds  among 
the  Member  States  for  the  purpose  of  the  actions  to  be  managed  on  a 
decentralised basis; 

(c)  the arrangements for assessing the programme. 

3. 

4. 

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.  The opinion  shall 
be delivered by the majority  laid down in Article  148(2) of the Treaty in the case of 
decisions  which  the  Council  is  required  to  adopt  on  a  proposal  from  the 
Commission.  The  votes  of  the  representatives  of  the  Member  States  within  the 
committee  shall be  weighted  in  the  manner  set  out  in that  Article.  The  Chairman 
shall not vote. 

The Commission  shall adopt  measures which  shall  apply immediately.  However,  if 
these measures are not in accordance with the opinion of the committee, they shall 
be communicated by the Commission to the Council  forthwith. 

In that event: 

the Commission may defer application of the measures which it has decided  for 
a period of up to one month from the date of the communication; 

the Council, acting by a qualified  majority,  may take a different  decision within 
the time limit referred to in the first indent. 

5. 

The  Commission  may  consult  the  committee  on  any  other  matter  concerning 
implementation of the programme. 

In that event, the Commission representative  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. 

Article 8 
Funding 

1. 

2. 

The financial resources  for  the  implementation  of  this  programme  for  the  period 
specified in Article  1 shall be set at ECU 600 million. 

The annual appropriations shall be authorised by the budgetary  authority within the 
limits of the financial perspectives. 

19 

Article 9 
Consistency  and  complementarity 

1. 

The Commission  shall,  in cooperation  with  the Member  States,  ensure  the  overall 
consistency  with  other  Community  activities.  Coordination  shall  be  ensured  in 
particular  between  the  activities  of  this  programme  and  the  other  Community 
actions in particular those covered by the knowledge policy. 

The Commission  shall  ensure  in  cooperation  with  the  Member  States  consistency 
between the implementation  of this programme  and  the  other  Community  actions 
relating to youth in the area of culture and the audiovisual  sector, the completion of 
the  internal  market,  the  information  society,  environment,  consumer  protection, 
SMEs, social policies, employment, and public health. 

The Commission  shall ensure an efficient  link-up between  this programme  and  the 
programmes  and  actions  in  the  area  of  youth  undertaken  as  part  of  the 
Community's external relations. 

The  Commission  and  the  Member  States  shall  ensure  that  the  measures  of  this 
programme  will,  as  part  of  the  implementation  of  the  coordinated  employment 
the 
strategy,  be  consistent  with 
employment guidelines and in conjunction with the other actions contributing to the 
implementation of the action plans to be drawn up in this context. 

the  orientations  established  annually  for 

the  Member  States  shall  ensure  consistency  and 
The  Commission  and 
complementarity between action undertaken under this programme and Community 
action under the Structural Funds. 

Article 10 
Participation of the associated Central and Eastern European countries, 
Cyprus, Turkey and Malta 

This  programme  shall  be  open  to  the  participation  of  the  associated  Central  and 
Eastern European  countries (CEEC) in accordance with the conditions fixed in the 
Europe agreements or in existing or anticipated  additional  protocols governing the 
participation  of these countries  in Community  programmes.  This  programme  shall 
also  be  open  to  the  participation,  funded  by  additional  appropriations,  of  Cyprus 
under the same rules as those applied  to  the countries of the European Free Trade 
Association  (EFTA)  which  belong  to  the  European  Economic  Area  (EEA) 
according to the procedures to be agreed with this country. This programme is also 
open to participation by Turkey according to the procedures to be established  with 
that country. 

2. 

3. 

1. 

2. 

This  programme  shall  also  be  open  to  participation  by  Malta  according  to  the 
procedures to be agreed with that country. 

20 

Article II 
International cooperation 

The  Commission  shall  strengthen  its  cooperation  with  non-Community  countries  and  the 
relevant international organisations, particularly the Council of Europe. 

Article 12 
Monitoring and assessment 

1. 

The Commission  shall  continually  monitor  this programme in cooperation  with  the 
Member States. 

This monitoring shall be effected  through the reports referred  to in paragraph  3 and 
through specific activities. 

2. 

The Commission  shall evaluate this programme periodically in cooperation  with the 
Member  States.  The  evaluation  shall  seek  to  appraise  the  effectiveness  of  the 
actions implemented, by reference to the objectives set out in Article 2. 

The  evaluation  shall  also  examine  the  complementarity  between  action  under  this 
programme  and  that  pursued  under  other  Community  programmes,  particularly 
action supported by the European Social Fund. 

There shall be regular external evaluations of the results of the Community  actions 
in accordance with criteria established using the procedure under Article 7(2). 

3. 

Member  States  shall  submit  to  the  Commission  by  31  December  2002  and 
30 June 2005  respectively  reports  on  the  implementation  and  the  impact  of 
this programme. 

The  Commission  shall  submit  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the 
Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions 

an  interim  report  on  the  implementation  of  this  programme  no  later  than 
30 June 2003, 

no  later  than  31  December  2005,  a  final  report  on  the  implementation  of 
this programme. 

Article 13 
Entry into force 

This Decision shall enter into force  on the date of its publication  in the Official Journal of 
the European Communities. 

Done at Brussels, on 

For the European Parliament: 
The President 

For the Council 
The President 

21 

ANNEX 

Funding  approved  under  this  programme  shall  respect  the  principles  of  co-financing  and 
additionality.  In  accordance  with  Article  4(3)  of  the  Decision,  efforts  must  be  made  to 
facilitate  access  to  the  programme  for  young  people  who  face  difficulties  of  a  cultural, 
social,  economic,  physical,  mental  or  geographical  nature.  The  committee  referred  to  in 
Article 7  of  this  Decision  shall  lay  down  the  specific  form  these  efforts  should  take. 
Community  funding  is to  be distributed  in  such  a way  as to  take  account  of the  need  to 
ensure that there is a balance in the mobility actions undertaken and that the young people 
of every Member State have an equal opportunity of participation. 

In order to  achieve the  objectives  of this programme, five categories  of  action  are  to  be 
implemented on the basis of the measures described in Article 3 of the Decision: 

•  Action  1 : European voluntary service; 

•  Action 2. Youth for Europe; 

•  Action 3 : Opportunity for youth; 

•  Action 4: Joint actions; 

•  Action 5: Support measures 

For the purposes of this programme,  "young volunteer"  is taken  to be a person  between 
the  ages  of  18  and  25  who  is  a  legal  resident  of  a  Member  State  of  the 
European Community. 

The young volunteer  shall undertake,  as an active  citizen,  to  carry  out  an activity  which 
gives tangible form  to  solidarity,  with  the aim of acquiring  social  and  personal  skills and 
establishing the basis for a future career while at the same time contributing to society as a 
whole.  To this  end,  the  young  volunteer  shall  participate,  in  a Member  State  other  than 
the  one  in  which  he  is  living,  or  in  a  non-member  country,  in  a  non-profit-making  and 
unpaid  activity  which  is  of  value  to  the  community  and  lasts  for  a  limited  period 
(maximum of  12 months) as part  of a project  recognised  by the Member  State and by the 
Community.  Full  board  and  the  supervision  of  a  tutor  shall  be  provided.  The  voluntary 
service project  shall ensure that the young volunteer  is covered  by sickness insurance and 
by  any  other  appropriate  insurance.  The  young  volunteer  shall  receive  a  small 
remuneration/sum as pocket money. 

In  accordance  with  the  provisions  relating  to  the  programme  committee  referred  to  in 
Article 7,  a  certificate,  issued  by  the  Commission,  shall  confirm  the  young  volunteers' 
participation  in the European  voluntary  service and  set out  the experience  and  skills they 
have acquired during this period. 

22 

The  Community  shall  support  transnational  projects  (for  a  limited  period  ranging  in 
principle  from  three  weeks  to  one  year)  which  involve  young  people,  actively  and 
personally, in activities designed to help meet the needs of society in a wide range of  fields 
(social, socio-cultural, environmental,  cultural, etc.).  These projects  are designed  to bring 
young people into contact with other cultures and other languages, exposing them to new 
ideas and projects within a multicultural civilian context. 

