COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL How to express EU citizen's solidarity through volunteering: First reflections on a European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps
Date: 2010-11-23
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU policy, humanitarian aid, impact study, international organisation, international security, international voluntary worker, young person

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EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Strasbourg, 23.11.2010 
COM(2010) 683 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL 

How to express EU citizen's solidarity through volunteering: First reflections on a 
European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps  

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL 

How to express EU citizen's solidarity through volunteering: First reflections on a 
European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps  

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

In the field of external relations, the Lisbon Treaty enshrines for the first time humanitarian 
aid as a separate policy of the EU (Article 214, TFEU). This Treaty article specifically refers 
to  the  "European  Voluntary  Humanitarian  Aid  Corps"  (EVHAC),  whose  objective  is  "to 
establish a framework for joint contributions from young Europeans to the humanitarian aid 
operations of the Union" (Article 214.5, TFEU).  

Implementation  of  this  provision  provides  an  opportunity  for  Europeans  to  show  solidarity 
with people in need. This builds on a clear EU trend: Volunteering is on the rise. The last 20 
years have shown a significant upward trend in the number of active volunteers, which now 
stands  at  close  to  100  million  adults  involved  in  volunteering  in  the  EU.  This  implies  that 
around  22%  to  23%  of  Europeans  aged  over  15  years  are  engaged  in  voluntary  work1.  As 
such,  volunteering  is  an  important  value  which  has  the  potential  to  bring  Europe  closer  to 
citizens. 

The volunteering landscape has become more diverse in recent years with a strong increase in 
the  number  of  organisations  employing  volunteers.  The  different  schemes,  actors  and 
approaches  involved  in  volunteering  in  humanitarian  contexts  make  coordination  and 
coherence of paramount importance.  

The  European  Commission,  having  been  tasked  to  table  a  legislative  proposal  for  the 
establishment of the EVHAC, will use this opportunity to include suggestions responding to 
the  new  challenges  and  emerging  needs  related  to  issues  such  as  the  identification  and 
recruitment of volunteers, their training and their deployment. This can only be done on the 
basis of an in-depth consultation of stakeholders and a coherent analysis of opportunities and 
costs, which will pave the way for a future legislative proposal. 

Before reaching that stage, the present Communication aims to present the current situation of 
volunteering  in  the  relevant  sectors  of  activity,  with  particular  attention  being  paid  to  the 
guiding principles, existing gaps, needs, and necessary conditions for the EVHAC to make a 
positive  contribution  to  the  overall  response  to  humanitarian  disasters.  It  also  highlights  the 
most immediate issues to be considered in setting-up the EVHAC, and the way forward. 

2. 

CURRENT SITUATION OF VOLUNTEERING IN THE EU 

The voluntary sector in general, and in external aid in particular, has evolved rapidly in the 
last  decade.  A  large  number  of  voluntary  organisations  and  networks  offer  different 

1 

Study  on  “Volunteering  in  the  European  Union”,  contracted  by  the  European  Commission  –  DG 
Education and Culture to GHK, February 2010. 

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volunteering  schemes,  depending  on  the  organisational  set-up  and  the  philosophy  of  the 
individual organisation. Good examples of initiatives focused on  18-30 year olds have been 
sponsored  by  the  Commission-driven  European  Voluntary  Service  (EVS).  Equally,  most 
humanitarian organisations involve volunteers in their humanitarian activities. There is much 
to  learn  from  these  experiences,  in  particular  regarding  the  recruitment,  training  and 
deployment processes.  

In addition to the general trend, there is an increasing involvement of actors from the private 
sector.  There  are  in  particular  several  models  of  volunteering  created  by  private  companies 
which  may  be  of  interest  for  the  establishment  of  the  EVHAC,  such  as  allowing  staff  to 
provide time and expertise for free through corporate volunteering schemes or by sponsoring 
others to volunteer. The UN has set up a dedicated web-based service2 to match offers from 
the private sector with needs in development or disaster response operations. The Commission 
will  further  investigate  the  potential  of  such  approaches  whilst  respecting  the  specific  roles 
and mandate of implementing organisations in the response to humanitarian disasters. 

