Commission staff working document - European Year of Volunteering 2011 : evaluation ex ante {COM(2009) 254}
Date: 2009-06-03
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, action programme, public awareness campaign, social participation, voluntary work, youth policy

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 3.6.2009 
SEC(2009) 725 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

European Year of Volunteering 2011 
Evaluation Ex ante 

{COM(2009) 254} 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT European Year of Volunteering 2011 
Evaluation Ex ante ..................................................................................................................... 1 

1. 

1.1. 

1.2. 

2. 

2.1. 

2.2. 

3. 

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 4 

Definition of volunteering............................................................................................ 4 

The policy context........................................................................................................ 4 

Problem analysis and needs assessment....................................................................... 5 

The main challenges..................................................................................................... 5 

The target group and its needs ..................................................................................... 6 

What are the objectives that the Year is expected to achieve? .................................... 6 

3.1. 

Objectives and related indicative indicators ................................................................ 7 

4. 

4.1. 

4.2. 

4.3. 

4.4. 

What are the main policy options and alternative delivery mechanisms? ................... 8 

No action ...................................................................................................................... 8 

Mainstreaming.............................................................................................................. 8 

Action plan ................................................................................................................... 8 

European Year of Volunteering 2011 .......................................................................... 9 

4.5.  What designs for the European Year were considered?............................................... 9 

4.5.1.  Calls for proposal for volunteering projects at national/regional and local level ........ 9 

4.5.2.  European Year coordinated and centralised by the Commission............................... 10 

4.5.3.  A completely decentralised European Year............................................................... 10 

4.5.4.  Centralised action at Community level with strong association of the Member States

.................................................................................................................................... 11 

5. 

5.1. 

5.2. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

Stakeholder consultation and lessons learned ............................................................ 11 

Building on recent consultations................................................................................ 11 

Lessons learned from the evaluation of previous European Years ............................ 13 

Risks and assumptions ............................................................................................... 13 

Added value of EU involvement................................................................................ 14 

Helping to achieve cost-effectiveness........................................................................ 15 

8.1. 

Cost implications of the European Year .................................................................... 15 

8.1.1.  Financial Resources: Summary of commitment appropriations (CA) and payment 

appropriations (PA).................................................................................................... 16 

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8.1.2.  Objectives of the proposal in terms of their financial cost......................................... 17 

8.1.3.  Number and type of human resources........................................................................ 17 

8.2. 

Could the same results be achieved at lower costs?................................................... 18 

9. 

Planning of future monitoring and evaluation ........................................................... 18

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1. 

INTRODUCTION 

Volunteering  is  a  core  expression  of  civic  participation  and  puts  European  values  such  as 
solidarity  and  non  discrimination  into  action  thereby  contributing  to  the  harmonious 
development  of  our  societies.  Volunteering  can  extend  the  aspect  of  solidarity  to  a  global 
context  and  provide  European  citizens  with  opportunities  to  carry  their  responsibility  in 
relation to global challenges. 

At  the  individual  citizen's  level,  volunteering  is  also  an  important  learning  opportunity 
because  involvement  in  voluntary  activities  provides  citizens  with  new  skills  and 
competences.  Volunteering  has  therefore  always  two  kinds  on  benefits:  on  the  one  hand  it 
contributes to the social cohesion of the society through its direct outcomes and on the other 
hand  it  serves  for  capacity  building  of  those  who  volunteer.  Through  these  two  dimensions 
volunteering makes an important contribution to the EU's renewed social agenda focusing on 
opportunities, access and solidarity. 

1.1. 

Definition of volunteering 

Even  though  there  is  a  vast  array  of  notions,  definitions  and  traditions  concerning 
volunteering  in  the  27  Member  States  of  the  EU,  there  is  a  common  understanding  that  the 
term "volunteering" refers to all forms of voluntary activity, whether formal or informal. It is 
undertaken  of  a  person's  own  free-will,  choice  and  motivation,  and  is  without  concern  for 
financial gain. It benefits the individual volunteer, communities and society as a whole. It is 
also  a  vehicle  for  individuals  and  associations  to  address  human,  social  or  environmental 
needs  and  concerns,  and  is  often  carried  out  in  support  of  a  non-profit  organisation  or 
community-based 
initiative.  Voluntary  activities  do  not  replace  professional,  paid 
employment opportunities but add considerable value to society. 

1.2. 

The policy context 

Volunteering can thus make an important contribution to the EU's renewed social agenda that 
aims  to  create  more  opportunities  for  EU  citizens,  improve  access  to  quality  services  and 
demonstrate  solidarity  with  those  who  are  affected  negatively  by  change,  by  focusing  on 
empowering and enabling individuals to realize their potential while at the same time helping 
those who are unable to do so. 

