Decision No 1031/2000/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 April 2000 establishing the 'Youth' Community action programme
Date: 2000-04-13
Institutions: Council of the European Union, European Parliament
Subjects: action programme, cooperation policy, education policy, voluntary military service, young person, youth exchange scheme

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(Acts whose publication is obligatory)

DECISION No 1031/2000/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

of 13 April 2000

establishing the ‘Youth’ Community action programme

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION,

(3)

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community and in particular Article 149 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (1),

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social
Committee (2),

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 the guidelines set out in the
Council resolution of 15 December 1997 (6)
for the
Member States' employment policies in order to enhance
employability, adaptability and the culture of entrepre-
neurship and to promote equal opportunities.

Having regard to the opinion of
Regions (3),

the Committee of

the

(4)

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article
251 of the Treaty (4), in the light of the joint text approved on
9 March 2000 by the Conciliation Committee,

The Commission in its communication ‘Towards a
Europe of knowledge’ set out guidelines on the creation
of an open and dynamic European education area
capable of achieving the objective of lifelong education
and training.

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

The Treaty establishing the European Community
provides that the latter's action shall, inter alia, contri-
bute to the development of quality education and
training. This was resolutely reiterated by the Treaty of
Amsterdam signed on 2 October 1997 which states that
the Community is also to promote the development of
the highest possible level of knowledge for its peoples
through a wide access to education and through a
continuous updating of knowledge.

By their Decision No 818/95/EC of 14 March 1995
adopting the third phase of
the ‘Youth for Europe’
programme (5), the European Parliament and the Council
set up an action programme regarding cooperation in
the field of youth.
is appropriate to pursue and
strengthen cooperation and Community action in that
field on the basis of the experience acquired from that
programme.

It

(1) OJ C 311, 10.10.1998, p. 6.
(2) OJ C 410, 30.12.1998, p. 11.
(3) OJ C 51, 22.2.1999, p. 77.
(4) Opinion of the European Parliament of 5 November 1998 (OJ C
359, 23.11.1998, p. 75), Council common position of 28 June
1999 (OJ C 210, 22.7.1999, p. 1 ) and Decision of the European
Parliament of 28 October 1999 (not yet published in the Official
Journal). Decision of the Council of 10 April 2000 and Decision of
the European Parliament of 12 April 2000 (not yet published in the
Official Journal).

(5) OJ L 87, 20.4.1995, p. 1.

(5)

(6)

(7)

In its White Paper ‘Teaching and learning — Towards
the learning society’, the Commission stated 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. In
the
its Green Paper
research:
obstacles to transnational mobility’,
the Commission
highlighted the advantages of mobility for people and
competitiveness in the European Union.

‘Education,

training,

There is a need to promote active citizenship,
to
strengthen the links between measures pursued under
this programme and to step up the fight for respect for
its forms,
human rights and against exclusion in all
including racism and xenophobia. Special attention
should be focused on removing discrimination and on
promoting equal opportunities for women and men.

The actions of
this programme should reach young
people in general and not just the initiated and/or those
who belong to youth organisations. The Commission
and the Member States should therefore undertake to
provide an adequate flow of information and appro-
priate dissemination for those actions.

(6) OJ C 30, 28.1.1998, p. 1.

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(8)

(9)

(10)

(11)

(12)

(13)

(14)

(15)

This Decision establishes a Community framework
intended to contribute to the development of trans-
national voluntary service activities. The Member States
should endeavour to adopt appropriate and coordinated
measures to remove legal and administrative obstacles in
order to further improve young people's access to the
programme and facilitate recognition of
the specific
nature of voluntary service for young people.

Youth exchanges in particular contribute to mutual
trust, the strengthening of democracy, tolerance, a will-
ingness to cooperate and solidarity between young
people, and they are therefore crucial for the cohesion
and further development of the Union.

