WRITTEN QUESTION E-2822/02 by Angelika Niebler (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Application form for the EU Youth action programme.
Date: 2002-10-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU programme, action programme, administrative formalities, form, young person, youth exchange scheme

C 161 E/40

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

10.7.2003

(d) The Commission believes that a range of methods of managing conflicts of interest can always be
useful in order to prevent from market abuse. Recent developments and events on financial markets
both in the United States and in Europe have, however, proved that transparency is crucial for the
integrity and smooth functioning of financial markets. Transparency certainly has a key role for
restoring public confidence into those markets.

(2003/C 161 E/042)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2822/02

by Angelika Niebler (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Application form for the EU Youth action programme

(8 October 2002)

The aim of the EU Youth action programme is to promote European cooperation in the youth field.

Is the Commission aware that the application forms for this action programme containing the

1.
explanatory notes for Action 1 (cid:1) youth encounters (cid:1) are over 40 pages long?

2
Does it share the view that such a lengthy document represents a disproportionate level of
bureaucracy and needlessly hampers the promotion of youth encounters since potential applicants are
deterred by it from the outset?

3. What action does it intend to take to produce shorter and more user-friendly application forms in
future?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(22 November 2002)

The Youth Community action programme is managed by National Agencies in the 30 participating
countries. The Commission provides guidelines and monitors the general
the
programme:
looks after the image of the programme and is
responsible for follow-up and evaluation.

it sets the priorities, targets and criteria,

implementation of

As far as the criteria, rules and procedures governing selection are concerned,
in the context of this
decentralised implementation the Commission has drawn up a User’s Guide and standard grant application
forms for each of the five programme actions, which are available on the website of the Directorate-
General for Education and Culture. The National Agencies may, to a degree, adapt these guidelines to the
national circumstances of implementation.

As far as youth exchanges are concerned (Action 1), the standard application form for 2002 recommended
by the Commission is thirteen pages long (including a one-page overview of the funding rules). The forms
for the other programme actions are, on average, thirteen pages for the European Voluntary Service
(Action 2), nine pages for Youth Initiatives (Action 3) and fifteen pages for Support Measures (Action 5).

Mindful of the need to strike the right balance between the capacities of potential Youth programme
beneficiaries and the amount of information necessary to ensure sound financial management of projects
cofinanced with Community funds, the Commission went to considerable lengths to simplify the User’s
Guide and the standard application forms when updating them in 2002. For example, a lump-sum system
has generally been applied to all youth activities, thus simplifying the budgetary parts of the application
forms.

As part of the updating of the forms for 2003, the Commission is continuing its efforts to make the forms
simpler and more user-friendly while respecting the principles of sound financial management.