The Community may support  schemes, particularly  those with  a linguistic or  intercultural 
element,  which  aim  at  preparing  young  volunteers  for  their  departure  and  easing  their 
integration  during  these  activities  as  well  as  when  they  have  completed  their  period  of 
European  voluntary  service.  These  schemes  may  take  the  form  of  mentor  arrangements 
for the young person. 

The  Community  shall  support  transnational  projects  with  non-member  countries  (for  a 
limited  period  ranging  in  principle  from  three  weeks  to  one  year)  which  involve  young 
people, actively and personally, in activities designed to help meet the needs of society in a 
wide range  of fields (social,  socio-cultural,  environmental,  cultural,  etc.).  These  projects 
are designed  to bring young people into contact  with other  cultures and  other languages, 
exposing them to new ideas and projects within a multicultural civilian context. 

Support  may  be  given  to  action  laying  or  consolidating  the  necessary  foundations  for 
developing transnational European voluntary service projects with non-member countries. 

The Community may support  schemes, particularly  those with a linguistic or  intercultural 
element,  which  aim  at  preparing  young  volunteers  for  their  departure  and  easing  their 
integration  during  these  activities  as  well  as when  they  have  completed  their  period  of 
European  voluntary  service.  These  schemes  may take  the  form  of  mentor  arrangements 
for the young person. 

The Community  shall  support  mobility  activities  for  young  people  provided  these  last  at 
least  one week,  are  carried  out  on  the  basis  of joint  projects  within the  Community  and 
involve  groups  of  young  people  aged  in  principle  between  15  and  25  years  and  legally 
resident in a Member State. 

These activities, based on transnational partnerships between groups of young people shall 
involve their active participation  and be designed  to make it possible for  them to  discover 
and  become  aware  of  different  social  and  cultural  realities  and  to  encourage  them  to 
participate  in,  or  initiate,  other  activities  at  European  level.  Particular  attention  is  to  be 
paid  to  participation  by young  people  for  whom  it  is their first European  activity  and  to 
small-scale or local groups without experience at European level. 

23 

After  a  launch  period  expected  to  last  some  two  years,  Community  support  shall  be 
focused  primarily  on  multilateral  group-mobility  activities.  Bilateral  group  mobility  will 
receive  funding  only  if  this  is  justified  in  terms  of  the  target  group  or  a  specific 
educational approach. 

Activities  designed  to  strengthen  the  active  involvement  of  young  people  in  group 
mobility  projects  may  receive  funding  under  this  action,  particularly  in  the  form  of 
activities  to  give  these  young  people  linguistic  and  intercultural  preparation  before 
their departure. 

The Community shall  support  mobility  activities  for young  people  provided  these last at 
least one week, are carried out on the basis of joint projects and involve groups of young 
people aged in principle between  15 and 25 years and legally resident in a Member State 
or  in  a  non-member  country.  These  mobility  activities  shall  involve  at  least  two 
Member States. 

These activities, based on transnational partnerships between groups of young people shall 
involve their active participation and be designed to make it possible for them to discover 
and  become  aware  of  different  social  and  cultural  realities  and  to  encourage  them  to 
participate in, or initiate, other activities at European level.  Moreover, these projects shall 
make it possible for partners in the non-member countries to gain experience of this kind 
of activity in the field of informal education and to contribute to the development of youth 
clubs and associations and of youth work in these countries. 

Activities  designed  to  strengthen  the  active  involvement  of  young  people  in  group 
mobility projects may receive funding,  particularly in the form  of activities to  give these 
young people linguistic and intercultural preparation before their departure. 

-? /  >  * 

< 

'  "  * '  «* i 

"x '  ^ 

'  " <<  £\ 

, ^ 

In order to encourage initiative and creativity among young people, the Community shall 
support projects in which young people actively and directly participate in innovative and 
creative schemes and in those which focus  on the social  commitment  of young people at 
local, regional, national or European level. These projects allow young people to develop 
their initiative  and to  put  into  practice  activities  they  have  themselves  devised  and in 
which they play the key roles. 

The Community  shall  support  initiatives designed  to  help young  volunteers  to  make the 
best  possible  use  of  the  experience  they  have  gained  during  their  period  of  voluntary 
service  and to  encourage  their active  integration  into  society.  These  initiatives  taken by 
young people on completing their European voluntary  service will  allow them to launch 
and promote activities of a social,  cultural,  socio-cultural  and economic  nature and/or to 
participate in supplementary  educational  activities.  Priority  access will  be given to  those 
young people most in need. 

Initiatives  designed  to  encourage  tolerance  and  the  acceptance  of  differences,  as  well 
measures  combating  all  forms  of  exclusion,  should  be  given  specific  encouragement 
and stimulation. 

24 

The Community shall be receptive to initiatives involving cultural and sporting activities as 
a vital form of communication between young people at Community level. 

Support  for  "Youth  Initiatives"  shall  encourage  extension  of  these  projects  to  include 
similar  initiatives  conducted  in  other  Member  States  in  order  to  strengthen  their 
transnational nature and greatly expand exchanges of experience and cooperation between 
young  people.  This aid  may include  organising  meetings of young  promoters  of Europe-
wide initiatives. Financial aid may be granted towards the effective  establishment  of stable 
partnerships  designed 
transnational 
youth initiatives. 

impact  and  permanence  of 

to  enhance 

the 

The actions referred  to  in  Article  6 of the  present  Decision,  Community  aid  may  qualify 
for  support  for  activities to  be undertaken jointly  with  other  Community  schemes in the 
field of knowledge  policy,  in particular  Community programmes  in the field of  education 
and vocational training. 

Coordination  between  programmes  may  be  implemented  by  means  of  calls  for  joint 
projects.  The  Commission  intends  in  particular  to  develop  a  common  system  of 
information  and observation concerning good practice in the field of knowledge, alongside 
joint  actions  with  regard  to  multimedia  for  educational  and  training  purposes.  These 
projects may cover a range of schemes from a number of different  sectors including youth. 
in  a  complementary  manner  by  a  number  of  different 
They  may  be  funded 
Community programmes. 

Appropriate  measures,  including  in  particular  the  creation  of  "European  knowledge 
points",  may  be  adopted  to  provide,  at  regional  and  local  level,  contact  and  interaction 
between  those  participating  in  the  present  programme  and  in  programmes  dealing  with 
vocational training and education. 

Funding shall be granted to: 

1. 

Activities  designed  to  give further  training  to  persons  who  are  involved  in  youth 
work  - particularly  European  Voluntary  Service instructors,  youth workers,  those 
running  European  projects  and  youth  initiative  counsellors  -  in  schemes,  directly 
involving  young  people,  of  the  kind  described  in  Sections  I,  II  and  III  of  the 
present  programme; the aim being to  ensure  such  schemes are of an  appropriately 
high quality. Particular attention shall be paid to activities seeking to encourage the 
participation  of  those  young  people  who  find  it  most  difficult  to  participate  in 
Community actions; 

2. 

Activities  designed  to  develop  European  modules  fulfilling  the  requirements  for 
transnational  cooperation; 

25 

3. 

4. 

5. 

Activities  -  such  as  study  visits,  feasibility  studies,  seminars,  work-experience  -
which  focus  particularly  on  exchanges  of  experience  and  good  practice  with 
relation to joint  actions  or issues  of  common  interest,  or  which  are designed  to 
facilitate  and  to  promote  the  establishment  of  lasting  transnational  partnerships 
and/or multilateral networks between those active in the field of youth work; 

Experimental  activities which comprise  a source  of innovation  and enrichment  of 
youth  policy  through  the  implementation  of  new  approaches  and  new  forms  of 
cooperation,  as  well  as  through  the  shared  efforts  of  participants  from 
differing backgrounds; 

Community support may also be awarded to conferences and seminars which seek 
to promote cooperation and the exchange of good practice in the field of youth, as 
well  as other  promotion  and dissemination  measures regarding the  results  of the 
projects  and  activities  supported  in  the framework of  the  Community  actions 
related to youth. 

Activities  associated  with  these  measures  may  be  solely  intra-Community  in  nature  or 
involve non-member countries. Particular attention  shall be paid to those  who work with 
youth  at a regional  or local  level  and who  have no or little experience  of,  or  scope  for, 
contacts  at  European  level,  as  well  as  to  activities  in  which  young  people  play  the 
key roles. 