As  a  general  rule,  the  involvement  of  volunteers  in  actual  emergency  relief  operations  is 
limited  to  more  experienced  volunteers,  especially  when  security  is  a  problem.  While  a 
broader approach is sometimes applied for development aid volunteers, they are nevertheless 
often  required  to  have  home  country  experience  before  being  sent  abroad,  which  is  another 
important aspect to keep in mind. 

The  biggest  player  in  the  field  of  volunteers  is  the  UNV  (United  Nations  Volunteers) 
Programme,  which  employs  150  Headquarter  staff  and  more  than  7 500  volunteers  (2009), 
plus  9 500  online  volunteers.  In  2009  UNVs  came  from  163  different  countries  (75%  of 
which are developing countries), working mostly on protracted crisis and on Linking Relief, 
Rehabilitation  and  Development  (LRRD),  rather  than  in  emergency  relief.  Despite  its  focus 
on local volunteers, recent years have seen an increasing percentage of expatriate volunteers 
for difficult missions (crisis prevention, humanitarian aid, peacekeeping and peace building). 
UNVs equally work in local capacity building, training, and as advisors to local and national 
aid workers.  

A  selection  of  some  of  the  large  volunteer-sending  organisations  working  in  humanitarian 
disaster relief and development are described in the table below. 

Organisation 

Number  of  Volunteers 
per year  

Assistance area3  

Typical  Profile 
Volunteer 

of 

European  Voluntary  Service 
(DG EAC) 

6 300  in  2009  in  EU 
neighbouring 
and 
of 
countries 
assignments 
third 
countries) 

(10% 
in 

Voluntary  services  for  the 
benefit  of  the  local  (host) 
community (e.g. in the fields 
of arts, culture, sports, social 
care, etc.) 

18-30  years  old,  no 
requirements 
specific 
with 
to 
education,  professional 
experience, etc.  

respect 

Weltwärts  Scheme,  German 
Development 
Cooperation 
(BMZ) 

3 500  in  2009  /  OECD 
List 
of  Developing 
Countries 

Development  Cooperation 
via  local  host  organisations 
in developing countries 

years 

18-28 
completed 
training 
form secondary school 

old, 
vocational 
/  graduated 

2 
3 

http://business.un.org/en 
Civil Protection, Humanitarian Assistance, Development Cooperation and other. 

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Organisation 

Number  of  Volunteers 
per year  

Assistance area3  

Typical  Profile 
Volunteer 

of 

UNDP 
Officer Programme (JPO) 

Junior  Professional 

VSO/UK and members  

Malteser International 

(Young  professional 
entry programme) 

career 

Around  360  per  year  / 
various  countries  with 
/ 
UN 
projects  (funded  by  25 
donor countries) 

operations 

Around  1 500  active 
volunteers over the year 
(long-term  and  short-
term 
/ 
world wide 

placements) 

80 000 
trained 
volunteers  and  20 000 
staff 
13 000 
(plus 
members)  /  world  wide 
in  projects  operated  by 
Malteser 

Different 
including 
areas 
Development  Cooperation 
and  Humanitarian  assistance 
(mainly in country offices) 

Younger  than  32  years, 
Master  Degree  and  1-2 
years  of  professional 
experience  

Focussed  on  Development 
Cooperation 
(six 
development goals) 

old, 
years 
18-75 
minimum  of  2  years  of 
professional experience 

Civil 
Humanitarian 
Rehabilitation 
Development Cooperation 

Protection, 
Assistance, 
and 

Johanniter  International  (JOIN 
Brussels) 

alone: 
In  Germany 
around 
29 000 
volunteers, 13 000 staff  

Protection, 
Civil 
Humanitarian Assistance and 
Development Cooperation 

University degree, some 
with 
experience 
working 
foreign 
in 
countries,  driver  license 
(and  membership 
in 
Catholic church) 

professional 
Various 
profiles including social 
services,  health  care; 
and  humanitarian  aid 
protection 
and 
third 
in 
activities 
countries. 

civil 

IFRC 

Red  Cross  movement 
97M. 
around 
has 
members world wide of 
which  20M.  are  active 
volunteers  (at  national 
level) 

Use  volunteers  of  the 
national societies – only 
professionals 
are 
employed  for  overseas 
missions  in  developing 
countries 

Civil  Protection  /  Disaster 
Preparedness  and  Prevention 
/  Humanitarian  Assistance  / 
Development Assistance 

Various 
(including 
sections 
level)  

at 

profiles 
youth 
national 

International 
volunteering  for  young 
people (18-30 years) via 
cooperation  with  EVS 
(in 
and 
neighbouring  countries 
– and third countries)  

EU 

the 

3. 

