Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on "Hospice work — an example of voluntary activities in Europe"
Date: 2002-03-20
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: death, health care, illness, social services, voluntary organisation, voluntary work

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In the light of

4.5.
the Committee thinks
the above,
that Eurostat’s funding should be increased, with greater
involvement of Member States’ governments and a coherent
role for the Commission.
4.6.
As already noted, statistical surveys should focus
on already identified, clearly targeted strategies (Lisbon and

Gothenburg Councils). In particular, as noted in an earlier
Committee opinion (1), specific data should be provided on all
aspects of sustainable development.

(1) OJ C 221, 7.8.2001, p. 169 and OJ C 48, 21.2.2002.

Brussels, 20 March 2002.

The President

of the Economic and Social Committee

Göke FRERICHS

Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on ‘Hospice work — an example of voluntary
activities in Europe’

(2002/C 125/07)

On 26 April 2001 the Economic and Social Committee, acting under Rule 26 of its Rules of Procedure,
decided to instruct the Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship to draw up an information
report on ‘Hospice work — an example of voluntary activities in Europe’.

At the last plenary session on 20 and 21 February 2002, it was decided to transform the information
report into an own-initiative opinion (Rule 23(3) of the Rules of Procedure).

The Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship, which was responsible for preparing the
Committee’s work on the subject, adopted its opinion unanimously on 27 February 2002. The rapporteur
was Mrs zu Eulenburg.

At its 389th Plenary Session on 20 and 21 March 2002 (meeting of 20 March), the Economic and Social
Committee adopted the following opinion by 80 votes to one, with three abstentions.

This firm and steady determination to do something for the
common good is based on a humanistic view of society and
on the awareness that we all belong to the same ‘solidum’, in
which joint responsibility requires voluntary participation and
high-minded action.

Preamble

Action and commitment by citizens are an essential part of
political and social life and the basis of the Member States’
system of organisation and values. For private individuals
participation and involvement mean taking part in cultural,
social and political life. Society is shaped and developed by
voluntary involvement in intermediary organisations (action
groups, societies, interest groups, trade unions, political par-
ties). When ordinary people make a commitment to the
common good, they create social cohesion and put flesh on
the bones of democracy.

Voluntary activity is a higher form of citizen involvement and
is based on a firm and steady determination to do something
for the common good because we are all responsible for
everyone.

So, this commitment does not correspond to a mere feeling or
a mood, but presupposes a degree of magnanimity and
personal devotion, which gives honorary activities their essen-
tial aspect of being voluntary and gratuitous, without which
there would be a danger of people blindly counting their ‘cost’
simply on the basis of their ‘monetary value’.

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People have to be encouraged to extend their commitment.
More commitment and individual responsibility will be poss-
ible only in a state whose actions are guided by the principle
of subsidiarity and which takes its role as guardian and
guarantor seriously. The state must create the conditions for
ordinary citizens to play their part.

Civic involvement of the type described here is generally on an
unpaid, voluntary basis. It extends to all areas of the life of
society.

The discussion below does not aim to given a complete
account of all areas of voluntary activity in the Member States.
Rather, the purpose is to bring to light the roots and motives
of voluntary work in general and to highlight the enormous
importance of
individual commitment for the social and
political development of the Member States and the Com-
munity. The opinion focuses on hospice work as an example
of voluntary commitment, in order to illustrate the kind of
work volunteers do and the conditions necessary for this.
Finally, on the basis of
this specific illustration and of
experience drawn from different countries, conclusions are
drawn from the opinion’s findings.

1. Voluntary work in Europe

1.1.

International Year of Volunteers 2001

The Universal Declaration on Volunteering describes
1.1.1.
voluntary work as a fundamental building block of civil
society. According to the declaration the right of all people to
assemble freely and exercise their responsibilities is a basic
principle of democracy, enabling people to engage in the
pursuit of peace, freedom, safety, justice and personal learning
and growth.

Voluntary work is performed by individuals — often
1.1.2.
far from the public gaze — or through groups, societies and
associations. The civil-society organisations which make these
voluntary activities possible and support
them play an
important role in society.