1. 

In line with the objectives of the programme,  and in particular to improve access 
for  all  young  people  and  to  enhance  their  initiative  and  active  participation  in 
society, the Commission shall encourage those active in the field of youth work to 
become involved in informing young people at European level, as well as boosting 
cooperation  between  the  information  and  communication  systems  for  young 
people established in the Member States and at Community level.  In this context, 
particular  stress  is  to  be  laid  on broadening  cooperation  to  include  the fields of 
education and training as well as on the dialogue between and with young people. 

2. 

Accordingly, funding shall be provided for initiatives involving. 

the  acquisition  of  the  necessary  experience  and  skills  to  carry  out  youth 
information  projects  based  on  transnational  cooperation  and  projects  which 
provide information and, in particular, advisory services for young people; 

cooperative  projects  focusing  on  information  dissemination,  enhancing  the 
awareness  among young  people  of the field covered  by the  programme and 
giving  young  people  access  to  all  necessary  information  to  achieve  the 
objectives of the programme; 

the  implementation,  as  part  of  transnational  cooperation  projects,  of 
mechanisms permitting dialogue between and with young people,  particularly 
through the use of youth-oriented media and new technologies. 

26 

3. 

With  regard  to  the  youth  studies  associated  with  the  programme  objectives,  the 
Community  shall  support  studies  focusing  on  the  impact  of  measures  taken  on 
seek  to  promote 
behalf  of  young  people  and,  in  particular,  measures  that 
cooperation in this field. This research may take the form of case studies. 

1. 

National agencies 

Community  assistance  may be provided  to  support  the activities of the  structures 
set up by Member States, in accordance with Article 5 of the Decision. 

2. 

Technical assistance and operational support 

In  carrying  out  the  programme,  the  Commission  can  have  recourse  to  technical 
assistance organisations the financing of which may be provided  for the within the 
overall  envelope  for  the  programme.  It  can,  under  the  same  conditions,  have 
recourse  to  experts.  Furthermore,  the  Commission  will  be  able  to  undertake 
evaluation studies, organise seminars, colloquia or other meetings of experts, likely 
to facilitate  the implementation  of the programme.  The Commission  can also take 
foward  information, publication and dissemination actions. 

27 

COMMUNITY ACTION  PROGRAMME 
"YOUTH" 

FINANCIAL IMPACT  STATEMENT 

1. 

TITLE OF OPERATION 

Community action programme " Youth" 

2. 

BUDGET HEADING  INVOLVED 

B3-1010tndPart A 

3. 

LEGAL BASIS 

Article  126 of the Treaty establishing the European Community 

Parliament  and  Council  Decision  No  . ../.../EC  of...  establishing  the  Community 
action programme in the field of Youth. 

4. 

BUDGETARY  CHARACTERISTICS 

4.1. Classification  of expenditure; Financial Regulation  section 

Non-compulsory 
Regulation section 3 

expenditure;  differentiated 

appropriations;  Financial 

4.2. Period covered and arrangements for renewal or extension 

Five-year  Community  action  programme,  running  from  1 January  2000  to 
31 December 2004. 

Renewal  and  revision  as  a  function  of  programme  monitoring  and 
evaluation results. 

5. 

TYPE OF EXPENDITURE 

Generally speaking: grants, co-financed  with other public or private sources, some 
monetary,  some  not.  The  Community  aid  will  be  used  more  particularly  to  help 
cover all or part  of the costs constituting  a genuine burden for  project  promoters, 
and taking the form  more particularly  of a financial transaction  with a third  party. 
Internal  project  resources  (in  the  form  of  service  provision,  provision  of  staff, 
material or installations, for example) will qualify  for the Community  contribution. 
These resources will be valued less in terms of the financial aspect than in relation 
to the importance of their input for the actual implementation  of the projects.  The 
project 
the 
funding 
co-financing  arrangements. 

therefore  vary  and  will  depend  on 

rate  may 

28 

Special  attention  will  be  given  to  the  participation  of  young  people  who  -  for 
social,  cultural,  economic,  physical,  mental  or  geographical  reasons  -  may  have 
difficulties  in  gaining  access  to  the  programme.  Such  young  people  and  any 
projects  they  are  associated  with  may  benefit  from  special  forms  of  assistance  to 
take account of their special needs. 

6. 

NEED FOR COMMUNITY  INVOLVEMENT;  OBJECTIVES 

6.1. Grounds for Community  involvement 

Pursuant  to  Article  126 of the EC  Treaty,  the  Community  action  programme 
in the field of youth  supports  and  supplements  measures taken  by and  within 
the  Member  States.  Community  cooperation  supplements  national  measures, 
more  particularly  by  promoting  activities  which  are  non-existent  or  very 
under-developed  at  national  level  (e.g.  young  people's  voluntary  service  and 
initiatives  for  young  people 
in  certain  Member  States).  Community 
cooperation  also  serves  to  facilitate  exchanges  of  young  people  and  youth 
workers between Member  States with no tradition of cooperation (e.g. certain 
of the  northern  or  southern  Member  States,  and  between  outlying  countries 
and  regions).  It  is also  open  to transnational  cooperation  on  the provision  of 
training  for  youth  workers  and  exchanges  of  experience  between  youth 
workers,  given  that  youth  work  tends  to  take  place  and  develop  within  a 
purely national or local context. 

Community cooperation  in the field of youth supports action on the part of the 
Member  States  by  a  variety  of  means.  On  the  one  hand,  it  helps  boost  the 
quality  of  youth  workers'  input  (by  providing  training  and  cooperation 
between  existing structures; studies on specific  points of youth  work). On the 
other,  existing  structures  responsible  for  youth  work  at  national  level  have 
been  strengthened  to  reflect  the  need  to  implement  Community  cooperation 
measures,  such  measures  having  been  very  largely  decentralised  since 
their inception. 

The present programme is based on an evaluation of previous activities, which 
brought out the role played by Community cooperation  in the development  of 
youth activities, and the creation of a Community area of measures generating 
new methods and new know-how. Evaluation has also shown that  cooperation 
to  date  has  succeeded  in  mobilising  additional  sources  of  national  funding. 
Community  co-financing  has  a  dual  effect:  on  the  one  hand,  it  draws  the 
attention  of the public authorities at  all levels (national,  regional  and local) to 
the  importance  of  making  money  available  for  international  cooperation 
between young people; and on the other, it boosts the learning process among 
young people by making them  more active in seeking additional  resources  In 
other  words,  at  limited  cost,  this  kind  of  policy  achieves  a  major  impact  in 
relation  to  its  specific  objectives,  and  a  multiplier  effect  both  in  terms  of 
sources of funding  and the number of beneficiaries. 

29 

This programme greatly strengthens Community action in the field of youth by 
setting up an integrated  and rational framework. It  also coincides with greater 
national efforts  which have been observed in a number of Member  States over 
recent  months  in  favour  of  young  people.  This  timely  match  will  be  an 
important  factor  in  enhancing  the  impact  of  Community  action  as  a  catalyst 
for efforts  being made in most of the Member States. 

6.2. General objective 

The  general  objective  of  the  Community  action  programme  in  the  field  of 
youth is to contribute to the knowledge policy at Community level by creating 
a European educational area to encourage lifelong learning. The basic aims are 
to  develop  knowledge,  skills  and  citizenship.  The  priority  is  to  boost 
European  access  to  education,  training  and  youth  resources;  resource 
innovation;  wide  dissemination  of  good  practice  at  Community  level;  and 
ongoing  improvement  of the  reciprocal  knowledge  of  systems,  arrangements 
and action in the field of education, training and youth. 

Against  this  background,  the  Community  action  programme  is  founded  on 
intensive  cooperation  between  and  with  the  Member  States,  with  a  view  to 
encouraging  informal  education  experience  for  young  people,  particularly  by 
way  of mobility  Such  experience  enables  young  people  to  acquire  skills and 
abilities, and to become responsible citizens taking an active part in society. 