The participation of young people in voluntary service
activities is a type of informal education leading to the
acquisition of additional knowledge, whose quality
should be largely based on appropriate preparatory
measures,
including those of a linguistic and cultural
nature. It helps to determine the future direction of their
lives, to broaden their horizons and to develop their
social skills, active citizenship and balanced integration
into society from the economic, social and cultural
points of view, including preparation for working life,
and promotes awareness of true European citizenship.

In its resolution of 14 May 1998 on the information
and communication policy in the European Union (1),
the European Parliament stated that, with regard to
selection of
support and action programmes,
projects should be more transparent and the reasons for
the choice should be clearer to those who submit the
projects.

the

The Commission and Member States should seek to
guarantee complementarity between European voluntary
service
similar national
and the various
schemes.

activities

The European Parliament and the Council,
in their
Decision No 253/2000/EC on education, and the
Council, in Decision 1999/382/EC of 26 April 1999 on
training,
action
progammes for the education and training fields respec-
tively, which contribute
together with the youth
programme to a Europe of knowledge.

Community

established

have

The policy of cooperation in the youth field contributes
to the promotion of informal education, and therefore
to lifelong learning, and this policy needs to be further
developed.

The integration of young people into the world of work
is an essential part of their integration into society, and
this also calls for all
their skills and competences
acquired as part of their experience of informal educa-

(16)

(17)

(18)

(19)

(20)

(21)

(22)

tion to be recognised and for a high premium to be put
on their importance.

It is necessary, in order to reinforce the added value of
Community action that the Commission, in cooperation
with the Member States, should ensure coherence and a
complementarity at all levels between the actions imple-
mented within the framework of this Decision and other
relevant policies,

instruments and actions.

It is important that the Youth programme committee
should consult, on the basis of arrangements to be
defined, with the committees responsible for the imple-
mentation of the Community vocational training and
educational programmes
and
Socrates).
It is important that the Youth programme
committee be kept regularly informed about Community
initiatives taken in the fields of education, vocational
training and youth.

(Leonardo da Vinci

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 voca-
tional
integration of young people in Europe. 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. The European Council meeting in Amsterdam (15
to 17 June 1997) expressed its support for non-profit-
making activities. The European Parliament and Council
adopted Decision No 1686/98/EC on 20 July 1998
establishing the Community action programme ‘Euro-
pean voluntary service for young people’ (2).

European voluntary service activities are not a substitute
for military service, for the alternative service formulas
provided in particular for conscientious objectors or for
the compulsory civilian service existing in several
Member States, and should not restrict or be a substitute
for potential or existing paid employment.

The grant of residence permits and any visas required
falls within the competence of the authorities in the
is
Member States, and the concept of
defined by national

legal resident

law.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on 2 July
1998 on promoting the role of voluntary organisations
and foundations in Europe (3). The voluntary sector
should also play an important role in enabling all young
people, particularly those with the greatest difficulties, to
participate in these programmes.

The Commission and the Member States are to ensure
that
they foster cooperation with non-governmental
organisations active in the youth and social fields, as
well as in the areas of the environment, culture, sport
and combating the various forms of exclusion.

(1) OJ C 167, 1.6.1998, p. 230.

(2) OJ L 214, 31.7.1998, p. 1.
(3) OJ C 226, 20.7.1998, p. 66.

(23)

(24)

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The Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA
Agreement) provides for greater cooperation in the field
of education, training and youth between the European
Community and its Member States, on the one hand,
and the States of the European Free Trade Association
(EFTA) participating in the European Economic Area, on
the other. The EEA Agreement lays down procedures for
the participation of the EFTA States participating in the
EEA in Community programmes in the field of educa-
tion, training and youth.

the Commission, on budgetary discipline and improve-
ment of the budgetary procedure (1).

(28)

The measures necessary for the implementation of this
Decision should be adopted in accordance with Council
Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down
the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers
conferred on the Commission (2),

Provision should be made to open up this programme
to participation of the associated central and east Euro-
pean countries (CEEC) in accordance with the conditions
established in the Europe Agreements, in their additional
protocols and in the decisions of the respective Associa-
tion Councils, of Cyprus, funded by additional appro-
priations in accordance with the procedures to be agreed
with that country, as well as of Malta and Turkey,
funded by additional appropriations, in accordance with
the provisions of the Treaty.