1.1.3.
The Economic and Social Committee is the represen-
tative of civil society organisations in Europe. Within its ranks
are representatives of many associations and organisations for
which, on both a personal and an institutional level, voluntary
commitment is an integral part of their work. For the Economic
and Social Committee the International Year of Volunteers is
an important and appropriate opportunity to stress the
significance of voluntary work for the development of a social
Europe.

1.2. Voluntary work as a component of European civil society

1.2.1.
Voluntary work is a major force in shaping social
solidarity and participative democracy. It is unpaid, creative,
entailing commitment and personal
It bears
witness to man’s strength and to his will to shape his own
environment and to act on his own responsibility for the
general good.

involvement.

1.2.2.
In undertaking voluntary work and serving the
common good, volunteers’ horizons extend beyond them-
selves, their families and their jobs. They are more than
just workers, parents, consumers and/or voters. Volunteers
embody in the truest sense the threefold role of professional,
citizen and human being. Civil society, in which people are to
take on more responsibility for themselves and others,
is
rightly much talked about today.

1.2.3. Working together with others — as well as individual
commitment — form a counterweight to an increasingly self-
centred society. They also counterbalance the tendency to
reduce social, human and cultural issues to market economics.

1.2.4.
Voluntary work in the Member States extends to all
areas of society, from political involvement (political parties,
trade unions, action groups, etc.) via sport and culture, social
involvement (young people, family, women’s issues, marginal
groups) to disaster and emergency relief work.

1.2.5.
Voluntary work is the ideal environment for the
expression of attachment to one’s fellow man, values and a
sense of responsibility to oneself and to others. There are a
variety of underlying motives, such as:

— the need for company and human contact;

— the need to do something worthwhile and organise one’s

own life;

— the wish to right a personally experienced wrong;

— a decision to take on social responsibility;

— the need for social recognition or the need to acquire and

maintain personal skills;

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— the need for help with solving one’s own problems and

1.3. The importance of social voluntary work

— religious or humanitarian motives.

‘helping out’

The traditional

(implying
image of
1.2.6.
availability, willingness to make sacrifices, commitment) is just
as important as an understanding of voluntary work geared
more to personal development, involving modest, manageable
tasks, limited in time, options and the ability to choose one’s
area of involvement.

Increasing individualisation and personal mobility
1.2.7.
and the proliferation of lifestyles contribute to the increasing
breakdown of traditional social environments for which there
are no durable substitutes. As a result people often do not find
their place in the group, they do not feel involved and needed
and they do not commit themselves despite an underlying
willingness to do so. There are however signs that organisations
and bodies are beginning to open themselves up and that local
authorities and government bodies are setting up structures to
bring people interested in doing voluntary work together with
providers of social and community services. Examples of this
are voluntary work agencies,
forums, exchanges, citizens’
advice bureaux etc. Voluntary work on a temporary basis
requires the institutional backup of associations and societies.
It has to be organised and coordinated. Structures created in
this way make it possible to take account of personal interests
and needs as well as of the demands of the work.

1.2.8.
Voluntary work requires encouragement and support
structures. Government bodies at transnational, national and
regional level, local authorities, industry and associations can
ensure the maintenance and development of social capital by
ongoing investment (see the ESC opinions on Cooperation
with charitable associations as economic and social partners
in the field of social welfare (1)) and private not-for-profit social
in
services in the context of services of general
Europe (2). Firms and associations prove themselves to be good
citizens and social players through ‘corporate citizenship’ and
by supporting employees who make a personal and financial
commitment (e.g. by giving them time off or through top-up
donations). Voluntary work is thus a link between government,
market and society.

interest

1.2.9.
Voluntary work has a quality of its own. Volunteers
can set about their tasks spontaneously, passionately, with
little ‘red tape’. Budgeting for their own time and providing a
broad range of skills, they can be used in a great variety of
ways.

1.3.1.
Voluntary work in social services, institutions and
action groups makes a special contribution to social cohesion.
It is geared directly to people in a particular situation and
makes it possible to integrate them into society.