GUIDING PRINCIPLES 

The following aspects should guide the reflection on the establishment of the EVHAC: 

–  Solidarity.  Humanitarian  action  is  a  fundamental  expression  of  the  European  value  of 
solidarity  with  people  affected  by  disasters.  The  setting  up  of  the  EVHAC  should  be  a 
concrete  expression  of  this  value  of  solidarity.  It  could  equally  contribute  to  the 
development  of  a  more  cohesive  European  society  by  creating  new  opportunities  for 
participation for European citizens, especially younger ones. 

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–  Humanitarian principles. The EU has a firm commitment to the humanitarian principles 
of  humanity,  neutrality,  impartiality  and  independence,  as  established  in  the  2007 
European  Consensus  on  Humanitarian  Aid4.  The  perception  and  credibility  of 
humanitarian actors is directly linked to the way in which these principles are adhered to in 
a  context  of  humanitarian  response.  All  EU  actors  involved  in  a  crisis,  including 
volunteers, must work in respect of these principles. 

–  Professionalism  and  Safety.  One  of  the  major  trends  in  humanitarian  aid  aims  at 
increasing  the  professionalism  of  aid  actors,  to  better  respond  to  increasing  challenges 
from the field. Security and safety conditions become more and more serious concerns for 
humanitarian organisations and their workers, especially in conflict areas, and there is the 
need  to  address  these  issues  appropriately.  The  changing  nature  of  volunteers  (profiles, 
motivations,  aspirations),  and  in  particular  the  increasingly  professional  nature  of  staff 
employed in the voluntary sector entails new challenges in terms of management of human 
resources  within  organisations  engaging  volunteers.  Volunteers  are  also  confronted  with 
increasingly  demanding  tasks  that  require  specific  competences  and  skills,  creating  a 
potential  tension  between,  on  the  one  hand,  demands  placed  on  volunteers  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  ability  of  volunteers  to  meet  these  demands  and  become  operational 
rapidly. 

–  Added  value.  Special  consideration  will  be  given  to  coordination  and  cooperation  with 
existing voluntary  organisations. In order to avoid duplication and ensure a cost-efficient 
use  of  available  resources,  EVHAC  should  build  as  much  as  possible  on  existing 
structures. 

4. 

NEEDS AND CONDITIONS 

Needs 

Despite  the  large  number  of  existing  schemes,  there  are  nevertheless  a  number  of  common 
challenges  for  volunteer  sending  organisations  and  some  clear  gaps  inside  the  existing 
systems that deserve further analysis. 

(1) 

(2) 

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There is a need for clear and tested criteria to identify the volunteers who will be able 
to  rapidly  acquire  the  ability  to  contribute  to  EU  humanitarian  efforts.  While  many 
Europeans  are  highly  interested  in  humanitarian  aid  and  want  to  contribute  to 
operations of the Union, not all are aware of the conditions and the skills required.  

There  is  also  a  need  for  more  structured  training,  common  standards  and  good 
practices. The minimum training of volunteers needs to include different basic aspects 
of humanitarian systems and principles, security and self-care, as well as conditions in 
the  country  volunteers  will  be  deploying  to  such  as  language,  key  relevant  cultural 
issues  etc.  A  series  of  relevant  training  courses,  institutes  and  educational  platforms 
already  exist,  both  in  the  humanitarian  and  in  the  private  sector5.  At  the  same  time 

http://ec.europa.eu/echo/policies/consensus_en.htm 
The  training  providers  include  NOHA  (which  provides  a  European  Master  in  International 
Humanitarian  Action),  not-for-profits  organisations  such  as  Acción  Contra  el  Hambre,  RedR  (UK), 
Bioforce (France), DTalk (Ireland), AgeH (Germany), ATHA (Sweden) or UNHCR’s e-centre. There 
are  also  specialist  for-profits  organisations  which  might  offer  specific  modules  such  as  CSD 

