Council recommendation of 20 November 2008 on the mobility of young volunteers across the European Union
Date: 2008-11-20
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU Member State, free movement of persons, international voluntary worker, student mobility, vocational training, young person, youth policy

C 319/8

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

13.12.2008

RECOMMENDATIONS

COUNCIL

COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION

of 20 November 2008

on the mobility of young volunteers across the European Union

(2008/C 319/03)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Com-
munity, and in particular Article 149(4) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Mobility for young volunteers is an integral part of
freedom of movement for people, protected by Article 18
of the Treaty.

The Community may adopt measures to promote the
mobility of young volunteers by enhancing cooperation
between organisers of voluntary activities, in accordance
with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5
of the Treaty. In accordance with the principle of propor-
tionality, as set out in that Article, the present Recom-
mendation does not go beyond what is necessary in
order to achieve that objective.

Council Regulation (EEC) No 1408/71 of 14 June 1971
on the application of social security schemes to employed
families moving within the Com-
persons and their
munity (1) and related provisions cover only those volun-
teers who are insured under national security legislation,
with the consequence that issues relating to social protec-
tion may sometimes act as a disincentive to engage in
voluntary activities in another Member State.

of

the

2001/613/EC

Recommendation
European
Parliament and of the Council of 10 July 2001 on mobi-
lity within the Community for students, persons under-
going training, volunteers, teachers and trainers (2) invites
Member States to take the measures they consider appro-
in accordance with Community law and in the
priate,
that
framework of

their national

to ensure

law,

(5)

(6)

(7)

volunteers and their families are not discriminated against
as a result of relevant social protection policies, such as
health care and social welfare, which may hinder their
mobility.

Recommendation
2001/613/EC and Recommenda-
tion 2006/961/EC of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 18 December 2006 on transnational mobility
education and training
within the Community for
purposes: European Quality Charter for Mobility (3) refer
explicitly to volunteers.

Council Directive 2004/114/EC of 13 December 2004
on the conditions of admission of third-country nationals
for the purposes of studies, pupil exchange, unremuner-
ated training or voluntary service (4) provides for the
possibility of
to
third-country nationals who apply to be admitted to the
territory of a Member State for the purpose of volun-
teering.

residence permits

issuing special

The Resolution of the Council and the Representatives of
the Governments of the Member States, meeting within
the Council of 15 November 2004, on common objec-
tives for voluntary activities of young people and the
Resolution of the Council and the Representatives of the
Governments of the Member States, meeting within the
Council of 16 November 2007, on implementing the
common objectives for voluntary activities of young
people (5)
for voluntary
activities of young people, proposed exchanges of good
practice and peer-learning activities to strengthen their
implementation, and invited Member States to consider
the practical means of measuring progress. The latter
Resolution also invited the Commission to make further
proposals for the promotion and recognition of volun-
tary activities of young people.

set out common objectives

(1) OJ L 149, 5.7.1971, p. 2.
(2) OJ L 215, 9.8.2001, p. 30.

(3) OJ L 394, 30.12.2006, p. 5.
(4) OJ L 375, 23.12.2004, p. 12.
(5) OJ C 241, 20.9.2008, p. 1.

13.12.2008

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 319/9

(8)

The European Parliament adopted in April 2008 a report
on the ‘Role of Volunteering in Contributing to Economic
and Social Cohesion’ which encouraged Member States
and regional and local authorities to recognise the value
of volunteering in promoting social and economic cohe-
sion, and recommended the promotion of cross-border
voluntary projects,

RECOGNISES THAT:

1.

in the framework of
this Recommendation, cross-border
voluntary activities are characterised as follows: open to all
young people, undertaken by their own free will
in the
general interest, for a sustained period, within a clear frame-
work and in a country other than the country of residence,
unpaid or with token payment and/or coverage of expenses.
Voluntary activities should not have an adverse effect on
potential or existing paid employment, nor should they be
seen as a substitute for it;

a

2. voluntary activities

constitute

rich experience

in a
non-formal educational and informal learning context which
enhances young people's professional skills and competences,
contributes to their employability and sense of solidarity,
develops their social skills, smoothes their integration into
society and fosters active citizenship;

3. there is a large variety of voluntary activities throughout
Europe, organised by civil society and public authorities.
These activities should be preserved and further developed
and cooperation between the organisers of such activities
should be facilitated;

4. cross-border mobility in Europe can be an important tool to
promote education, employment and regional and social
cohesion, and to help improve mutual understanding and
active participation in society. This is particularly the case for
young people in a labour market which increasingly values
adaptability and flexibility;

5.

local communities hosting young volunteers benefit greatly
from their activities, that can take place in a wide array of
fields, such as promoting social inclusion, preserving cultural
heritage, fostering intergenerational solidarity and protecting
the environment. Such activities, at the same time, enrich the
cultural diversity of the hosting communities;