(25)

This programme should be monitored and continually
evaluated in cooperation between the Commission and
the Member States in order to allow for readjustments,
particularly in the priorities
implementing the
measures.

for

(26)

and

youth

In accordance with the principles of subsidiarity and
proportionality as defined in Article 5 of the Treaty,
since the objectives of the proposed action concerning
the development and strengthening of a cooperation
policy in the youth field, including European voluntary
the
exchanges
service
Community and with third countries, cannot be suffi-
ciently achieved by the Member States because of the
complexity and diversity of the youth field, they can
therefore be better achieved by the Community owing to
the transnational dimension of Community actions and
measures. This Decision does not go beyond what is
necessary to achieve those objectives.

both within

(27)

This Decision lays down, for the entire duration of the
programme, a financial
framework constituting the
prime reference for the budgetary authority during the
annual budgetary procedure, within the meaning of
point 33 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May
1999 between the European Parliament, the Council and

HAVE DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Establishment of the programme

This decision establishes the ‘Youth’ Community action
1.
‘this programme’,
referred to as
programme, hereinafter
concerning cooperation policy in the youth field,
including
European voluntary service and youth exchanges both within
the Community and with third countries.

2.
This programme shall be implemented over the period
starting on 1 January 2000 and ending on 31 December 2006.

This programme shall contribute to the promotion of a
3.
Europe of knowledge by developing a European area of
cooperation in the field of youth policy, based on informal
education and training. It shall promote lifelong learning and
the building up of the knowledge and skills and competences
likely to foster active citizenship and employability.

4.
This programme shall support and supplement action
taken by and in the Member States while fully respecting their
cultural and linguistic diversity.

Article 2

Objectives of the programme

1.
In order to allow young people to acquire knowledge,
skills and competences which may be one of the foundations
of their future development, and to exercise responsible citizen-
ship so as to become an active part of society and bearing in
mind the importance of promoting equal opportunities, the
objectives of this programme are as follows:

(a) to promote an active contribution by young people to the
building of Europe through their participation in trans-
national exchanges within the Community or with third
countries so as to develop understanding of the cultural
diversity of Europe and its fundamental common values,
thus helping to promote respect for human rights and to
combat racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia;

(b) to strengthen their sense of solidarity through more exten-
sive participation by young people
in transnational
community-service activities within the Community or
with third countries,
in particular those with which the
Community has concluded cooperation agreements;

(1) OJ C 172, 18.6.1999, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.

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(c) to encourage young people's initiative, enterprise and crea-
tivity so that they may take an active role in society and, at
the same time, to stimulate recognition of the value of
informal education acquired within a European context;

(d) reinforce cooperation in the field of youth by fostering the
exchange of good practice, the training of youth workers/
leaders and the development of
innovative actions at
Community level.

This programme shall also contribute to attaining the

2.
objectives of other relevant areas of Community policy.

Article 3

Community actions

The objectives of this programme as set out in Article 2
1.
shall be pursued by means of the following actions, the opera-
tional content and the application procedures of which are
described in the Annex:

— Youth for Europe,

— European voluntary service,

— youth initiatives,

— joint actions,

— support measures.

limits may be slightly adjusted, where justified by the specific
circumstances of certain projects.

Within the framework of actions 1.2, 2.2 and 5 set out in the
Annex, this programme may also be aimed at young people, in
principle aged from 15 to 25, and those involved in youth
work who reside in third countries, without prejudice to the
competences of the Member States.

2.
Particular attention should be paid to ensuring that all
young people, without discrimination, have access to the activi-
ties of this programme.