The proposed Treaty of Lisbon addresses the issue of civic participation in the context of the 
democratic principles of the Union. In addition, it provides new competences concerning the 
participation  of  young  people  in  democratic  life  in  Europe.  It  also  refers  explicitly  to  the 
voluntary  sector  in  the  context  of  sports  and  in  relation  to  the  Voluntary  Humanitarian  Aid 
Corps1.  

Following the White Paper on Youth of 20012, volunteering has been recognised in 2002 by 
the  Member  States  as  a  key  element  of  youth  policy3.  Within  the  Open  Method  of 

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Lisbon Treaty, new Chapter 3 "Humanitarian Aid", new article 118 J 5, new Art. 2 e and new Art. 165 
(1) 
Doc. "A new impetus for European youth", COM (2001) 681 final of 21.11.2001 
Council  Resolution  of  27  June  2002  regarding  the  framework  of  European  cooperation  in  the  youth 
field , OJ C168 of 13.07.2002. 

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Coordination for Youth Member States agreed on common objectives for voluntary activities 
of young people4. In November 2008, the Council adopted a Recommendation5 on mobility of 
young volunteers across Europe which aims at enhancing cross-border volunteering of young 
people  within  the  EU  by  creating  more  opportunities  and  opening  national  volunteering 
schemes for young volunteers from other Member States.  

Volunteering  provides  a  great  potential  for  the  EU  when  it  comes  to  active  ageing  and 
demographic  change.  On  this  background,  the  EU  has  developed  punctual  initiatives  and 
reflections to promote senior volunteering which contributes to intergenerational solidarity. 

Various  EU  activities,  programmes  and  policies  in  areas  such  as  education,  youth, 
environment  and  development  tackle  volunteering  at  a  European  level.  The  variety  of 
volunteering  in  Europe,  its  horizontal  nature  and  its  relevance  to  all  age  groups  call  for  a 
unified yet flexible approach.  

2. 

PROBLEM ANALYSIS AND NEEDS ASSESSMENT 

2.1. 

The main challenges 

Volunteering  has  the  potential  to  contribute  to  the  harmonious  development  of  European 
societies in the following way: 

•  Democratic societies need civic participation, which means that citizens participate in civil 
society,  community  and  political  life.  Volunteering  is  a  frequent  expression  of  civic 
participation.  When  engaging  for  the  benefit  of  other  individuals  and  the  society  as  a 
whole  or  for  their  own  benefit,  volunteers  are  motivated  by  core  values,  and  serve  their 
community  in  an  active  way.  Volunteering  is  therefore  a  means  to  develop  citizens’ 
commitment to their society and to its political life.  

•  Volunteering  can  be  a  tool  for  the  empowerment  of  all  and  especially  of  those  who  are 
socially excluded. Volunteering makes an important contribution to social inclusion at the 
local  level.  This  applies  in  particular  for  the  integration  of  migrants.  Integration,  as  a 
two-way-process of mutual accommodation between the migrants and host society, needs 
tools and instruments that bring people together and that allow them to work on common 
projects.  Volunteering  can  contribute  to  tackling  this  challenge  and  help  integrating 
migrants into host communities.  

•  Volunteering strengthens social cohesion. A society characterised by a highly competitive 
economy and globalisation is by nature under permanent change, which is very demanding 
for  individuals.  Volunteering  can  be  one  of  the  counter-balances  and  give  a  social 
dimension to our society by promoting European values such as solidarity and tolerance. 
Volunteering  contributes  to  peace  building,  conflict  resolution  and  reconciliation  of 
divided  societies.  Voluntary  activities  reduce  racism  and  prejudice  and  contribute  to 
intercultural and inter-religious dialogue. 

•  Through  its  learning  dimension  volunteering  improves  the  employability  of  people 

providing citizens with new skills and competencies.  

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5 

Doc. COM(2004)337 final 
Council  Recommendation  of  20  November  2008  on  the  mobility  of  young  volunteers  across  the 
European Union (2008/C 319/03) 

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•  On the other hand, some challenges still remain to be tackled: 

•  Volunteering has a very varied tradition among the different Member States, and even the 

connotations that it carries vary to a considerable degree across the EU. 

•  During  the  past  decades,  civic  participation  has  undergone  significant  change  and  the 
modern societies have gradually developed towards greater individualism. The sector has 
to  cope  with  new  types  and  forms  of  participation,  characterised  by  selective  short  term 
engagement. 

•  Even if there  is  diversity, there exist  also  common  obstacles to volunteering, such as the 
lack of awareness and information, the lack of support systems (training etc), discouraging 
legal  provisions  and  an  absence  of  a  legal  status  and  limited  international  exchange 
schemes. 

2.2. 

The target group and its needs 

The  target  group  for  volunteering  is  very  large.  Everybody  can  become  a  volunteer  in  a 
certain moment of his or her life, on a regular basis or for a longer or a shorter period of time. 
Not  only  the  active  age  population  is  concerned,  but  young  people  and  older  people  are  a 
particularly important target group for volunteering. 