The opinion shows how social voluntary work can
1.3.2.
develop and how it can shape and change political conditions,
using the hospice movement as an example. A short introduc-
tion is therefore needed to the variety of social voluntary work
and to its political dimension.

1.3.3.
Social voluntary work provides society with an
insight into the problems of disadvantaged and marginalised
groups, and highlights society’s responsibility for them, at the
same time as frequently providing these people with a bridge
to the everyday life of society. In working for these people’s
interests citizens become their advocates and ensure that their
needs and aspirations are aired in the world of politics and in
society. Voluntary work can prevent these people experiencing
society almost exclusively in terms of professional care sys-
tems.

1.3.4.
Social voluntary work embraces participation in
established societies, associations, organisations and projects.
Often volunteers are the driving force behind new activities.

Volunteers are for example involved in:

— support groups for immigrants and asylum seekers aimed

at alleviating problems of racism;

— activities aimed at promoting the social integration of
disadvantaged, sick, disabled or marginalised groups such
as, for example, prisoners, drug addicts, the elderly, the
sick, those in need of nursing care, the terminally ill,
children and families;

— poverty relief projects aimed at alleviating the conse-

quences of social and economic imbalances;

— self-help groups;

(1) OJ C 73, 9.3.1998.
(2) OJ C 311, 7.11.2001.

— youth work, schools, kindergartens and school exchange

programmes etc.

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Volunteers also make a major contribution to general social
activities geared to the common good (e.g. volunteer fire
brigades, rescue and emergency services) or to the hospice
movement, where they work for a more humane approach to
the seriously or terminally ill and the bereaved.

1.3.5. Without voluntary work many health and social
initiatives would be unthinkable. It is often personal commit-
ment and the willingness to offer help where it is needed that
has made it possible to provide new forms of social assistance
and support. Although the range of voluntary work is
greater today, and although many innovative measures being
developed in all European countries deserve more detailed
treatment and broader public acknowledgement, this opinion
will concentrate mainly on one aspect: the hospice movement.
This movement is of exemplary importance to the extent that
work in this area deals with the basic issues of human
existence, such as our attitude to death. Moreover, it is a new,
very new field which has influenced the actions of the Member
States in relation to their social security arrangements.

2. The example of hospice work

2.1. General

2.1.1. T h e d r i v i n g f o r c e b e h i n d t h e h o s p i c e

m o v e m e n t

The hospice movement
the result of government
is not
planning or initiatives. Hospices exist thanks to the voluntary
commitment of family members and friends of the terminally
ill, as well as of individuals with a professional interest, whose
commitment often went far beyond the purely professional.
These individuals who were unwilling to tolerate shortcomings
in the treatment and care of the dying started to work for a
more humane approach. Death, dying and grief are not to be
hidden, but rather brought to people’s attention as part of life.
This means creating a space in which the dying can live and
feel part of life.

2.1.2. T e n e t s o f t h e h o s p i c e m o v e m e n t

2.1.2.2.
basic tenets:

The hospice movement is based on the following

— Hospices should be open to all the terminally ill and their
relatives, regardless of social or financial status, cultural
or religious affiliation.

— The hospice concept is based on an image of humanity

which has the sanctity of human life as its centre point.

— The action arising from these beliefs can take place
anywhere where there are people who take the needs of
the dying and their personal
integrity and autonomy
seriously. However, it has to be realised that no coun-
selling or holistic care can take away the suffering
inherent in death and dying.

2.1.2.3.
movement.

There is a social

impetus behind the hospice

— People should be encouraged to come to terms with life,
dying, death and grief, and dying and death should
become an integral part of life and be brought to people’s
attention.

— People from different walks of life who are willing to
engage in voluntary work should be encouraged and
empowered to assist the dying.

— Voluntary work is an integral part of support for the
dying. It assists and complements the work of hospital
in- and outpatient departments, old people’s and nursing
homes, doctors and spiritual counsellors.