The Commission and the Member States shall ensure that
3.
special efforts are made to assist young people who,
for
cultural, social, physical, mental, economic or geographical
reasons, find it more difficult to participate in relevant action
programmes at Community, national, regional or local level, as
well as to assist small
local groups. The Commission shall
accordingly take account of the difficulties faced by these target
groups, thus contributing to combating exclusion.

4.
The Member States shall endeavour to take appropriate
measures so that participants in the programme can have
access to health care in accordance with the provisions of
Community law. The Member State of origin shall endeavour
to take appropriate measures so that participants in the Euro-
pean voluntary service can retain their social protection.

These

actions

2.
implemented through the
following types of measures, which may, where appropriate, be
combined:

shall be

(a) support for the transnational mobility of young people;

Article 5

(b) support for the use of information and communication

technologies (ICT) in the youth field;

Implementation of the programme and cooperation with
the Member States

(c) support for the development of cooperation networks at
the European level permitting mutual exchange of experi-
ence and good practice;

(d) support for transnational projects to promote citizenship of
the Union and the commitment of young people to the
development of the Union;

(e) promotion of language skills and understanding of different

cultures;

(f) support for pilot projects based on transnational partner-
ships designed to develop innovation and quality in the
youth field;

(g) development, at a European level, of methods of analysis
and follow-up of youth policies and their evolution (e.g.
databases, key figures, mutual knowledge of ‘systems’) and
of methods of disseminating good practice.

1.
The Commission shall ensure the implementation of the
Community actions covered by this programme in accordance
with the Annex.

2.
The Commission, in cooperation with the Member States,
shall take the steps described in the Annex (action 5) in order
to make the best use of what has been achieved through
Community cooperative action in the youth field.

3.
The Commission and Member States shall take appro-
priate action to develop structures established at Community
and national level to achieve the objectives of the programme,
in a user-friendly way, so as to facilitate access to the
programme for young people and other partners at local level,
to evaluate
the
programme and to apply transparent consultation and selec-
tion arrangements.

called for under

and monitor

actions

Article 4

Access to the programme

1.
This programme is aimed at young people, in principle
between the ages of 15 and 25, as well as those involved in
youth work, who are legal residents of a Member State. The age

The Commission and the Member States shall ensure that they
take measures to facilitate young people's access to trans-
national mobility through measures designed adequately to
inform them and raise their awareness of this subject. The
Commission and the Member States shall ensure that appro-
priate information and publicity is provided about actions
supported by the programme.

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The Member States shall

take the necessary steps to
4.
ensure the efficient running of the programme; they shall also
endeavour, as far as possible, to adopt such measures as they
deem necessary and desirable to remove legal and adminis-
trative obstacles to access to this programme.

5.
The Commission, in cooperation with the Member States,
shall ensure the transition between those actions carried out
within the framework of the previous Community programmes
in the youth field (Youth for Europe III and European voluntary
this
service) and the actions
programme.

to be implemented under

Article 6

Joint actions

As part of the process of building up a Europe of knowledge,
this programme may be implemented in
the measures of
accordance with the procedures laid down in Article 8 as joint
actions with related Community programmes and actions in
the areas of youth, education and vocational training.

Article 7

Implementing measures

The measures necessary for the implementation of this
1.
Decision relating to the matters referred to below shall be
adopted in accordance with the management procedure
referred to in Article 8(2):

(a) the arrangements

implementing this programme,
including the annual plan of work for the implementation
of the programme's actions;

for

(b) the general balance between the different actions of the

programme;

(c) the criteria applicable for establishing the indicative break-
down of funds among the Member States for the purpose
of the actions to be managed on a decentralised basis;

(d) the arrangements for implementing the joint actions;

(e) the arrangements for evaluating the programme;

(f) the arrangements for attesting to participation of young

volunteers.

2.
The measures necessary for the implementation of this
Decision relating to all other matters shall be adopted in
referred to in
accordance with the advisory procedure
Article 8(3).

Article 8

Committee

1.

The Commission shall be assisted by a committee.

2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 4 and
7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to the
provisions of Article 8 thereof.