The intervention will target the issue from a cross-cutting angle and will therefore address the 
following target groups: 

•  Policy makers at different levels; 
•  Volunteer organisations at local regional, national and European level; 
•  Volunteers all over Europe; 
•  Employers; 
•  Business; 
•  Media; 
•  The general public in Europe. 

3. 

WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES THAT THE YEAR IS EXPECTED TO ACHIEVE? 

In line with the EU's renewed social agenda, the overall purpose of the European Year shall 
be to encourage and support – notably through the exchange of experience and good practices 
–  the  efforts  of  the  Member  States,  their  local  and  regional  authorities  and  civil  society  to 
develop favourable conditions for volunteering in Europe. On this basis, four objectives have 
been laid down: 

(1)  Working towards an enabling environment for volunteering in the EU - To anchor 
volunteering as part of promoting civic participation and people-to-people activities in 
an EU context; 

(2) 

(3) 

Empowering volunteer organisations and improving the quality of volunteering - 
To  facilitate  volunteering  and  to  encourage  networking,  mobility,  cooperation  and 
synergies between volunteer organisations and other sectors in an EU context;  

Rewarding  and  recognising  volunteering  activities  –  To  encourage  appropriate 
incentives  for  individuals,  companies  and  volunteer-development  organisations  and 

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gain  more  systematic  recognition  for  volunteering  by  policy  makers,  civil  society 
through 
organisations  and  employers  for  skills  and  competences  developed 
volunteering.  

(4) 

Raising awareness about the value of volunteering – To raise general awareness of 
the importance of volunteering as an expression of civic participation and an example 
of people-to-people activity which contributes to issues which are of common concern 
of  all  Member  States,  such  as  a  harmonious  societal  development  and  economic 
cohesion. 

3.1. 

Objectives and related indicative indicators 

•  Objectives  

Expected results 

Indicative indicators 

•  To  work 

towards 

an 
enabling  environment  for 
volunteering in the EU; 

•  The 

European  Year 
of 
Volunteering  should  provide 
input 
policy 
development; 

further 

for 

•  A  dialogue 

in 
is 
Member States on volunteering 
issues; 

initiated 

•  To  empower  volunteer 
to 
and 
the  quality  of 

organisations 
improve 
volunteering; 

•  To  reward  and  recognise 
volunteering activities; 

• 

(Access 
facilitated ; 

to)  volunteering 

is 

•  To 

encourage 

networking, 
cooperation, 
and 
synergies  between  volunteer 
organisations and other sectors; 

exchange 

•  New 

inputs 
organisations; 

for  volunteer 

•  Policy  makers,  civil  society 
possible 
the  general 
large  provide  an 
to 

organisations, 
employers  and 
public  at 
(increased) 
volunteering;  

recognition 

• 

Impact of volunteering to skills 
and competencies of volunteers 
is better acknowledged.  

Extent of new knowledge and ideas which 
have been developed with the support of 
the Year; 
Number of good practices identified; 
Extent of new dialogue on volunteering 
in/between Member States; 

•  Number  of  organisations  having 
for 
received 
organising measures aiming at raising 
the quality of voluntary schemes; 

inspiration 

new 

•  Degree  of  intensity  of  networking, 
cooperation  and  synergies  between 
volunteer  organisations  and  other 
sectors;  

•  Number  of  volunteer  organisations 

who have found new partners; 

•  Number  of 

initiatives  by  policy 
makers, civil society organisations and 
better 
employers 
recognition of volunteering; 

indicating 

•  Extent  of  use  of  new  systems  of 
and 
through 

the 
acquired 

skills 

of 

recognition 
competences 
volunteering; 

•  To  raise  awareness  about  •  Visibility  of  volunteering  and 

Percentage of participants in the 

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the value of volunteering; 

of  its  value  for  the  individual 
and 
society 
increases 

the  European 

European Year stating that the European 
year has improved their perception of 
volunteering; 
Extent and tone of press and media 
coverage of the Year itself and the events 
and initiatives supported (qualitative and 
quantitative). 

4. 

WHAT  ARE  THE  MAIN  POLICY  OPTIONS  AND  ALTERNATIVE  DELIVERY 
MECHANISMS?  

Regulatory options cannot be considered, given the absence of clear relevant competencies at 
EC  level.  Several  options  were  considered  but  had  to  be  discarded  given  their  negative  or 
limited impact. 

4.1. 

No action 

Not  acting  would  not  address  the  issues  considered  and  could  even  have  political  costs, 
because the potential of volunteering and the momentum of the political context would not be 
used.  

This option was discarded. 