6. voluntary activities have been a priority of the open method
of coordination in the field of youth, which has already iden-
tified a great number of good practices. In this context, the
European Voluntary Service (EVS), an action of the EU Youth
Programme since 1996, has allowed young people to engage
in voluntary service in a variety of areas. The current Youth
in Action Programme reinforces this action;

7. despite these efforts,

there may still be obstacles to the
cross-border mobility of young volunteers across Europe and
this Recommendation therefore aims primarily at providing
a framework for Member States to intensify their coopera-

tion, without prejudice to the diversity of their national situa-
tions;

8. better cooperation between the organisers of voluntary activ-
ities in different countries and greater information sharing
may stimulate all young Europeans, whatever their nation-
ality, to engage further in voluntary activities in third coun-
tries;

9. special attention should be paid to young people with fewer
opportunities, as voluntary activities constitute a particularly
valuable possibility of mobility for those young people who
otherwise would benefit less, or not at all, from mobility
programmes.

HEREBY RECOMMENDS THAT THE MEMBER STATES:

A. promote the mobility of young volunteers across Europe by
enhancing the conditions for cooperation between the orga-
nisers of voluntary activities in different countries, whether
civil society or public authorities, so that every young
person shall have the opportunity to volunteer in Europe if
she or he wishes to do so;

B. facilitate the development, for that purpose, of the following
lines of action, while having due regard for their national
frameworks and legislation in the field of voluntary activ-
ities, and their overall national priorities, existing local
opportunities and public expenditure regimes:

1.

improve the level of knowledge of voluntary activities
within their national territories and transfer this infor-
mation to the European Commission for further disse-
mination;

2. make information on opportunities for voluntary activ-
ities abroad easily accessible to young people and to
those active in youth work and in youth organisations;

3. make information available to all the relevant actors on
the rights and opportunities that arise from existing
on
and
provisions
cross-border voluntary activities;

European

national

level

at

4. promote the exchange of information on the opportu-
nities for voluntary activities in other Member States
and the simplification of the procedures to be followed
with the aim of making it easier for young volunteers of
a Member State to take part in voluntary activities in
other Member States;

5. adopt, where appropriate, a flexible approach to devel-
oping opportunities for cross-border voluntary activities
in Europe, for example by:

— supporting the development of the hosting capacity

for cross-border volunteers,

— supporting the creation of contact points for young
European volunteers, in connection, if feasible, with
National Agencies
in Action
Programme,

the Youth

of

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Official Journal of the European Union

13.12.2008

— promoting the use of existing European mechanisms
that can help youth mobility, such as, for instance,
mobility cards,

— promoting the cross-border mobility of those active

in youth work and in youth organisations,

— supporting the development of

information and
training, for those active in youth work, youth orga-
nisations, local authorities and civic services, on the
cross-border voluntary activities of young people;

6.

increase awareness of the importance of intercultural
competences and language learning among young
people in order to reduce barriers to their cross-border
mobility;

7. encourage organisers of voluntary activities to develop
the EVS
self-assessment
the
experience,
cross-border voluntary activities they are taking part in;

taking into account
to ensure the quality of

tools,
in order

8. encourage organisers in both sending and receiving
Member States to cooperate in providing assurances
about the protection of young volunteers and service
information
recipients. This should include sufficient
about
its organisers and the
volunteer, so as to enable both parties to make an
informed decision about the activity's suitability and
meet any legal requirements;

the voluntary activity,

9. examine further relevant social protection provisions
through the appropriate existing EU fora with a view to
making full use of
the possibilities under EU and
national legislation;

10. promote

the

appropriate

learning
outcomes of voluntary activities,
in line with Com-
munity provisions and within the respective national

recognition of

systems or
existing;

frameworks

for

qualifications, where

11. promote the use of instruments at EU level that can
facilitate cross-border voluntary activities by ensuring
the transparency of qualifications, such as Europass,
Youthpass and the European Qualifications Framework;

12. give particular attention to young people with fewer
opportunities in order to enhance their access to volun-
tary activities and especially to cross-border voluntary
activities.

HEREBY ENDORSES THE COMMISSION'S INTENTION TO:

1. support the Member States in the above tasks by using the
EU cooperation framework in the field of youth and, in par-
ticular, the open method of coordination and the Youth in
Action programme;

2. encourage and organise, in liaison with Member States, the
exchange of information and experiences about cooperation
between the organisers of voluntary activities in different
countries, whether representatives of civil society or public
authorities;

3. develop a European Youth Volunteer Portal on voluntary
activities based on national youth volunteering portals, data-
bases or specific websites, where they exist;

4. report to the Council four years after the adoption of this
Recommendation in order
the
measures proposed are working effectively and to assess the
need for further actions.

to determine whether

Done at Brussels, 20 November 2008.