The period laid down in Article 4(3) of Decision 1999/468/EC
shall be set at two months.

3. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 3 and
7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to the
provisions of Article 8 thereof.

4.

The committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.

Article 9

Funding

1.
The financial framework for the implementation of this
programme for the period specified in Article 1 is hereby set at
EUR 520 million.

The annual appropriations shall be authorised by the
2.
budgetary authority within the limits of the financial perspec-
tive.

Article 10

Consistency and complementarity

The Commission, in cooperation with the Member States
1.
and without prejudice to the individual character and specif-
icity of each programme, shall ensure overall consistency and
complementarity with other
relevant Community policies,
instruments and actions. Particular attention shall be paid to
the promotion of equality and to equal opportunities for
women and men.

2.
The Commission, in cooperation with the Member States,
shall ensure consistency between the implementation of this
programme and the other Community activities relating to
youth, in particular in the area of culture and the audiovisual
sector, the completion of the internal market, the information
society, environment, consumer protection, SMEs, social policy,
employment, and public health.

3.
The Commission and the Member States shall ensure that
the measures of this programme have regard to the employ-
ment guidelines adopted by the Council as part of a coordi-
nated strategy for employment.

4.
The Commission shall ensure an efficient link-up between
this programme and the programmes and actions in the youth
field undertaken as part of the Community's external relations.

Article 11

Participation of the EFTA/EEA countries, the associated
central and east European countries (CEEC), Cyprus, Malta
and Turkey

This programme shall be open to the participation of:

— the EFTA/EEA countries in accordance with the conditions

established in the EEA Agreement,

— the associated central and east European countries (CEEC)
in accordance with the conditions established in the Europe
Agreements, in their additional protocols and in the deci-
sions of the respective Association Councils,

— Cyprus, funded by additional appropriations in accordance
with the procedures to be agreed with that country,
— Malta and Turkey, funded by additional appropriations in

accordance with the provisions of the Treaty.

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Article 12

International cooperation

The Commission shall submit to the European Parlia-
4.
ment, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the
Committee of the Regions:

Under this programme, the Commission, acting in accordance
with the procedures laid down in Article 7, shall strengthen its
cooperation with non-Community countries and relevant inter-
in particular the Council of Europe.
national organisations,

Article 13

Monitoring and evaluation

The Commission shall regularly monitor this programme

1.
in cooperation with the Member States.

This monitoring shall include the reports referred to in para-
graph 3 and specific activities.

2.
This programme shall be evaluated regularly by the
Commission in cooperation with the Member States. This
evaluation is intended to increase the effectiveness of actions
implemented with regard to the objectives referred to in Article
2 and to ensure that equality of access to the programme as
laid down in Article 4(2) and (3) is guaranteed.

This evaluation will also examine the complementarity between
actions under this programme and those pursued under other
relevant Community policies,

instruments and actions.

In accordance with criteria established using the procedure
described in Article 8(2), there will be regular external evalu-
ations of the results of the Community actions.

3. Member States shall submit to the Commission by 31
December 2004 and 30 June 2007, respectively, reports on the
implementation and the impact of this programme.

these

consequences of

— on the accession of new Member States, a report on the
accessions on the
financial
programme, followed, if appropriate, by financial proposals
to deal with the financial consequences of these accessions
on the programme, in accordance with the provisions of
the Interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May 1999 between
the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission
on budgetary discipline and improvement of the budgetary
procedure and with the conclusions of the Berlin European
Council of March 1999. The European Parliament and the
Council will take a decision on such proposals as soon as
possible,

— an interim evaluation report on the qualitative and quanti-
tative aspects of the implementation of this programme by
30 June 2005,

— a final report on the implementation of this programme by

31 December 2007.

Article 14

Entry into force

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

Done at Luxembourg, 13 April 2000.