4.2.  Mainstreaming  

Volunteering  is  relevant  for  a  wide  range  of  Community  policies  and  instruments.  It  is 
particularly prominent in the fields of education, culture, youth and citizenship, environment, 
consumer protection and development. Community programmes in these areas have allowed 
funding projects approaching volunteering from different viewpoints. It could be an option to 
intensify mainstreaming by setting up an inter-service group to exchange ideas and compare 
policy approaches.  

Mainstreaming as such would not create learning opportunities between the Member States, 
which  a  specific  action  such  as  the  one  a  European  Year  would  provide.  Mainstreaming 
would also not enable to reach the necessary critical mass and visibility which is needed in 
order to explore new opportunities and to draw relevant policy lessons in order to achieve the 
goals  pursued.  For  these  reasons  this  option  alone  would  not  be  sufficient  and  it  was 
discarded. 

4.3. 

Action plan 

Another option would be to develop an action plan for volunteering. 

As  already  mentioned  above,  the  Commission  has  a  wide  range  of  instruments  operating  in 
the field of volunteering. A possible approach would consist in making an inventory of these 
actions and in bringing them together under an “Action Plan for Volunteering”.  

However  before  proposing  an  Action  Plan,  a  wider  debate  on  volunteering  would  be 
necessary. Therefore, an action plan is more a complementary than an alternative option: an 
action  plan  could  be  a  possible  follow-up  of  the  European  Year.  Therefore,  this  option  was 
also discarded. 

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4.4. 

European Year of Volunteering 2011 

A European Year of volunteering seems to be the appropriate mechanism to involve Member 
States in a joint exercise in an EU context. 

It is a timely initiative because it follows the renewed social agenda of the European Union 
and is in line with the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion 2010 and 
the  possible  European  Year  of  Active  Ageing  and  Intergenerational  Solidarity  2012.  It  will 
coincide  with  the  10th  Anniversary  of  the  International  Year  of  Volunteers  2001,  which 
provides important synergies in terms of mobilising the stakeholders.  

It  can  be  expected  that  the  momentum  created  by  key  stakeholder  organisations  when 
mobilising support for the initiative of the Year will continue and that these stakeholders will 
be very active and receptive to the outputs of the European Year.  

The  European  Year  will  give  volunteers,  volunteer  organisations  and  other  stakeholders  at 
local, regional, national and European level the opportunity to make a greater impact and to 
gain wider recognition for their efforts by participating in the European Year. The Year will 
therefore  help  to  strengthen  the  impact  of  existing  policies  related  to  volunteering  by 
generating a critical mass of activities targeting volunteering and by promoting exchange of 
ideas and good practice. 

The  European  Year  will  constitute  an  opportunity  for  the  mobilisation  of  the  relevant 
Community  programmes  and  actions  in  2011  in  order  to  increase  overall  visibility  and  the 
impact of these actions under the Year. This will allow the promotion of a coherent image of 
the  multiplicity  of  Community  projects  contributing  to  volunteering  while  developing 
synergies between programmes. 

Communication  and  awareness-raising  actions  during  the  Year  will  thus  be  able  to  use  a 
critical  mass  of  concrete  projects  related  to  volunteering  in  numerous  sectors.  All  these 
projects (and the programmes which support them) will benefit from the additional visibility 
that  the  "European  Year  of  the  Volunteering"  label  will  bring  them  and  from  the  public 
awareness campaign. 

Therefore,  this  option  was  chosen  as  appropriate  in  view  of  achieving  the  above  mentioned 
objectives (see section 3). 

4.5.  What designs for the European Year were considered? 

Several methods of intervention for a European Year of Volunteering were considered:  

4.5.1.  Calls for proposal for volunteering projects at national/regional and local level  

Some previous European Years such as the European Year of Education through sport gave 
priority  to  this  approach  –  launching  calls  for  proposals  for  concrete  projects.  These  calls, 
depending  on  the  cases,  were  managed  on  a  centralised  basis  or  delegated  to  the  Member 
States.  On  the  basis  of  these  experiences6,  this  approach  was  ruled  out  for  the  following 
reasons: 

This kind of approach does not create a long-lasting effect;  

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"Evaluation externe (ex post) de l'année européenne de l'éducation par le sport AEES 2004" 

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The  launch  of  open  calls  for  proposals  in  a  field  where  various  Community  programmes 
intervene would have led to inconsistencies and duplication;  

The cost of management of specific calls for proposal in terms of human resources would be 
disproportionate. 

Having  regard  to  the  field  covered  by  volunteering,  the  number  of  projects  likely  to  be 
proposed would be disproportionate in relation to the budgetary resources available, involving 
a very high disappointment level of project sponsors;  

The  budgetary  amount  possible  to  allocate  to  specific  calls  for  proposals  within  the 
framework  of  the  Year  would  not  make  a  significant  difference  in  comparison  to  the 
opportunities already available through the existing Community programmes and actions; 

4.5.2.  European Year coordinated and centralised by the Commission 

This option would ensure good coordination at EU level, in administrative and financial terms 
as  well  as  on  content.  This  would  be  particularly  true  for  political  visibility  among  EU 
stakeholders and for mainstreaming volunteering throughout other policy areas at EU level. 