— The existing institutions for the care and support of the
elderly should be encouraged to rethink their approaches
to support for the dying and, where necessary, to develop
new ideas.

2.1.3. H o s p i c e t a s k s

2.1.3.1.
Hospices, whether catering for inpatients or out-
patients or a combination of both, provide a wide range of
services. Some of the main tasks are:

— psycho-social counselling and care of the seriously ill and
dying (e.g. support with psychological problems, helping
individuals take stock of their lives, helping overcome
crises, relieving the pressure on those close to the dying,
assistance with everyday tasks);

2.1.2.1.
Underlying the hospice movement is a concern for
the terminally ill and their relatives. Through a holistic
approach the seriously and terminally ill are acknowledged
and accepted in physical, psychological, socio-economic and
spiritual terms.

— advice (e.g. on social issues, care, putting affairs in order);

— provision of palliative assistance up to and including

comprehensive palliative care;

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— therapy; spiritual counselling;

— round-the-clock availability of support;

— counselling for the bereaved and relatives;

— intensive preparation, support and further training of

volunteers and professionals;

— educational and publicity work;

— fund raising from donations and sponsorship.

2.1.3.2.
All the above tasks are, depending on facilities and
staffing, provided by the hospice itself or by third parties. They
are necessary for the holistic care of the dying and their
relatives.

2.1.4. H o s p i c e n e t w o r k s

Hospice work builds new networks based on (voluntary) civic
commitment aimed at improving the quality of the final stage
of life. Here the accent is on the physical and emotional, as
well as the social and spiritual needs of
the individuals
concerned and those close to them.

The establishment of such a network requires an interaction of
nursing, medical, therapeutic, spiritual and social counselling
support, as well as the voluntary contribution, in the frame-
work of a multidisciplinary team.

Networks of this kind need ongoing support from policy-
makers and society at large.

2.2. Voluntary hospice work

2.2.1. T h e b a s i c c o n c e p t

The contribution of volunteers is an essential
2.2.1.1.
feature of hospices. Volunteer workers help, care for and
support the dying. They form a bridge with the outside
world, and complement, and relieve the pressure on, family/
caregivers. It is thanks to volunteers that the dying are not
exclusively cared for by professionals. This is all the more
important if there is no support from family/friends.

2.2.1.2.
Volunteers working in capacities not bringing them
into direct contact with patients (e.g. publicity, fund raising,
planning — in the sense of expert advice) also make a major
contribution to raising the public profile of hospices.

2.2.1.3.
Hospices’ outpatient work is entirely in keeping
with the principles of networking and building a basis of
support in society. The work of volunteers on patients’ behalf
is particularly tangible here. Care dispensed in patients’ own
homes makes it clear that it is always at patients’ own request
that they receive support and visits from hospice workers.
Volunteers are welcome guests.

2.2.1.4.

The volunteer contribution is based on:

— neighbourly, human solidarity which allows the dying
and the bereaved to participate in the life of society;

— solidarity which encourages and relieves the pressure on

relatives/friends and professionals;

— listening, sympathetic solidarity which actively and genu-

inely seeks contact and builds up a relationship of trust;

— solidarity inspired by hope, open to ideas about the
meaning of living and dying and the individual’s attitude
to the fundamental questions of human existence.

2.2.1.5.
The support and complementary services provided
by volunteers are a challenge to government and society to
improve the working conditions of full-time professionals, so
that the dying and the bereaved can receive the expert help
which they need.

2.2.2. C o n d i t i o n s o f v o l u n t a r y h o s p i c e w o r k

2.2.2.1.
Volunteers contribute their work and their time. In
the commitment and the pressures
view of the scale of
involved, conditions need to be created to make such commit-
ment possible and to keep the load to manageable proportions.
A number of aspects have to be considered here:

— Suitable, high-quality preparation and regular basic and
further training are essential to ensure that volunteers are
able to approach the task and assume their responsibilities
with confidence.

The presence of volunteers, indeed the very knowledge that
voluntary hospice workers exist, can encourage family mem-
bers and friends to maintain contact with the dying person.