For the European Parliament

For the Council

The President

N. FONTAINE

The President

A. VARA

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ANNEX

Funding approved under the programme is to observe 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, physical, mental, economic or geographical nature, as well as for small local groups. The
committee referred to in Article 8 of the Decision is to 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 balance between the mobility actions
undertaken and an equal opportunity of participation for the young people of every Member State; that is to say, Article
4(3) is to be taken into account.

Initiatives designed to encourage tolerance and the acceptance of differences, as well as measures combating all forms of
exclusion, should be given specific encouragement and stimulation. The Community will be receptive to activities giving a
prominent position to culture and sport in the context of informal education for young people.

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

— Youth for Europe

— European voluntary service

— Youth initiatives

— Joint actions

— Support measures.

ACTION 1 — YOUTH FOR EUROPE

Action 1.1: Intra-Community exchanges for young people

The Community will support mobility activities for young people provided that the activities in question 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. The age limits may be slightly adjusted where
justified by the specific circumstances of certain projects.

Those activities, based on transnational partnerships between groups of young people, are to 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.

In order to move towards a better balance between bilateral and multilateral activities, Community support will be
progressively focused on multilateral group-mobility activities. Bilateral group mobility will receive funding if this is
justified in terms of the target groups or a specific pedagogical 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 provide the young people in question with linguistic and
intercultural preparation.

Action 1.2: Exchanges of young people with third countries

The Community will support mobility activities for young people provided that the activities in question 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 third country. These mobility activities are to involve at least two
Member States.

Those activities, based on transnational partnerships between groups of young people are to 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 are
to make it possible for partners in the third countries to gain experience of this kind of activity in the field of informal
education and to contribute to the development of youth work and associations in those 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 provide the young people in question with linguistic and intercultural preparation
before their departure.

ACTION 2 — EUROPEAN VOLUNTARY SERVICE

For the purposes of this programme, ‘young volunteer’ is taken to be a person aged in principle between 18 and 25 years
and legally resident in a Member State.

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Young volunteers will undertake, as active citizens, to carry out an activity which gives tangible form to solidarity, with
the view to acquiring social and personal abilities and skills thus laying the foundations for their future development,
while at the same time contributing to society. To this end, young volunteers will participate, in a Member State other
than the one in which they reside, or in a third country, in a non-profit-making and unpaid activity of importance to the
community and of a limited duration (12 months maximum) in the context of a project recognised by the Member State
and the Community, in compliance with the aims of this programme set out in Article 2. In particular it should not result
in job substitution. Full board and lodging as well as mentoring will be provided. The voluntary service project will ensure
that young volunteers are covered by health and appropriate insurance. Young volunteers will receive an allowance/
pocket money.

European voluntary service is based on a partnership and shared responsibilities between the young volunteers, the
sending organisation and the host organisation.

In accordance with the provisions relating to the programme committee referred to in Article 8, a document, issued by
the Commission, will attest to the participation of the young volunteers in European voluntary service and to the
experience and skills that they have acquired during the relevant period.

Action 2.1: Intra-Community European voluntary service

The Community will 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, sociocultural, environmental, cultural, etc.) which constitute at the same time an experience of
informal education with a view to acquiring social and cultural skills. These projects are designed to bring young people
into contact with other cultures and other languages and to experience new ideas and projects in a multicultural civil
society.

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 social integration during those activities as well as when
they have completed their period of European voluntary service. Particular attention is to be paid to pedagogical support
and mentoring.

Action 2.2: European voluntary service with third countries

The Community will support transnational projects with third 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, sociocultural, environmental, cultural, etc.) which constitute at the same
time an experience of informal education with a view to acquiring social and cultural skills. These projects are designed to
bring young people into contact with other cultures and other languages and to experience new ideas and projects in a
multicultural civil society.

Support may be given to action laying or consolidating the necessary foundations for developing transnational European
voluntary service projects with third 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 social integration during those activities as well as when
they have completed their period of European voluntary service. Particular attention is to be paid to pedagogical support
and mentoring.