However, this option does not seem to be appropriate in encouraging stronger involvement on 
the part of the Member States and other national, regional and local stakeholders. 

In  addition,  given  the  substantial  differences  among  Member  States  and  their  approach 
towards  volunteering,  this  option  risks  being  ineffective  if  it  does  not  take  into  account 
national and regional specificities. 

Participation would therefore be limited to the EU-level actors and awareness-raising will risk 
not reaching a broader public. 

This option may also appear disproportionate in terms of the objectives to be achieved.  

In terms of overall consistency, this option would produce a limited impact at EU level, with 
no or little influence at national, regional and local level. 

4.5.3.  A completely decentralised European Year 

Completely decentralising the implementation of activities to the Member States would help 
raising awareness and encouraging participation at national and local levels, as well as ensure 
a stronger commitment at these levels.  

However, this option would risk to leave out the fundamental link between the European level 
and the national, regional and local level. 

Furthermore, it would be difficult to ensure effective coordination of the different activities, 
which carries the risk of their appearing isolated and disconnected one from another. 

The  difficulty  of  ensuring  effective  coordination  could  reduce  the  impact  of  the  European 
Year  in  terms  of  visibility,  as  well  as  the  possibilities  for  effective  synergies  and  for 
transnational comparison and exchange. 

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While  the  substantial  differences  among  Member  States  argue  in  favour  of  decentralised 
actions  playing  an  important  role  in  the  implementation  of  the  European  Year,  an  option 
where the implementation of activities is completely decentralised to the Member States does 
not seem to ensure effective consistency. 

4.5.4.  Centralised action at Community level with strong association of the Member States  

This  option  has  the  potential  to  achieve  political  impact  at  national  and  European  level  in 
raising awareness of the importance of volunteering and contributing to the development of an 
enabling environment for volunteering in the European Union 

•  A European Year in which a balance is found between activities implemented at EU level 
under the supervision of the Commission and action at national, regional and local levels 
would  allow  diversities  and  specificities  to  be  taken  into  account  and,  at  the  same  time, 
meet the need for coherence in implementation. 

•  This option seems to be effective in terms of reaching actors and policies "on the ground" 
and in ensuring the necessary link between the different actions and the different levels of 
intervention.  Therefore  it  ensures  a  better  impact  in  terms  of  political  commitment  at  all 
levels. A stronger impact can also be expected in terms of further policy development. 

•  The  Commission  will  closely  monitor  the  implementation  of  national  activities  and  steer 
the preparatory process for the European Year. Coordination of the different actions by the 
Commission will increase the visibility of the exercise and create necessary synergies. 

•  The  investment  in  terms  of  resources  and  organisation  seems  to  be  justified,  given  the 
impact over time in terms of transnational exchange of ideas and good practice, visibility 
and awareness-raising. 

•  The chosen option is therefore a European Year which at European level will focus on the 
exchange of best practices and on communication and awareness-raising measures such as 
high  visibility  events.  A  critical  mass  of  concrete  projects  will  be  achieved  through 
mobilisation  of  all  relevant  Community  programmes  incorporating  the  volunteering 
dimension.  In  parallel,  the  Member  States,  closely  associated  with  the  definition  and 
implementation  of  the  Year,  receive  Community  subsidies  for  national  coordination  and 
key activities.  

5. 

5.1. 

STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION AND LESSONS LEARNED 

Building on recent consultations 

Volunteering is a cross-cutting issue concerning all sectors of society, there is no specialised 
sector dedicated to it.  

The Commission has been considering the deepened role that Europe could play in the field of 
volunteering for some time. A number of recent relevant consultation processes have covered 
some aspects linked to volunteering.  

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consultations  relating  to  the  Commission's  current  programmes  in  the  active  citizenship, 
youth, culture and lifelong learning (education and training) domains7,  
the  consultation  process  held  in  the  framework  of  the  preparation  of  the  new  European 
framework of youth policy cooperation during autumn 20088  

The  European  Economic  and  Social  Committee  was  consulted  by  the  Commission  in  April 
2006 on the role and impact of volunteering in European Society. In its opinion of December 
20069, it recommended to announce a European Year of Volunteering.  

In  2008,  key  stakeholders  organised  themselves  formally  and  created  an  Alliance  of  17 
NGO10  that  has  asked  at  several  occasions  to  declare  the  year  2011  the  European  Year  of 
Volunteering.  This  alliance  has  achieved  creating  a  strong  momentum  and  a  lot  of 
expectations at the level of civil society organisations active in the field of volunteering. 