— Cooperation with, and support by, the multidisciplinary
team help volunteers to cope with difficulties. The
contribution of voluntary work must be recognised and
valued, but also clearly defined.

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— Coordinated use of volunteers is necessary to make
their availability (in terms of personal

the most of
commitment and time).

— Support and supervision guarantee the quality of volun-
teer work and help safeguard volunteers’ psychological
stability.

2.2.2.2.
Voluntary work means commitment for a given
period. Hospice volunteers perform their duties with a high
degree of reliability and commitment. Professional support
is needed to ensure the long-term continuity of services,
particularly with regard to organisation and coordination.
Thus, expert advice is often needed, as is support specifically
geared to volunteers and to patients.

Training is generally provided by a multi-disciplin-
2.3.1.5.
training is monitored by
ary team and the progress of
from basic knowledge (dying, death,
management. Apart
grieving, hospice work and palliative care and medicine), the
accent is on the role of counselling, the individual volunteer,
the basic idea underlying the concept of the hospice, communi-
cation and caring skills.

2.3.1.6.
During their work with the dying and the bereaved
volunteers have access to the coordinator or manager as well
as to members of the team. Supervision is regularly offered.
Volunteers are expected to attend regular further training
courses and lectures. One-to-one spiritual counselling can
often also be arranged on request. Some hospices also offer
memorial services for volunteer and professional staff and
family and friends. Events such as summer or pre-Christmas
parties form an important part of the hospice’s programme.

2.3.

Situation in some Member States and applicant states

2.3.2. V o l u n t e e r s ’ a r e a s o f w o r k

2.3.1. B a s i s f o r t h e u s e o f v o l u n t e e r s

2.3.1.1.
The same principles applying in other areas of
voluntary work to the recruitment, training and coordination
of volunteers applies to a particularly high degree in the case
of hospice work. The example of hospice work should make it
clear that the conditions for the successful ongoing use of
volunteers are to a great extent universal.

Volunteers come to hospice work through personal
2.3.1.2.
experience, word of mouth, direct approaches, newspaper
advertisements, hospice open days, conferences and targeted
information campaigns.

2.3.2.1.
Volunteers are involved in all areas of hospice
work. The extent of their duties is often determined by their
professional skills. Hospices ensure that the duties of volunteer
workers are clearly defined in advance. These may vary from
one individual or hospice to another.

2.3.2.2.
volunteers provide additional and complementary services.

The following are examples of areas in which

— psycho-social counselling (e.g. conversation,

reading

aloud);

— spiritual

counselling

(e.g. prayer,

reading

aloud,

accompanying patients to church services);

2.3.1.3.
their work.

Volunteers are given a thorough preparation for

— psycho-social counselling of relatives and the bereaved;

The aim of the preparation is to enable volunteers:

— transport;

— complementary therapy;

— to provide support with self-confidence and a sense of

responsibility;

— helping patients with personal hygiene;

— to assess their own abilities and limitations;

— assisting with meals;

— to develop new communication skills in dealing with the

seriously and terminally ill.

— hair care;

2.3.1.4.
The training of volunteers differs from hospice to
hospice and from Member State to Member State. The duration
of training varies from 2 to 3 months to 10 to 12 months. In
many hospices on-the-job training is part of the preparatory
stage. Basic training may be followed by more specific training
geared to the volunteer’s future field of activity. This applies
particularly to volunteers who will be working as bereavement
counsellors.

— looking after plants;

— gardening;

— telephone calls;

— administrative work;

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— publicity work (press relations, manning stands at fairs,

information events, newsletters etc.);

— fund raising (benefit concerts, jumble sales, raffles etc.).

Volunteers have more time and opportunity than professionals
to focus on the individual needs of the seriously and terminally
ill. This considerably enhances patients’ sense of well-being.

2.3.2.3.
Volunteers also make an essential contribution to
supporting hospice work financially, morally and profession-
ally through their work in the management of support
associations, and work on committees and boards. In countries
such as Poland, where social security systems do not finance
basic (palliative) care in hospices, doctors and nurses often
work voluntarily.