6.3. Specific objectives, target  populations 

6.3.1 Specific objectives 

The main specific  objectives  of the Community  action  programme in the  field 
of youth, in line with the general objective of the programme, are: 

-  OBJECTIVE  1 :  to  strengthen  the  sense  of  solidarity  and  stimulate  the 
acquisition  of  skills  by  getting  young  people  involved  in  international 
activities  in  the  service  of  society,  within  the  Community  or  with  third 
countries; 

-  OBJECTIVE  2:  to  promote  an  active  contribution  on  the  part  of  young 
people  to  the  construction  of  Europe  by  way  of  transnational  exchange 
arrangements; 

-  OBJECTIVE 3 : to encourage a spirit of initiative, enterprise  and  creativity 
among  young  people  to  enable  them  to  become  actively  involved  in  a 
European  context; 

-  OBJECTIVE  4: to  contribute  to  the  mobilisation  of players in the field of 
youth,  to  have  an  impact  on  the  system,  and  to  encourage  lasting 
involvement by other partners in the public and private sectors; 

-  OBJECTIVE  5:  to  boost  the  quality  of  cooperation  in  youth  policy  by 
enhancing the contributions of the various players and by joint actions. 

30 

6.3.2.  Target  populations 

The programme  addresses two  main  target  groups 

• 

• 

It  is  conceived  first  and  foremost  for  young  people  aged  -  in  principle  -
between  15  and  25  and  who  are  legally  resident  in  one  of  the  Member 
States  Although  it  is  not  planned  to  embrace  all  the  56  million  young 
people,  the  programme  does  seek  to  reach  a  sufficient  critical  mass  for  its 
various  measures.  The  impact  of  the  programme  on  people's  attitudes  will 
also depend  on the visible value of the projects  receiving  support. 

It  also  addresses  the  various  players  (educators,  youth  workers,  social 
workers,  trainers,  active  members  and  officers  of  NGOs  etc.)  in  the  youth 
field who  act  as  a relay  point  for  youth  policy  and  have  an  influence  on  the 
direction  of youth  policy  and  its transnational  and  European  dimensions 

6.3.3.  the  critical  mass  concept 

The  impact  on  youth  systems  and  structures  and,  in  a  wider  sense,  on 
practices,  attitudes  and  mentalities  regarding  the  way  young  people  can 
integrate  in  society  and  the  active  role  they  must  play  in  the  integration 
process  constitutes  one  of 
the  programme 
(Objective  4).  The  concept  of  critical  mass  is  inextricably  linked  to  the 
potential  impact.  It  is  a  yardstick  for  defining  what  funding  is  necessary  to 
achieve a given  impact  at  European  Union  level. 

the  specific  objectives  of 

•  European  voluntary  service 

The  concept  of  critical  mass  is  particularly  relevant  to  long-term  (i.e.  six 
months  to  a  year)  European  Voluntary  Service,  which  is  at  the  heart  of  this 
Action  Long-term  EVS  has  to  be  seen  against  a  background  of  local 
development  and  hence  impacts  both  on  the  young  volunteer  (in  developing 
skills  and  abilities)  and  on 
(social  usefulness, 
intercultural  learning,  knock-on  activities,  etc.). 

the  host  environment 

To  determine  the  critical  mass  of  long-term  EVS  activities  (i.e.  the  minimum 
number  of  volunteers  required  to  have  an  impact  on  the  system  and  its 
structures)  we  can  extrapolate  from  a  referent  which  is  significant  in terms  of 
the  scale of the  scheme. 

•  Exchange  schemes 

The impact  of transnational  exchange  schemes can  be of enormous  importance 
to  individuals  in  an  age-group  where  everyone  is  busy  determining  his/her 
personality,  prejudices  (or  absence  thereof),  spirit  of  solidarity,  openness  and 
understanding  of  other  people  and  of  differences  between  people  And  the 
impact  concerns  not just  the young people themselves but  also their  immediate 

31 

environment  (e.g.  family,  neighbourhood,  school,  club  or  association,  etc ), 
which will in turn benefit  from  any experience they gain. 

The  impact  of  such  exchange  schemes  is  stratified:  direct  impact  on  the 
individual, wider impact  on the person's  environment,  multiplier  effect  on the 
propensity  for  mobility  and  exchange  (in  the  broad  sense  of  the  term)  as  a 
result  of the person's  experience; and  all of this for  a relatively  modest  initial 
"investment"  from  the  Community  budget  (averaging  around  ECU  130  per 
person for a bilateral exchange arrangement). 

The  increase  in the  number of  projects  is mirrored  by the  increase  in quality 
Since  1997  there  has  been  an  increasing  tendency  at  centraMsed  and 
decentralised  levels  to  reject  quality  projects  because  of the  lack  of  financial 
resources.  As  a  result,  it  is  becoming  increasingly  difficult  to  co-finance 
projects  presented  by  new  organisations,  while  at  the  same  time  supporting 
the recommended  move towards  projects  which  are  more complex  or  have a 
greater  Community  value  added 
to 
intra-Community  activities  to 
multilateral  exchange  schemes,  and  from 
activities  involving  third  parties)  presented  by  known  organisations  whose 
quality work  merits support. 

(switch  from  bilateral  exchange 

More than  50 000 young people a year took  part  in exchange  schemes under 
the Youth  for  Europe banner  in  1995 and  1996. With  more  money  available, 
the  annual  number  of  participants  should  rise to  between  60 000  and  70 000 
by the end of the programme. 

7. 

PLANNED ACTIVITIES,  FINANCIAL  IMPACT 

7.1. Overall impact - breakdown  by programme elements 

The general  structure  of the  programme  budget  and  the balance  between  the 
various  elements  reflects  the  priority  accorded  to  the  main  activities  with 
direct  involvement,  i.e.  Actions  1, 2 and  3, which  receive  more  than  80% of 
the  resources.  The  structure  is  designed  to  meet  the  various  quantitative 
objectives as defined  (points 6.3, and 7.2.1 - 7.2.6). 

European  Voluntary  Service  is a Commission  priority  under  "Agenda 2000". 
The share of the budget allocated to EVS reflects this priority and the need  to 
achieve  the  critical  mass  described  in  point  6.3.3.  The  funds  allocated  to 
Action  3  "Chances  for  young  people"  are  very  largely  indexed  to  those 
allocated to the EVS (see point 7.2.4). 

The  funding  for  Youth  for  Europe  is (point  7 2 3)  calculated  with  a  view  to 
maintaining  the  targeted  level  of activity  (see  point  6.3.3)  and  to  making  the 
switch in the nature of projects (from  bilateral to multilateral). 

32 

The  back-up  measures  (national  agencies,  technical  assistance,  evaluation, 
conferences  and  seminars)  associated  with  the  administration,  coordination 
and  evaluation  aspects  of  the  programme  have  been  minimised.  Over  the 
period  as a whole,  they  account  for  a little more than  8% of the resources, 
which  is  a  very  reasonable  ratio  (for  comparison,  support  for  the  national 
agencies under the current Youth  for Europe programme  alone  accounts for 
some 9.5% of the programme's funding). 

33 

BREAKDOWN (million ECU) 

2000 

2001 

2002 

2003 

2004  TOTAL 

47tS3 

63.32 

81.66 

98r74j 

331,61 

Rr&tfc 

37,66 

44,96 

59,52 

76,76  92,81 

311,71 

ML  * ^ i t m;  * *^**£*^ ** ***  C* 

mtries  2,40 

2,87 

3,80 

4,90 

5,92 

19,901 

^—~~~~v——-~-^ 

*

*

•" 

* * * ** 

" f ** 

A^f*W\t 

"  fff  f 

" 

107,35 

15,96 

16,56  17,92 

19,8fJ 

85,88 

3,99 

4,14 

4,48 

4,93 

21,471 

9,5Q 

11,50 

14,QQ 

16,5M 

60,QQ 

4,85 

5,41 

6,16 

6,77 

27,7* 

4,66 

6,10 

7,84 

9,74 

32,24 

Q.95 

1,15 

L4fl 

1M 

BM 

0,95 

1,15 

1,40 

1,63 

6,0d 

1Ç.Q4 

13,77 

19,33 

2£L52 

22M 

Mm 

4,67 

5,41 

6,44 

7,92 

28,91 

2,21 

2,42 

2,94 

3,63 

13,3d 

9.88 

10.51  11.15  11.81 

5M1 

85.00 

95.00  115.00  140.00  16S.0d  600.00 

34 

7.2. Proposed measures - Relationship between individual cost and total cost 

7.2.1  General approach 

Wherever  possible,  the  cost  of  the  action  is  calculated  on  the  basis  of  the 
average unit cost of the activities receiving assistance. This unit cost can then 
be easily combined with the quantitative objectives, in particular with regard 
to  the  minimum  critical  mass  which  must  be  attained  in  order  for  the 
programme to  have a  significant  impact.  Statistics  and  observations  derived 
from  implementation of the Youth for Europe programme and the European 
Voluntary Service pilot scheme have made it possible to establish the unit cost 
references used in the calculations. 