The  European  Parliament  adopted  a  Resolution  supporting  the  call  for  a  European  Year  of 
Volunteering in July 200811.  

Since  2008,  the  Commission  has  had  a  regular,  open  dialogue  on  this  initiative  with  major 
volunteering organisations. Two meetings were organised in the framework of the structured 
dialogue  of  the  Europe  for  Citizens  programme12  and  two  meetings  took  place  between 
representatives  of  the  Commission  and  the  "Alliance"13.  This  focused  consultation  was 
considered  sufficient  during  the  preparation  of  the  Commission  proposal  on  the  European 
Year of Volunteering.  

The  results  of  the  consultations  indicate  that  the  proposal  for  a  European  Year  of 
Volunteering  is  welcomed  by  all  relevant  stakeholders.  The  stakeholders  highlight  the 
potential of such a European Year in terms of communication and mobilisation and provide 
useful suggestions for the purpose and design of the initiative. The outcomes of the dialogue 
with  the  stakeholders  have  been  used  to  define  the  objectives  and  actions  for  the  European 
Year. The run-up to the European Year will bring further opportunities for a broad range of 
stakeholders to contribute to its design and preparation. 

The consultations undertaken with stakeholders draw the attention of the Commission to the 
following issues: 

To  use  the  full  potential  of  volunteering  the  issue  needs  a  better  recognition  across  the 
European Union.  

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13 

Commission  Staff  Working  Paper:  Proposal  for  a  Decision  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council  for  an  integrated  action  programme  in  the  field  of  lifelong  learning,  extended  impact 
assessment integrating ex ante evaluation requirements, COM(2004)474 final; 
Results on the online public consultations in the youth field, a report to DG EAC under the Framework 
Contract on Evaluation, Impact Assessment and Related Services by ECOTEC 
Opinion  of  the  European  Economic  and  Social  Committee:  "Voluntary  activity:  its  role  in  European 
society and its impact", Doc. SOC/243 – CESE 1575/2006; 
European  Volunteer  Centre,  the  Social  Platform,  Caritas  Europa,  Solidar,  Red  Cross/EU  Office,  the 
World Scouts Movement, the European Youth Forum, Age, Johanniter International, Volonteurope, the 
Confederation of European Senior Expert Services, ENGAGE, the European Non-Governmental Sports 
Organization, Youth Action for Peace and Euclid Network of third sector leaders. 
Written Declaration 0030/2008 of 15 July 2008; 
Meetings of 7 June 2008 and 10 March 2009; 
Meetings of 18 February and 6 March on "Preparing for a European Year of volunteering"; 

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A large number of initiatives exist, but they are scattered and not sufficiently recognised and 
visible. 
Volunteering has an important place, at European level, to put in practice European values 
such as solidarity and mutual respect . 
Volunteers are an example for many people of active civic participation.  
Volunteers are important agents when it comes to social inclusion through their engagement 
for the socially excluded or those at risk of social exclusion. 
While  it  is  true  that  all  age-groups  and  all  social  groups  are  concerned,  young  people  and 
senior citizens are a priority target group of volunteering. 
Local volunteers and volunteer organisations have to play a key role in volunteering and its 
promotion. 
Diversity  needs  to  be  respected.  Volunteering  shall  not  be  harmonised  across  Europe,  but 
different successful approaches in the Member States can be promoted 

Consultations with other DGs on the proposal of organising a European Year of Volunteering 
will be organised from March 2009 onwards. In the first Inter-Service Meeting of 17 March, 
participating  DGs  expressed  their  support  for  the  European  Year  and  underlined  the  cross-
sectoral nature of volunteering.  

5.2. 

Lessons learned from the evaluation of previous European Years  

The  experience  with  previous  European  Years  and  the  ex  post  evaluation  of  the  European 
Year of Education through Sport14 showed that European Years:  

•  have proven to be an efficient instrument in putting European political issues at the top of 
the policy agenda. The broad level of participation within a limited timeframe has helped 
to harness political support and pave the way for broader political commitments; 

•  are  designed  to  involve  a  range  of  stakeholders  with  a  view  to  publicising,  debating, 
exchanging  views  on  a  specific  theme.  They  are  therefore  an  effective  tool  in  raising 
awareness; 

•  are efficient  instruments  for creating synergies between different areas of intervention at 

EU, Member States and regional/local levels; 

•  tend to have more added value as compared to individual interventions by Member States. 
This  has  also  been  important  in  creating  political  momentum  and  contributing  to  policy 
change. 

6. 

RISKS AND ASSUMPTIONS 

Assumption 

Risk 

Civil society will react positively 
to this Year and will actively take 
part in it 

is  a 

There 
risk  of  higher 
expectations towards the activities 
of the Year 

Assessment 

The  positive  tone  of  the  Year, 
is  valuing  volunteering 
which 
should  be  well  accepted  by  the 
overwhelming  majority 
of 
stakeholders 

Increased 
volunteering 

visibility 

of 

Lack of visibility 

A 
broad 
communication 
foreseen. 