ACTION 3 — YOUTH INITIATIVES

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

The Community will 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. Those
initiatives taken by young people after completing their European voluntary service will allow them to launch and
promote activities of a social, cultural, sociocultural and economic nature and/or aim at their personal development.
Priority access will be given to those young people most in need.

Support will aim at encouraging 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, transnational partnerships between such projects.

ACTION 4 — JOINT ACTIONS

Having regard to the need for a flexible and creative approach as a precondition for cooperation between sectors,
Community aid may be granted for the actions referred to in Article 6 of the Decision and for activities to be undertaken
jointly with other Community schemes relating to the Europe of knowledge, in particular Community programmes in the
field of education and vocational training.

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The Commission, in cooperation with the Member States, will aim at developing a common system of information,
observation and dissemination concerning good practice in the field of knowledge and lifelong learning, alongside joint
actions with regard to multimedia for educational and training purposes. Those projects will cover a range of schemes
from a number of different sectors including youth. They may be funded in a complementary manner by a number of
different Community programmes, and may be implemented by means of calls for joint projects.

Appropriate measures may be adopted to promote, at regional and local level, contact and interaction between those
participating in this programme and in programmes dealing with vocational training and education. In this context,
activities increasing awareness of the opportunities provided by the Community to young people may be supported.

ACTION 5 — SUPPORT MEASURES

Action 5.1: Training and cooperation in relation to those involved in youth policy

Funding shall be granted to:

1. Activities designed to give further training to persons involved in youth work, particularly European voluntary service
instructors, youth workers/leaders, those running European projects and youth initiative counsellors, who take part in
schemes directly involving young people, of the kind described in actions 1, 2 and 3 of the programme, the aim being
to ensure that such schemes are of an appropriately high quality. Particular attention is to 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.

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

4. Experimental activities which comprise a source of innovation and enrichment of youth policy through the imple-
mentation of new approaches and new forms of cooperation, as well as through the shared efforts of participants from
differing backgrounds.

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

Activities associated with these measures may be solely intra-Community in nature or involve non-member countries.
Particular attention is to 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.

Action 5.2: Information for young people and youth studies

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 will 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 both between and with young people.

2. Accordingly, funding is to be provided for initiatives involving:

— the acquisition of the necessary experience and skills to carry out youth information projects based on trans-
national 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 both
between and with young people, particularly through the use of youth-oriented media and new technologies.

3. With regard to the youth studies associated with the programme objectives, the Commission will support studies
focusing, among other subjects, on the impact of measures taken on behalf of young people and, in particular,
measures that seek to promote cooperation in this field. Such studies shall analyse the impact of other policies on the
world of youth and shall seek to provide a clearer and more comprehensive picture of young people's needs and of the
circumstances in which they live.

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Priority shall be given to studies concerning the paths taken by less-favoured and marginalised young people; they shall
analyse, in particular, the factors which have promoted or hampered the social integration of young people, and shall
bring to the fore input from the informal education sector and from the third sector in general. Priority shall also be
given to comparative studies of measures designed to promote the spirit of initiative, including their impact on local
development, particularly through the creation of activities (creation of jobs, creation of cultural or social enterprises,
etc.). This research may take the form of case studies, the most relevant of which shall be made public.

Action 5.3: Information and visibility of measures

The Commission shall take all necessary measures to, inter alia, collect information on measures in the youth field from a
range of sources, draw benefits from EU youth projects and increase the visibility of the actions aimed at young people at
Community level by developing appropriate means of dialogue with them,

including through the Internet.

Action 5.4: Support measures

1. National agencies

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

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2. Technical assistance and operational support

In carrying out the programme, the Commission may have recourse to technical-assistance organisations the financing
of which may be provided for within the overall financial framework for the programme. It may have recourse to
experts under the same conditions. Furthermore, the Commission will be able to undertake evaluation studies and
organise such seminars, colloquia or other meetings of experts as are likely to facilitate the implementation of the
programme, including application of Article 12 of the Decision. The Commission may also undertake information,
publication and dissemination actions.