7.2.2. Action 1: European Voluntary Service 

•  Long-term intra-Community projects (6-12 months) 

The cost of the projects is calculated  on the basis of the lessons drawn  from 
the EVS  pilot  scheme.  The budget  for  voluntary  service projects  comprises 
both variable costs, linked directly to the duration of the projects (volunteer's 
allowance, subsistence, accommodation, etc.), and fixed costs, irrespective of 
the  duration  of the  projects  (travel  expenses,  preparation,  etc.).  Combining 
fixed  and variable costs thus gives a realistic estimate of the average total cost 
of the projects, depending on their duration. This method is used to calculate 
the cost  of projects  of 6-12 months'  duration, which are at the heart  of this 
scheme and attract the bulk of the financial resources. 

AVERAGE TOTAL COST PER PROJECT (ECU) 

As  far  as  the  cost  to  the  Community  budget  is  concerned,  the  approach 
adopted  is to  assume that  some  specific  costs  actually  represent  a  financial 
burden for the project  partners (they involve a financial transaction in respect 
of a third party) and  are therefore  likely to be covered  by the  Community's 

35 

contribution, while other costs, which lend themselves to contribution in kind, 
are more likely to be funded by the project partners. 

The  advantage  of  this  method  in  terms  of  financial  management  is  that 
Community cofinancing  will relate to real, identifiable  and verifiable elements, 
which  will  substantially  improve  the  transparency  and  monitoring  (audit)  of 
the use of Community funds. 

•  Short-term intra-Community projects (3 weeks - 5 months) 

Short-term projects provide a preferential  means of access to the programme 
for young  people experiencing  difficulties.  In the  case  of activities  lasting up 
to 3 months, the unit costs per project are based mainly on the costs observed 
in action A.I1.2 of the Youth for Europe programme (group projects). 

Calculation  of  the  budgetary  amount  necessary  to  obtain  a  given  potential 
number  of  volunteers  is  based  on  the  real  distribution  between  projects 
observed  during  implementation  of  the  pilot  scheme,  depending  on  their 
duration (and hence their cost). 

Supervisory and preparatory activities may be included in the projects, but 5% 
of the budget  allocated to the action has been set  aside to  cover  supervisory 
and  preparatory  activities  organised  in  cooperation  with  the  other  parties 
involved 
the 
specialised 
Commission, etc.). 

institutions/organisations, 

(national  agencies, 

The breakdown for the period 2000-2004 is therefore as follows: 

36 

This budgetary  plan makes it possible to  attain by the  end  of the third  year  a 
level  of  activity  approaching  the  critical  mass  (+/-  12 500  long-term 
volunteers). 

European voluntary service with non-member countries 

The  specific  assumptions  used  to  evaluate  the financial implications  and  the 
level of activity of projects with non-member  countries are  summarised  in the 
following table: 

EVS WITH NON-MEMBER COUNTRIES 

^ H l ^ ^^  2.374 
S ^ S i RE  6-39° 
i&fEBi&£&  10.860 

63% 
61% 
57% 

1.498 
3.887 
6149 

1 
3,5 
8.5 

1498 
1111 
723 

30% 
10% 
60% 

9,9% 
8,6% 

81.5% 

Supervisory and preparatory activities may be included in the projects, but 5% 
of the budget  allocated  to  the action  has been  set  aside to  cover  supervisory 
and  preparatory  activities  organised  in  cooperation  with  the  other  parties 

37 

involved 
Commission, etc.). 

(national  agencies,  specialised 

institutions/organisations, 

the 

The breakdown for the period 2000-2004 is therefore as follows: 

1 month 

2-5  months 

6-12  months 

SMb-tpftl 

Supervision 

[Grand total 

0,23 

0,20 

186 

0,27 

0,23 

2 22 

Z28_ 

2J2L 

ML 
Z40 

0.14 

2J7 

0,36 

0,31 

3.61 

J2J2 

3J0 

0,46 

0,40 

AâL 

0.24 

4,90 

0,56 

0,48 

A52 

5.63 
sm 
5J2 

1,88 

1,62 

15,40 

18.901 

ME 
19.901 

This budgetary plan makes it possible to start off with a level of activity which 
is in continuity with the European voluntary service programme (1998-1999), 
and  which then,  in the manner  of the intra-Community  project,  ends up at 
more than doubling its initial level at the end of the period. 

7.2.3. Action 2:  Youth for Europe 

A  similar  approach  to  the  one  adopted  for  the  EVS  has  been  used: 
calculations  are based  on unit  costs  per project,  depending  on the type of 
project (bilateral, trilateral, multilateral) and an average number of participants 
per  project,  with  reference  to  the  experience  gained  under  the  Youth  for 
Europe programme. It is anticipated that the exchanges being funded  will be 
increasingly  multilateral, in view of the greater  Community added  value and 
European  dimension  of  such  projects.  Moreover,  there  are  practically  no 
arrangements  giving  priority  to bilateral  cooperation  agreements  at  national 
level to enable this type of activity to be supported. 

38 

The  assumptions  concerning  the  average  subsidy  per  project,  the  balance 
between intra-Community activities and activities with non-member countries 
and the breakdown of projects into the various types of activity are based on 
the  experience  and  statistical  observations  obtained  from  the  Youth  for 
Europe  programme  during the two  most  important  years  of  the  programme 
for which data are available: 1996 and 1997. 

These assumptions and their implications in financial terms and on the level  of 
activity are summarised in the following table: 

Intra-Communitv exchanges • Breakdown (million EClh 

Type  of  exchange 
*  -  r  \  ,  "' 

:*-^ -" ?*y[«\ 

| § § || 

HP 
B it 
l l iS 
5SSI 

•'/• 
8,dl 

2,97 

2'97 
0-78 
15.64 

^ ^ ^ ^^ 

^ ^ ^ ^^ 

^ ^ ^ ^^ 

^ ^^ 

-

. *• 

. • • •» 

7,58 

3,34 

4,25 

0.80 

6,29 

3,93 

5,51 

0.83 

5,11 

5,11 

6,81 

0.90 

3,76 

6,58 

8,46 

0.99 

15.96 

16.56 

17.92 

19.80 

Period 
(MECU) 

31,66 

21,93 

28,00 

4.29 

85.88 

-'«***&'~?lv,$ 

^^^^T^^ 

The budgetary plan below makes it possible to  achieve and maintain from the 
first  year a level of activity of some 110 000 young people per year. 

The  proportion  of the  budget  for  the  Youth  for  Europe  action  allocated  to 
exchanges with non-member countries is comparable to the situation under the 
third  phase  of  the  Youth  for  Europe  programme  (~ 20%  of  appropriations 
allocated to exchanges). The unit costs used are derived from the statistics for 
action D (exchanges with non-member countries) of the Youth for Europe III 
programme. 

The level of activity is expected to progress steadily, increasing only at the end 
of the period (last two years). 

The breakdown for the period 2000-2004 is as follows: 

Youth for Europe - Exchanges with non-member countries - Budgetary breakdown (million ECU) 

2,23 

2,33 

2,48 

2,75 

3,10 

12,89 

1,49 

0.20 

3.91 

1,46 

1,46 

1,51 

1,60 

7,51 

0.20 

3.99 

0.21 

4.14 

0.22 

4.48 

0.25 

1.07 

4.95 

21.47 

39 

7.2.4 Action 3: Opportunity for Youth 

The assumptions with regard to the unit cost are based on observations made 
in the context of action A.II.2 of the Youth for Europe programme. They also 
include the assumptions contained in the financial statement drawn up for the 
multiannual European Voluntary Service programme. 