The 

information 

campaign 

and 
is 
Commission 

14 

"Evaluation externe (ex post) de l'année européenne de l'éducation par le sport AEES 2004"; 

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13 

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EU  Member  States  will  react 
positively and will spontaneously 
participate  in  the  events;  good 
cooperation  between  Member 
States 

Lack  of  political  support  from 
some Member States,  

Interest  and  involvement  of  the 
media 

Negative  degree  of  co-operation 
with the media 

already  has  a  wide  range  of 
instruments 
(programmes  and 
documents)  at  its  disposal  in  the 
field  of  volunteering;  all 
the 
projects  (and  programmes  which 
support them) will profit from the 
that  will 
additional  visibility 
bring the Year.  

the 

because 

The  risk  that  the  Year  is  badly 
seen  by  the  Member  States  is 
chosen 
weak 
approach 
a  balance 
ensures 
between coordination at EU level 
and  implementation  at  national 
level. This allows to take account 
of 
regional 
specificities.  

national 

or 

The  risk  that  that  the  media  do 
not  take  part  in  the  events  of  the 
Year is weak because it the topic 
is  citizen’s  oriented.  A  broad 
information  and  communication 
stimulate 
will 
campaign 
cooperation with the media. 

7. 

ADDED VALUE OF EU INVOLVEMENT 

The objectives of the proposal cannot be achieved to a sufficient extent solely by action by the 
Member States,  because  action at national level alone would  not benefit  from the  European 
dimension of exchanges and of experience and good practice between Member States targeted 
on promoting volunteering.  

Therefore,  the  coordination  at  EU  level  adds  a  European  dimension  and  contributes  to 
increasing  the  impact  of  the  European  year  in  terms  of  transnational  exchange  of  ideas  and 
good practice visibility and awareness-raising. 

A European Year of Volunteering will provide the opportunity to demonstrate in a European 
context,  that  volunteering  increases  civic  participation  thereby  addressing  one  of  the  key 
challenges, European societies are facing today. It will generate a policy debate on this issue 
and  boost  the  exchange  of  best  practice  between  the  Member  States  in  order  to  create  an 
enabling environment in an EU context.  

A European Year of Volunteering will foster a sense of belonging and commitment of citizens 
to  their  society  at  all  levels  –  local,  regional,  national  and  European.  Through  transnational 
exchange  of  ideas  and  cooperation,  the  European  Year  will  highlight  the  link  between 
voluntary engagement at a local level and its importance in the European context. Participants 
in the Year as well as the wider target group will understand that there is a link between their 
engagement at local level and the European context and that all over Europe, people engage in 
volunteering for the same underlying values and motivations. 

A  European  Year  will  raise  awareness  about  the  value  of  volunteering  for  fostering  social 
cohesion  and  improving  the  employability  of  people.  In  this  sense  it  tackles  problems,  all 
Member States are facing and which are common concern in the European context. 

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The European Year of Volunteering will build on the European Year for combating Poverty 
and Social Exclusion 2010 by emphasising the link between volunteering, social inclusion and 
employment  and  thus  maximising  the  synergies  and  the  complementarity  of  these  two 
initiatives. 

By  targeting  also  senior  citizens  who  volunteer,  the  European  Year  of  Volunteering  will 
prepare the ground for some specific actions on volunteering and active ageing which can be a 
relevant  experience  for  the  Year  2012  which  may  be  declared  European  Year  of  Active 
Ageing and Intergenerational Solidarity. 

8. 

HELPING TO ACHIEVE COST-EFFECTIVENESS 

8.1. 

Cost implications of the European Year  

The budget for the European Year 2011 will be EUR 6 000 000. In addition, the Commission 
has proposed EUR 2 000 000 for preparatory action during 2010. 

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8.1.1.  Financial  Resources:  Summary  of  commitment  appropriations  (CA)  and 

payment appropriations (PA) 

EUR million (to 3 decimal places) 

2012 

n + 2 

n + 3 

n + 4 

n + 5 
and 
later 

Total 

Expenditure type 

Section 
no. 

Operational expenditure15 

Commitment Appropriations 
(CA) 

8.1. 