2.3.3. C o o p e r a t i o n b e t w e e n v o l u n t e e r s a n d

p r o f e s s i o n a l s

2.3.3.1.
Experience of cooperation between volunteers and
full-time professionals in hospice work varies. Where the
tasks and areas of responsibility of volunteers and full-
time professionals respectively are demarcated, experience of
cooperation is generally positive. Regular joint and separate
supervisory sessions and guided discussions strengthen the
respective identities and provide an opportunity to discuss
day-to-day cooperation and solve any problems arising. The
essential thing is the basic underlying attitude which stresses
partnership and cooperation in the interests of terminally ill
patients. Based on this understanding, every staff member,
whether voluntary or professional, has his place in the team,
even if areas of responsibility differ according to the individual’s
skills.

2.3.3.2.
As so often in voluntary work, the emerging need
for institutionalisation of volunteer hospice work is at odds
with a creative grass-roots movement which is constantly
taking on new challenges. The important thing is that the
structure within which volunteers choose to work leaves scope
for, and encourages, voluntary commitment.

2.3.4.2.
In the course of the 1990s government involve-
ment increased. With the creation of tumour networks (Great
Britain), a development plan for the promotion of hospice
work (Poland) and laws underpinning in and outpatient
hospice work (Germany, Italy) politicians have been doing
more to create the framework conditions for hospice and
palliative care, particularly in terms of supporting voluntary
work.

2.3.5.

F u n d i n g a n d c o s t s

The fundamental principle of voluntary work is that it is
unpaid. Expenses may however be reimbursed.

Although volunteers are generally (e.g.
in Germany, Great
Britain and Poland) insured through their organisations and
associations (third party and accident insurance), the risks
actually covered by insurance and the adequacy of cover need
to be studied.

Costs also arise in connection with preparation,
further
training, supervision and coordination provided by qualified
staff. Such activities are also conducted on a voluntary basis or
in return for charitable donations.

2.3.6.

E n c o u r a g e m e n t o f a n d h i n d r a n c e s t o
v o l u n t a r y h o s p i c e w o r k

2.3.6.1.
voluntary commitment:

The following have proved conducive to social

— encouragement and recognition of social voluntary work

by society;

— open discussion of death and the process of dying;

— local/regional networks embracing and linking the

healthcare, social security and hospice systems;

— high-quality standards in hospices;

— thorough preparation of volunteers;

— good working environment;

2.3.4.

I n t e g r a t i o n i n t o h e a l t h s e r v i c e s

— acceptance and recognition of volunteers;

The Member States’ hospice movements have gen-
2.3.4.1.
erally developed independently and on their own responsi-
bility, outside the framework of state planning. They owe their
existence to a high degree of personal initiative and creativity,
particularly with regard to funding. In some Member States
hospices are financed mainly by socially orientated associ-
ations, charities and religious orders.

— opportunities to use personal experience from hospice

work in other areas of an individual’s life;

— spiritual motivation or membership of a religious com-

munity;

— family support.

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2.3.6.2.
tary hospice work:

The following have proved a hindrance to volun-

— Voluntary work enjoys a high level of recognition in
society, the world of politics and the volunteers’ immedi-
ate environment.

— a society in which discussion of death and dying is taboo;

— lack of recognition and feedback;

— lack of knowledge of opportunities in hospice work;

— Volunteers identify to a high degree with the objectives
of the hospice movement and hospices themselves as the
embodiment of this idea. This feeling is significantly
promoted by identification with a region. There is a great
willingness and potential for voluntary hospice work.

— competition between hospices for funding;

2.4.2.

As preconditions for the above:

— inadequate preparation and support;

— unclear demarcation of tasks and responsibilities;

— The maintenance of motivation and enthusiasm depends
directly on good management and a good working
atmosphere.

— lack of recognition from family and friends;

— Volunteers’ tasks are generally clearly described. They

should be clearly identifiable and diverse.

— lack of leisure time;

— feelings of social isolation.