•  Youth initiatives 

The budgetary allocation (see below) will make it possible to treble the level 
of activity relating to youth initiatives. This objective of a threefold increase is 
justified  in that this measure, which corresponds to  Youth for Europe action 
A.II.1,  has  a  very  strong  potential  for  growth,  which,  moreover,  made  it 
necessary to considerably decentralise this action from 1997. 

•  Post-EVS initiatives 

The  aim  is  to  support  post-EVS  initiatives  for  10% of  EVS  projects.  The 
estimated  average  cost  (ECU  5  500)  of  these  post-EVS  initiatives  being 
similar to  the  cost  of  an EVS  project,  the  amount  allocated  to  this measure 
within action 3 is therefore around  10% of the amount allocated to action 1. 

40 

Opportunity for youth - Breakdown of the budget for the action (million ECU) 

7.2.5. Action 4: Joint actions 

This action is by nature very varied and will depend on the type and content -
probably  very  diverse  -  of  the  projects  supported.  It  does  not  seem 
appropriate at this stage to refer to this action in terms of unit cost when there 
is no relevant  reference for it. The approach adopted  therefore  is to allocate 
an  indicative  amount  to  this  action,  which  makes  it  possible  to  adjust  to 
demand and which, during implementation, provides the flexibility required by 
a  completely  new action.  At this  stage  it is proposed  to  allocate  1% of the 
programme budget. 

7.2.6. Action 5: Support measures 

The  results  of  the  ex-ante  evaluation  of  the  programme  reaffirm  the 
importance of this type of support measure in uniting the conditions necessary 
to ensure the programme's success. They also show that they are necessary to 
reinforce the context - the youth field - in which the programme is established. 

•  Training and cooperation in relation to persons involved in youth work 

Training  of  those  involved:  This  type  of  measure  is,  to  a  large  extent, 
associated with the development and implementation of the projects contained 
in actions 1, 2 and 3. The number of individuals who should benefit from them 
is therefore proportionate to the level of activity generated by the programme, 
and thus to the number of projects supported under these three actions.  It is 
reasonable to adopt as an assumption that the annual number of beneficiaries 
of  assistance  should  correspond  to  approximately  25% of  the  number  of 
projects supported under actions 1, 2 and 3. 

Development  of European modules.  The unit  costs  of projects  are based on 
the averages observed in actions B.II of the Youth for Europe programme. 

41 

Exchange of experience: The number of projects for the first year corresponds 
to the situation observed in Youth for Europe. It then increases logically at the 
same  time  as  the  actions  (1,  2  and  3),  which  these  projects  are  of  course 
supporting.  The  unit  costs  of  these  projects  are  based  on  the  averages 
observed in actions B.I and C of the Youth for Europe programme. 

Experimental  activities,  the  implementation  of  the  Youth  for  Europe 
programme or the European voluntary service pilot scheme have shown that it 
is  important  to  provide  for  a  specific  means  of  renewing  Community 
cooperation  in  an  area  in  which  the  needs  and  manner  of  participation  of 
young  people  are constantly  changing.  In this context,  too,  the  Commission 
has  an  important  role  to  play  in  encouraging  innovation.  This  measure  is 
therefore  designed  to  support  a  small  number  of  projects  of  this  type  each 
year,  the  scope  of which may vary to  a very  considerable  extent  (under the 
EVS, the cost of such projects varied from ECU  18 000 (cooperation between 
local authorities) to ECU 400 000 (world cup project 1998)). 

Action 5: Support measures - Breakdown (million ECU) 
Training and cooperation 

•  Information for young people and youth studies 

The  unit  costs  are  derived  from  the  conclusions  drawn  from  actions  E.I 
(information  for  young  people)  and  E.II  (youth  studies)  of  the  Youth  for 
Europe programme. 

42 

Action 5:Support  measures - information for young people and Youth studies 
Breakdown (million ECU) and level of activity 

0.85 

0,86 

0.92 

1.06 

1.23 

1.27 

1.35 

1.50 

1.88 

2.40 

4.92 

8.39 

2.12 

2.21 

2.42 

2.94 

3.63 

13.32 

13 

39 

14 

41 

14 

46 

17 

58 

19 

73 

77 

257 

•  Support Measures 

-  National agencies 

A  distinguishing  feature  of  this  programme's  implementation  will  be 
substantial  decentralisation,  in particular with  regard  to  Actions  1,  2  and 3. 
From the year 2000 agencies will have to manage appropriations much greater 
than  at  present.  National  agencies'  funding  requirements  should  grow  less 
quickly  than  the  appropriations  they  will  be  responsible  for  managing,  on 
account  of fixed costs,  the  effects  of  experience  and  the  management  tools 
which  will  be  developed  (information  technology  platform).  The  calculation 
assumption used is that the ratio between the increase in the national agencies' 
funding  requirements  and  that  of  the  appropriations  for  actions  1,  2  and  3 
(which are the most likely to be decentralised) is 1  to 3. 

-  Technical assistance 

For the purposes of implementing the Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci and Youth 
programmes,  the  Commission  will  be  able  to  use  the  services  of  a  joint 
technical  assistance  office  for  administrative  tasks.  Use  of  such  technical 
assistance is justified in particular by the fact that the programmes in question 
are "mass" programmes, involving numerous standardised transactions, which 
in most  cases  concern  small  amounts.  The  office's  tasks  will  be  carried  out 
under the  supervision  of the Commission,  and will  not  involve  delegation  of 
the tasks of a public authority. 

The contribution of the Youth programme to the annual operating costs of the 
technical  assistance  office  will  not  exceed  3% of  the  programme's  annual 
appropriation.  The contract with the office  will  include deontological  clauses 
to prevent conflicts of interest, define incompatibilities and impose respect for 
confidentiality. 

-  Evaluation 

The mechanisms for evaluating the programme (see point 9 for more details) 
will be based in particular on the practice of ongoing evaluation implemented 
under the European voluntary service pilot  scheme.  Appropriations  allocated 
to  programme  evaluation  reflect  the  extension  of  this  system  to  all  the 

43 

Member  States.  They  should  also  make  it  possible  to  carry  out  specific 
thematic  evaluations. 

The  SEM  2000  recommendations  suggest  setting  aside  at  least  0.5%  of  the 
budget  for  evaluation  activities.  The  Youth  programme  is  nevertheless  a 
special  programme  in that  it  focuses  on  young  people  as  a  social  group  and  is 
not  institutionally  based.  This  special  situation  means  that  measuring  the 
impact  of  the  programme  and  each  of  its  actions  is  a  very  long  and  complex 
procedure  (for  example,  the  immediate  impact  of  such  a  programme  on  the 
personal  development  of  young  people,  their  citizen  skills  or  the  multiplier 
effects  on  their  environment  is  not  obvious).  For  this  reason  it  has  been 
decided  to  allocate  approximately  0.8%  of  the  budget  in  this  programme 
proposal to  cover evaluation  costs. 

-  Conferences,  symposia  and  other  activities  concerned  with  the  exploitation 
and  dissemination  of  results:  The  high-profile  nature  of  the  programme, 
and the  operational  impact  and  effectiveness,  are  strengthened  by these  PR 
activities related  to the  fruits  of Community  cooperation. 

Support measures -  breakdown 

7.3.  Schedule  of commitment/payment  appropriations 

Schedule of 

85.000 

95.000 

115.000 

140.000 

165.000 

600.000 

3& 
J225. 
A2£ 

M 

14,25 

4.75 

31 
JL2â 
£J5_ 

HZ 
21 

68.PQQ 

88,750 

110 500 

134,000 

132 

158.75Q 

24.7$ 

9.25 

31.75Q 

8,250 
oooo 

Q.QQQ 

85.000 

95.000 

115.000 

140.000 

165.000 

600.000 

44 

8. 