Payment 
(PA) 

Appropriations 

a 

b 

Year 
2011 

6.000 

4.000  2.000 

Administrative expenditure within reference amount16 

Technical  &  administrative 
assistance (NDA) 

8.2.4. 

c 

TOTAL REFERENCE AMOUNT 

Commitment 
Appropriations 

a+c  6.000 

Payment Appropriations 

b+c  4.000  2.000 

Administrative expenditure not included in reference amount17 

Human 
associated 
(NDA) 

resources 

and 
expenditure 

8.2.5. 

d 

0.674  0.186 

Administrative  costs,  other 
than  human  resources  and 
associated 
not 
reference 
in 
included 
amount (NDA) 
Total indicative financial cost of intervention18 

8.2.6. 

costs, 

e 

0.106 

0.019 

TOTAL CA including cost 
of Human Resources 

TOTAL  PA  including  cost 
of Human Resources 

a+c
+d+
e 

b+c
+d+
e 

6.780 

0.205 

4.780 

2.205 

6.000 

6.000 

6.000 

6.000 

0.860 

0.125 

6.985 

6.985 

15 
16 
17 
18 

Expenditure that does not fall under Chapter 15 01 of the Title 15 concerned. 
Expenditure within article 15 01 04 of Title 15. 
Expenditure within chapter 15 01 other than articles 15 01 04 or 15 01 05. 
The Commission has proposed within the preliminary draft budget for the year 2010 to attribute 
EUR  2.000.000  for  the  preparatory  actions  of  the  year.  Adequate  human  resources  will  be 
allocated in 2010 for these preparatory actions. 

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8.1.2.  Objectives of the proposal in terms of their financial cost 

Commitment appropriations in EUR million (to 3 decimal places) 

(Headings  of  Objectives, 
actions 
outputs 
and 
should be provided) 

Type of 
output 

Av. 
cost 

Year 2011 

Year n+1 

Year n+2 

TOTAL 

No. 
outputs 

Total 
cost 

No. 
outputs 

Total 
cost 

No. 
outputs 

Total 
cost 

No. 
outputs 

Total 
cost 

Better political 
environment 

National  structures  (20% 

0,100 

27 

l

ti

)
Thematic conference 

di

f

Evaluation 

Sub-total Objective 1 

Empowering 

 Thematic conference 

Sub-total Objective 2 

Recognition 

Thematic conference 

Sub-total Objective 3 

Awareness raising 

0,350 

0,250 

0,350 

0,350 

0,350 

0,350 

1 

1 

29 

1 

1 

1 

1 

2,700 

0,350 

0,250 

3,300 

0,350 

0,350 

0,350 

0,350 

Communication campaign 

1,500 

1 

1,500 

Final conference 

0,500 

1 

0,500 

Sub-total Objective 4 

2,000 

2 

2,000 

27 

1 

1 

29 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

2 

2,700 

0,350 

0,250 

3,300 

0,350 

0,350 

0,350 

0,350 

1,500 

0,500 

2,000 

TOTAL COST 

33 

6,000 

33 

6,000 

8.1.3.  Number and type of human resources 

Types of post 

Staff to be assigned to management of the action using existing and/or 
additional resources (number of posts/FTEs) 

Year 2011  Year 2012  Year n+2  Year n+3  Year n+4  Year n+5 

Officials or  A*/AD 

3 

0,5 

19 

Cost of which is NOT covered by the reference amount 

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17 

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temporary 
staff19 (15 01 
01) 

B*, 
C*/AST 

Staff  financed20  by  art. 
15 01 02 

Other  staff21  financed by 
art. 15 01 04/05 

TOTAL 

2 

1 

6 

0,5 

1 

2 

8.2. 

Could the same results be achieved at lower costs? 

As  the  Year  will  build  on  the  critical  mass  of  projects  supported  by  Community 
programmes, a significant awareness raising process can be achieved by the Year with a 
foreseen limited budget of 6 € millions .  

The  course  of  action  proposed  is  simple:  It  builds  on  existing  programmes  and  on 
communication  and  dissemination  activities  and  European  events  as  well  as  on 
involvement of the Member States through national coordination structures. The proposal 
does not involve disproportionate management or administration costs. 

Financial  leverage  effect  will  be  produced  through  the  momentum  created.  The 
information and communication actions could be used to increase the number of actions 
using the logo and so the visibility of the Year. 

In conclusion, the cost of the action is the lowest possible. Significant reduction would 
endanger  the  viability  of  the  action  and  would  seriously  put  at  risk  its  expected  results 
and impacts. 

9. 

PLANNING OF FUTURE MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

The  design  of  the  monitoring  framework  will  be  mainly  the  responsibility  of  the 
Commission  in  consultation  with  the  Member  States.  The  monitoring  system  will  be 
coherent with the data needed to furnish the indicators (section 3.1). 

An external evaluation exercise will be launched in 2011 in order to gather baseline data, 
monitor the implementation of the Year and provide interim results if needed. The final 
evaluation  results  should  be  available  by  mid-2012.  This  arrangement  will  allow  the 
Commission to report to the EU institutions by the end of 2012 on the results achieved. 
The objective of this report will be to assess the results achieved by the European Year of 
Volunteering in the light of its objectives.  

********* 

20 
21 

Cost of which is NOT covered by the reference amount 
Cost of which is included within the reference amount 

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