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many organisations consulted by the European Commission feel that some commonly 
agreed benchmarks and training modules would be of help to avoid situations where 
less  experienced  volunteer  sending  organisations  deploy  staff  without  the  minimum 
skills.  In  any  event,  any  training  activity  potentially  to  be  developed  under  the 
EVHAC must ensure complementarity and coherence with existing training courses.  

There  is  a  need  for  improved  stand-by  rosters  of  experienced  volunteers  for  rapid 
deployment in crisis contexts (surge capacity, including in key areas such as health), 
which is essential to have the right people in the right place at the right time. In 2010 
this  gap  has  been  demonstrated  quite  impressively  through  experiences  in  Haiti  and 
Pakistan (see box below on the case of Haiti), where despite the substantial number of 
international  staff  deployed  to  the  emergency  there  is  still  a  perceived  lack  of 
experienced personnel with management and leadership qualities. 

There  is  a  need  to  strengthen  support  to  back-office  functions  in  implementing 
organisations,  including  during  a  surge  phase,  in  order  to  temporarily  increase 
organisational  capacities  and  release  experienced  staff  to  move  closer  to  the  field. 
Support  activities  at  European 
information  and 
communication  have  also  been  identified  as  possible  areas  for  an  increased 
involvement of volunteers. 

including  advocacy, 

level, 

(3) 

(4) 

Lessons learnt from Haiti 

The  experience  of  volunteers  involved  with  the  earthquake  in  Haiti  confirmed,  on  the  one 
hand, the need for skilled and rapidly deployable volunteers for the immediate response to the 
emergency and, on the other hand, the possibility of using less-skilled volunteers for auxiliary 
functions. 

The majority of volunteers used by agencies in Haiti were paid, either by their companies or 
governments.  Unskilled  volunteers  who  arrived  en  masse  during  the  early  days  with  good 
intentions  were  less  effective  and  in  some  cases  even  disruptive,  confirming  the  view  that 
whatever definition is used for the term "volunteer", it has to include a minimum amount of 
training and preparation prior to deployment.  

In Haiti the pre-existing weakness of local structures and the terrible toll of the earthquake on 
these  structures  reinforced  the  need  for  skilled  and  experienced  expatriate  staff,  but  equally 
showed  opportunities  of  mentoring  and  peering  with  local  counterparts,  which  represent 
another potentially interesting aspect for the establishment of EVHAC.  

Possible  tasks  to  be  fulfilled  by  less-experienced  volunteers  were  also  identified,  such  as 
back-up field work (reinforcing agency staff on intensive tasks which do not require extensive 
technical  skills),  services  to  NGOs  and  support  to  aid  workers’  accommodation/offices, 
support to local NGOs, and reporting.  

(Netherlands:  security),  CHP  (France:  psychosocial),  Mango  (UK:  finance),  BOND  (UK)  and  other 
national networks. 

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Conditions 

Alongside the needs, some clear conditions for the EVHAC have already been identified.  

•  The  use  of  volunteers  in  the  framework  of  the  EVHAC  should  be  demand-driven  and 
needs-based,  in  order  to  avoid  an  over-supply  of  volunteers  without  the  right  skills.  The 
cost benefit ratio of identifying, recruiting, training, integrating and supervising volunteers 
is a common concern of voluntary organisations, specifically due to high turnover of staff 
who  only  stay  for  short-term  missions.  For  this  reason,  the  benefit  of  training  and 
deploying a volunteer in relation to the costs has to be balanced. Sending organisations are 
more willing to invest in young volunteers if this investment can be seen as a career entry 
and there is some guarantee that staff will continue to be available for the organisation. 