FRAUD PREVENTION  MEASURES 

All contracts,  agreements  and  legal undertakings  entered  into by the  Commission 
and the beneficiaries  provide for  first-degree  and  second-degree  in  situ  checks  to 
be carried  out (i.e. on the premises of the direct beneficiary  of a Community grant 
or on the premises of the second-degree beneficiary,  where an activity is managed 
decentrally) by the Commission  and the Court  of Auditors,  and bestow the power 
to require evidence of any expenditure made under such contracts, agreements and 
legal  undertakings  within five years  following  the  end  of  the  contractual  period. 
Beneficiaries  are  subject  to  reporting  and  financial  accounting  obligations,  and 
these are analysed from the point  of view of content  and eligibility of expenditure, 
bearing  in  mind  the  purpose  of  the  Community  funding,  and  taking  account  of 
contractual  obligations  and  of  the  principles  of  economy  and  sound  financial 
management. 

Appended  to  the  financial  agreements  is  information  of  an  administrative  and 
financial  nature, designed to specify the kind of expenditure which is eligible under 
such  agreements.  Where  appropriate,  Community  coverage  of  certain  cost 
elements will  be  limited  to  items  which  are  real,  identifiable  and  verifiable  in  the 
beneficiary's  book-keeping  arrangements,  so as to  facilitate  checking and  auditing 
(and evaluation for selection purposes) of projects in receipt of funding. 

into  between 

the  Commission  and 

Agreements  entered 
the  designated 
organisations  for  managing  decentralised  activities  specify  the  minimum  clauses 
which such organisations must insert into agreements with the end beneficiaries,  so 
as  to  provide  the  greatest  possible  protection  of  the  interests  both  of  the  end 
beneficiaries  and  of the  Community.  These  organisations  are  invited  to  formulate 
and apply an audit policy vis-à-vis the end beneficiaries. 

9. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

9.1. General approach 

Pursuant  to  Article  12  of  the  proposal  for  a  decision  establishing  the 
Community  action  programme  in  the  field  of  youth,  the  Commission  will 
cooperate  with the Member  States in the  ongoing  monitoring  and  evaluation 
of the programme with a view to making any necessary changes during the life 
of  the  programme.  Against  this  background,  the  Commission  intends  to  pay 
particular attention to 

•  devising  and  developing  tools  and  facilities  for  monitoring  purposes,  and 
the 

indicators  and  methodologies  specifically  geared 

to 

evaluation 
youth  field; 

•  evaluating  particular  themes  which  the  programme  monitoring  and 

evaluation methods bring up; 

•  circulating  to  all  interested  parties  the  results  of  the  monitoring  and 

evaluation procedures. 

45 

9.2. Monitoring 

Programme  monitoring  will  be  geared  principally  to  the  operational  aspects, 
and will be based on 

- 

the  development  of  a  shared  data  base  and  computerised  system  for  the 
management of the various programme activities  This will facilitate  project 
management,  inter-agency  consultation  and  cooperation,  and  will  provide 
statistics  (qualitative  and  quantitative)  in  real  time  on  activities  generated 
by the programme; 

-  an  analysis  of  the  reports  submitted  by  the  beneficiaries  and  by  other 
partners, and their direct contributions, by way of meetings and seminars; 

-  regular  feed-back  from  the national  agencies responsible  for  managing the 

Community funds; 

- 

training  and  awareness-raising  measures  with  a  view  to  stimulating  a 
"culture of evaluation and monitoring" among the various players. 

9.3. Evaluation 

9.3.1. Practical arrangements 

Experience gained with the evaluation  aspect of Youth for Europe has shown 
how important it is to go beyond the one-off nature of the evaluation exercise 
and to  bring in the various partners,  in particular  the  national  agencies, right 
from  the  start  of  the  programme.  Within  this  context,  the  evaluation 
arrangements  are  based  on  data  from  the  ongoing  monitoring  of  the 
programme, and on elements to be gathered on particular themes. 

These  arrangements  comprise  an  interim  evaluation  based,  firstly,  on  the 
contributions made by the Member States in cooperation with the Commission 
(to  be  submitted  to  the  Commission  by  31.12.2002)  and,  secondly,  on  an 
evaluation report produced by an external organisation. The interim evaluation 
will take  a  look  at  the  initial  results,  the  relevance  of the  objectives  and  the 
initial  impact.  It  incorporates  an  analysis  of  the  situation  in  terms  of  equal 
opportunities  for  women  and  men.  It  will  also  look  into  sound financial 
management,  and at the conditions for  implementation  of the programme. On 
the  basis  of  these  elements,  the  data  arising  from  programme  monitoring 
measures,  and  any  one-off  studies  on  certain  aspects  of  the  programme,  the 
Commission will draw up an interim evaluation report for 30 June 2003. 

Under  arrangements  similar  to  those  described  above,  the  Commission  will 
draw up  an ex-post  evaluation  report  for  31 December  2005  on the basis of 
contributions from the Member  States (to be submitted to the Commission by 
30 June 2005) and an external evaluation report. 

Specific  indicators  geared  to  the  field  in  question  will  be  set  up  under  the 
continuing  process  described  above.  The  following  indicators  will,  however, 
have to be taken into account as part  of this exercise. 

46 

9.3.2. Output indicators 

•  General quantitative indicators 

-  number and structure by gender and age of young people taking part in the 
programme;  proportion  of  young  people  in  difficulties  taking  part  in 
the programme. 

•  Specific quantitative indicators 

-  rate of conversion of European Voluntary Service activities into post-EVS 
initiatives in general and as a function of the characteristics of EVS projects 
(e.g.  sector, country, duration, profile of volunteer, etc.); project promoter 
renewal rate (i.e. proportion of new organisations); 

•  General qualitative indicators 

-  geographical  breakdown  of  activities;  balanced  nature  of  partnerships 

(north-south, regional links). 

•  Specific qualitative indicators 

-  quality  of  the  pedagogical  content  of  projects  receiving  support  in  the 

various actions. 

9.3.3. Impact indicators 

•  General quantitative indicators 

-  rate of creation of new autonomous activities resulting from projects; 

•  Specific quantitative indicators 

-  Rate  of  recruitment  of  young  people  on  completion  of  a  period  of 

European Voluntary Service or a post-EVS initiative; 

•  General qualitative indicators 

-  penetration of voluntary service practice in countries with no real tradition 

of voluntary service; 

•  Specific qualitative indicators 

- 

involvement of local organisations and authorities 

47 

10.  ADMINISTRATIVE  EXPENDITURE 

How much of the requisite administrative  resources can be mobilised  will depend 
on the Commission's  annual  decision  on the  allocation  of resources, with  special 
reference 
the 
budgetary authority. 

to  staffing  strength  and  supplementary  sums  granted  by 

10.1.  Effect  on the number of jobs 

[Type of job 

Staff  to  be  allocated of which 
management 
to 
functions 
permanentfTemporar  by making use by  recourse 
jobs 

existing|to 

y jobs 

juration 

of 
resources 
additional 
within the DGlresources 
or  department 
concerned 
8 
2 
5 

A 
B 

7 
2 

Officials 
or temporary 
Agents 
Other 
(DNE A7003) 
Total 

resources 

16 

16 

2000-
2004 

10.2.  Overall financial  impact of human resources (ECU) 

Officials  (*) 

Amount 
7 560 000 

Temporary Agents 
Other resources (DNE A7003) 

540 000 
37 000 

Method of calculation 
ECU  108  000  x  14  man/years  x  5 
years 
ECU 108 000 x 1  man/year x 5 years 
1 DNE x 5 years 

Total 

(*) 

B 640 000 

By using existing resources allocated to  management  functions  (calculation  based 
on A-l, A-2, A-4, A-5 and A-7) -. annual cost. 

48 

10.3.  Financial  impact  of other  operational  expenditure  resulting  from  the 

Amount 

Method of calculation 

action (ECU) 

Budget heading 
(number and title) 
A-7010 Mission expenses 

731 250 

A-7030 Cost of meetings 

682 500 

A-7031 Cost  of meetings of  780 000 
committees 
consultation is mandatory 

whose 

Total 

1  2 388 750 

15 Member States x 15 missions 
x ECU 650/mission x 5 years 
(see  1  below) 
4 meetings x  1 participant  x  15 Member 
States x ECU 650 + 5 groups 
x 3 meetings x 10 participants 
x ECU 650 x 5 years 
(see 2 below) 
4 meetings x  1 participant x  15 Member 
States x ECU 650  + 3 groups 
x  4 meetings  x 
1  participant  x 
15 Member States x ECU 650 x 5 years 
(see 3 below) 
| 

The appropriations will come from DTG XXII's existing financial envelope. 