2.3.6.3.
The above positive and negative factors depend
mainly on the volunteers’ personal situation, social and
political recognition and the way in which voluntary work in
hospices is organised. Long experience in countries where
voluntary work plays a significant role has highlighted the
value of professional support for volunteers to ensure conti-
nuity.

2.4.

Summary and conclusions based on the example of hospice
work

2.4.1.
voluntary hospice work:

The following can be deduced from the example of

— Volunteers see their work as worthwhile and carrying

responsibility.

— Thorough and well-planned preparation, supervision and
further training are seen as something of value, a source
of assistance and personally enriching, strengthening the
individual’s self-confidence and self-esteem and contribu-
ting directly to the effective performance of duties.

— New and lasting bonds are formed between like-minded
people working as an increasingly cohesive group. Open
discussion of existential issues normally considered taboo
promotes mutual trust and cohesion.

— Features of voluntary work are a high degree of commit-
ment and enthusiasm, sustained over an extended period,
and willingness to undergo further training.

— Organisation and coordination are needed to ensure that
volunteers’ needs are as far as possible catered for.

— Voluntary work is in principle limited in time. The
duration of the period of voluntary work should be
regularly confirmed (e.g. annually).

— A permanent point of contact, such as a hospice office or
in-patient hospice provides orientation and identification.

— A permanent contact person providing coordination,
guidance, practical supervision etc. provides continuity
for the purposes of networking and contacts with volun-
teers.

— Clear consultation and a high degree of mutual commit-
ment, taking account of responsibilities towards volun-
teers as well as to the seriously or terminally ill patients
and bereaved persons entrusted to the volunteers, are a
precondition for a reliable service.

— The hospices’ public relations work keeps the importance
of voluntary work in the spotlight. This makes it easier to
recruit volunteers, contributes to a sense of identification
with the hospice idea and communicates an additional
sense of recognition.

2.4.3.
On the basis of an analysis of voluntary work and
experience in hospices, thought needs to be given to ways in
which society can specifically promote voluntary work. In the
process it should be borne in mind that the variety and
combination of motives displayed by volunteers shows that
they are increasingly looking for meaning and opportunities
for personal development in their voluntary work. It may be
assumed that political and cultural factors at regional and
national level will strongly influence people’s willingness to
engage in voluntary work.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 125/27

3. General conclusions and recommendations

2)

Forums and/or exchanges for volunteers must be estab-
lished providing detailed information on the many oppor-
tunities and areas of voluntary work at regional, national
and European level. The new media should be used to
this end. Suitable measures to tackle mobility problems
should also be considered.

The example of hospice work provides convincing
3.1.
proof of the power of voluntary work to help change political
conditions and social realities. The tenacity and persistence of
individuals in translating their ideas and convictions into
action and in persuading (and inspiring) others to follow
their example are an important driving force behind the
development and continuity of civic commitment. Volunteers’
advocacy on behalf of people in need and the resulting
pressure for political action can be seen to bring about
change in laws and regulations. Volunteers’ impact on social
conditions and realities is an excellent example of a properly
functioning civil society.

Cooperation is developing in the European Union.
3.2.
Enlargement is coming. The processes associated with this
need to be harnessed and consolidated if social cohesion is to
be promoted in the applicant countries and in the Community.
Making voluntary work possible and promoting it in the
European Community will help ensure that individuals can
participate in the development of society and in solving
problems and tackling tasks of a social nature. Establishing a
network of organised civic commitment can make a major
contribution to the development of a national understanding
of the concept of ‘Europeans’.

3.3.
A possible basis for further development is Declar-
ation 38, appended to the Treaty of Amsterdam, which
recognises ‘the important contribution made by voluntary
service activities to developing social solidarity. The Com-
munity will encourage the European dimension of voluntary
organisations with particular emphasis on the exchange of
information and experiences as well as on the participation of
the young and the elderly in voluntary work’.

3) As a basis for successful voluntary work financial and
staffing provision must be made for the basic and
further training and supervision of volunteers during
their service.

4)

5)

6)

Research should be carried out into the basic conditions
for voluntary work, such as motives,
the effects of
the differences and similarities
prevailing conditions,
between the various areas of voluntary work, and the
differences and similarities between regional, national
and European voluntary work, as well as into the positive
effects of a society based on solidarity. To this end
regional, national and European projects will need to be
coordinated and promoted by the European Community.

Research must be carried out into the development of
voluntary work from a grass-roots movement to a self-
managing network, using the example of hospice work,
with consideration for
the opportunities and risks
involved for social voluntary work. Studies should con-
centrate more than hitherto on common criteria under-
lying the different
trends in the various European
countries.

Continuity of organisation, administration and basic
counselling of volunteers must be ensured by a minimum
presence of full-time professional staff. The support of
volunteer workers by full-time professionals should be an
important measure of the extent to which responsibilities
towards volunteer workers are being met.

7) Voluntary work must not be disadvantageous to the
volunteers. Statutory cover for risks to life and limb
should be available to protect the livelihoods of the
volunteers themselves and their families. Legal framework
conditions should be laid down at European level.

8) Greater use should be made of existing dialogue arrange-
ments in the Member States, e.g. in the economic and
social councils or in connection with the discussion of
the national action plans, to promote the development of
voluntary work.

3.4.

The Committee makes the following proposals:

Experience of existing programmes e.g. youth programmes,
should also be exploited.

1)

Policy to promote voluntary work must, building on the
International Year of Volunteers, give lasting recognition
to voluntary work and promote dialogue between the
supporting associations, authorities and social facilities.

3.5.
Finally, the Committee recommends that the visibility
and wide distribution of the hospice movement in the Member
States be exploited for further own-initiative work (for example
the holding of hearings involving practitioners). This opinion

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Official Journal of the European Communities

27.5.2002

should be disseminated and discussed in all the Member States
and applicant countries. Suggestions and feedback should be
absorbed into a further discussion process and used as a basis
for new initiatives. In this way it will be demonstrated that the

widespread application of provisions to promote voluntary
work and the willingness to put these on record can be
harnessed for the task of developing ways of promoting
voluntary work and establishing conditions conducive to it.

Brussels, 20 March 2002.

The President

of the Economic and Social Committee

Göke FRERICHS

Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Council Regulation
establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the Member State responsible for
examining an asylum application lodged in one of the Member States by a third-country national’

(COM(2001) 447 final — 2001/0182 (CNS)

(2002/C 125/08)

On 30 August 2001, the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under
Article 262 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above-mentioned proposal.

The Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship, which was responsible for preparing the
Committee’s work on the subject, adopted its opinion unanimously on 27 February 2002. The rapporteur
was Mr Sharma.

At its 389th Plenary Session on 20 and 21 March 2002 (meeting of 20 March), the Economic and Social
Committee adopted the following opinion by 79 votes to one with three abstentions.

1.

Introduction

1.3.
After first considering a number of alternatives, the
Commission has decided to maintain the (current) criteria and
mechanisms for determining the Member State responsible for
examining an asylum application.

1.1.
This is a Commission proposal for a Council Regu-
lation laying down the criteria and mechanisms for determin-
ing the Member State responsible for examining an asylum
application lodged in one of the Member States by a third-
country national.

1.2.
The aim of the Commission’s proposal for a Regu-
lation, which is designed to replace the Dublin Convention, is
not merely to implement Article 63(1)(a) of the EC Treaty. The
aim is also to respond to the wish expressed at the Tampere
European Council
the criteria and mechanisms for
determining the Member State responsible for examining an
asylum application are to be based on a ‘clear and workable
method’ forming part of a ‘fair and efficient asylum procedure’.
The Regulation is designed to bring the Dublin Convention
into Community law.

that

1.4.
Thus, the general principle is that responsibility lies
with the Member State which played the greatest part in the
applicant’s entry into or residence on the territories of the
Member State, subject to exceptions designed to protect family
unity. It should be noted that the system for determining
the State responsible applies only to persons requesting
recognition of the status of refugee within the meaning of the
Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951 and does not cover the
forms of subsidiary protection which has not yet been
harmonised.