1. 

Based  on  the  number  of  missions  considered  necessary  under  the  current 
programme  and  bearing  in  mind  the  fact  that  there  will  be  more  recourse  to 
decentralised  management  arrangements  requiring  more  in  situ  monitoring,  in 
which case the theoretical  estimate of  15 days missions per Member  State per year 
would seem to constitute a minimum. 

2. 

Covering the following expenditure: 

• 

• 

four  meetings  per  year  of the  decentralised  structures  of  the  programme, 
requiring one participant per Member State; 

three meetings per year for each of the (five) working groups set up under 
these  structures  to  address  certain  specific  themes  associated  with  the 
implementation  of  the  programme,  each  meeting  requiring  10  or 
so participants. 

3. 

Covering the following expenditure: 

• 

• 

four  meetings  per  year  of  the  Programme  Committee,  requiring  one 
representative per Member State; 

four meetings per year for each of the (three) working groups set up under 
the  Programme  Committee, 
per 
Member State. 

representative 

requiring 

one 

49 

SME IMPACT ASSESSMENT 

Impact of the proposal on the business community, with particular emphasis on small and 
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) 

Title of the proposal 

Proposal for a Parliament and Council Decision  establishing  the Community  action 
programme in the youth field 

Document reference number: XXXX 

The proposal 

1 

In the light of the principle of subsidiarity, why is Community legislation necessary 
in this field and what are its main objectives? 

The  proposal  for  a  Decision  presented  by  the  Commission  follows  on  from  the 
Commission's Communication  "Towards  a Europe  of knowledge"  (COM(97)  563 final), 
backed  up by the  provisions  of  Articles  126  and  127  of  the  Treaty  aimed  at  promoting 
European  cooperation  in  the  fields  of  education,  youth  and  vocational  training.  This 
programme builds on the experience gained from the third  phase of implementation  of the 
"Youth  for  Europe"  programme  (1994-99),  as described  in the  interim  evaluation  of the 
programme  (COM(98)  52 final), in  conjunction  with  the  "European  voluntary  service" 
programme.  Through  greater  European-level  cooperation  between  the  different  parties 
involved  in the youth field, the goal  is to create an informal  European  education  area  for 
young  people  fostering  the  development  of  knowledge,  skills  and  citizenship,  thereby 
facilitating their active integration into society. 

In  accordance  with  Article  126  of  the  Treaty,  the  youth  programme  supports  and 
supplements  action  taken  by  and  within  the  Member  States,  while  fully  respecting  their 
responsibilities and cultural  diversity.  The approach  advocated  by the Commission,  being 
in  no  way  designed  to  harmonise  laws,  regulations  or  administrative  provisions  in  the 
youth field, is aimed at: 

* 

* 

boosting the active participation  of young people, their social integration and their 
sense of solidarity, also with regard to young people in non-EU countries, 

promoting an active contribution on the part of young people towards the building 
of Europe and combating racism and xenophobia; 

encouraging young people's spirit of initiative and creativity; 

* 

supporting the quality of cooperation in youth policy. 

The operational dimension of the proposal (in particular, the four  major  actions described 
in the Annex to  the Decision) ties in with the  relevant  provisions  of the Treaty  and  with 
the implementing powers thereby conferred  on the Commission. 

50 

The transnational  nature  of  the  programme,  as  per  its  four  objectives,  ensures  that the 
overall  added value is also beneficial  for the development  of national,  regional  and local 
measures to help young people, especially the most disadvantaged.  All the Actions of the 
programme  are  devised  in  such  a  way  as  to  engender,  mainly  through  transnational 
mobility  and European networking,  effects  which would  not be achievable  by means  of 
action taken at Member State level alone or on the basis of bilateral cooperation. 

2.  Who will be affected by the proposal? 

Two main groups are targeted by the programme: 

* 

* 

young people,  generally  aged between  15 and 25,  who  are lawfully  resident  in a 
Member State; 

players in the youth field, including: 

community workers; 

youth leaders; 

social workers; 

trainers; 

active members; 

NGO representatives; 

regional and local authorities. 

With  regard  to  companies  (as  secondary  beneficiaries  and  service  providers),  the 
programme makes no distinction in terms of their size.  SMEs are therefore placed on the 
same footing as large companies.  It is, however,  expected that a considerable number of 
SMEs  will  be  involved,  from  the  point  of  view  of  developing  a  European  skills  and 
qualifications  area,  the  more  so  in  conjunction  with  the  development  of  a  coordinated 
strategy  for  employment  (as  decided  by  the  Luxembourg  European  Council  in 
November 1997) and the industrial policy, with SMEs being the main players. 

3.  What measures  will  companies  be required  to  take  in order to  comply  with the 

proposal? 

SMEs  (and  their  representative  organisations)  could  be  instrumental  in  establishing 
durable  transnational  partnerships  and/or  multilateral  networks,  and  in  developing 
activities  deriving  directly from projects  supported  under the  programme,  especially  on 
completion of young people's initiatives and European voluntary service. 

51 

4 

What economic effects is the proposal likely to have? 

(a) 

on employment and the creation of new businesses 

The development of qualities (commitment, participation, responsibility, solidarity, 
sense of democracy, motivation, participation, initiative, respect and tolerance, and 
self-confidence)  and skills (inter-personal communication and relations, leadership, 
organisation,  team  spirit,  conflict  resolution,  management,  problem-solving), 
including the capacity to operate in a European context (learning other languages, 
multi-cultural awareness, direct experience of other Member States, etc.), is highly 
likely  to  enhance  the  employability  of  the  persons  concerned.  More  specifically, 
experience has shown that a very large proportion of the innovative projects under 
the  "Youth  for  Europe"  programme  lead  to  the  creation  of  sustained  activity, 
employment  or a partnership.  Moreover,  the  scheme gives  many young  people a 
first  taste  of  Europe,  whetting  their  appetite  for  other  activities.  Initiatives 
stemming from European voluntary  service are designed to  give young voluntary 
service  participants  the  opportunity  to  devise,  in the  light  of  their  experience,  a 
new  project  or  a  personally  tailored  plan  of  action.  The  initial  results from the 
voluntary  service  pilot  scheme  show  that  the  experience  gained  by  the  young 
volunteers very often enables them to "find themselves". Subsequent initiatives will 
help young people to follow their chosen path, whether by creating an activity or a 
business,  or by taking up training  or an educational  course.  Employment-related 
opportunities  will  thus  be  enhanced,  giving  a  boost  also  to  Community  and 
national  measures designed  to  maintain and create  employment,  in particular the 
Community Guidelines and the National Action Plans. 

(b) 

on the competitiveness of businesses 

The  competitiveness  of  businesses  stems  largely from the  knowledge  and  skills 
built up by workers.  Seen from a longer-term  prospective,  the programme in the 
youth  field  contributes  appreciably  towards  improving  the  quality  of  human 
resources,  thereby  fostering  innovation  and,  indirectly,  the  competitiveness  of 
businesses and of the Community as a whole. 

5. 

Does  the  proposal  contain  measures to  take  account  of  the  specific  situation  of 
small and medium-sized enterprises (reduced or different requirements, etc.)? 

Not applicable. 

Consultation 

6. 

List of organisations which have been consulted about the proposal  and summary 
of their main viewpoints 

The interim evaluation  report  on the implementation  of  the  "Youth  for Europe" 
programme (COM(98)  52 final) has been examined in detail by the Committee for 
the YFE programme and by the Youth Forum. The report has also been discussed 
by the Council's  Youth  Group and by the European Parliament's  Committee  on 
Culture,  Youth,  Education  and  the  Media.  Moreover,  the  European  voluntary 
service pilot  scheme has been  the  subject  of  extensive  consultation  among youth 
organisations and within the Youth Foruro. 

52 

ISSN 0254-1475 

COM(98) 331 final 

DOCUMENTS 

EN 

04  05  16 

Catalogue  number  :  CB-CO-98-365-EN-C 

ISBN  92-78-36961-6 

Office  for Official  Publications of the European  Communities 

L-2985 Luxembourg 

53