•  Any funding for an EVHAC should not divert funds from the core operational budget for 
responding to people's needs in disasters but rather be seen as an additional investment in 
the  capacity  of  humanitarian  actors,  both  in  Europe  and  locally.  Consequently,  costs  and 
benefits of the proposed scheme will have to be analysed carefully, and ambitions adapted 
accordingly.  

•  Security  aspects  are  of  fundamental  importance.  The  complex  political  and  security 
contexts  in  which  humanitarian  workers  are  often  employed  makes  great  attention  to 
security issues for volunteers essential. 80% of humanitarian aid goes to areas affected by 
conflicts, and attacks against humanitarian staff have risen considerably in the last years6 
For  this  reason,  there  is  a  clear  consensus  amongst  volunteer  sending  organisations  to 
avoid having young and less experienced volunteers in difficult settings, and in any case to 
ensure  a  maximum  preparation  before  deployment.  In  general,  most  humanitarian 
organisations employ volunteers mainly in a pre-disaster or post-crisis setting, where there 
is often a lack of skilled staff that has already moved on to the next big disaster.  

•  Support  to  local  capacities  is  of  vital  importance  in  disaster  preparedness,  humanitarian 
disaster response, and post-disaster settings. Many jobs or support activities can be done by 
local workers, helping to create cash-for-work programmes and allowing for a re-start of 
the  economy.  These  kinds  of  activities  should  not  be  taken  over  by  expatriate  volunteer 
schemes.  On  the  other  hand,  the  EVHAC  might  play  a  role  in  reinforcing  local 
volunteering and building capacities through mentoring and twinning approaches, teaming 
up expatriates with local volunteers, etc. 

•  The large range of existing voluntary organisations calls for cooperative approaches by the 
Commission in setting up the EVHAC, including special attention to complementarities in 
order  to  avoid  duplication  and  disruption  of  already  well-functioning  voluntary  schemes 
such  as  the  general  volunteering  programmes  at  the  EU  level  (the  European  Voluntary 
Service, the Youth on the Move initiative, EURES job mobility portal, etc.). Cooperation 
will also be established with all humanitarian actors working with volunteers including the 
UN, the Red Cross/Crescent family, and the NGOs, as well as relevant schemes run by the 
EU Member States.  

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278 humanitarian workers were victims of serious security incidents in 2009 (205 national staff and 73 
international), of which 102 were killed (88 national and 14 international staff). 

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5. 

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS AND FIRST OPTIONS 

The exact definition of a "volunteer" is a subject of much debate amongst practitioners, as it 
includes  –  depending  on  the  interlocutor  –  notions  of  "young",  "inexperienced",  "unskilled" 
and "unpaid" or "underpaid", in variable combinations. For the purpose of the establishment 
of  the  EVHAC  one  or  several  "types"  of  volunteers  will  be  defined,  in  order  to  be  able  to 
define  criteria  for  eligibility  and  activities,  as  well  as  to  perform  a  costing  exercise.  Given 
current budgetary constraints, the Commission will aim to strike a balance between the need 
to  make  maximum  use  of  existing  structures  by  building  on  them,  and  the  need  to  make  a 
proposal  that  provides  solutions  to  some  of  the  challenges  that  the  stakeholders  face  in 
working with volunteers. 

Whatever the definition of the skills for a volunteer in the context of the EVHAC, the current 
economic climate in the EU and the demographic challenges of the coming decades make it 
essential  that  these  skills  can  be  used  as  widely  as  possible,  allowing  a  further  professional 
development of people involved in the EVHAC. 

The  exact  profile  of  volunteers  under  a  proposed  EVHAC  will  need  further  consideration. 
Whilst  the  Treaty  stipulates  that  the  "framework  shall  allow  the  young  to  make  a 
contribution…." there is both a need for more experienced and consequently less young staff, 
and a clear trend of older, in some cases even retired citizens with the necessary skills wanting 
to  make  a  contribution.  At  the  same  time,  the  EVHAC  should  be  sufficiently  inclusive  to 
allow people from different social backgrounds to volunteer, as some existing schemes are not 
viable without  a considerable financial  contribution  by the  volunteer him/herself.  In  general 
the Commission will strive to make the approach as inclusive as possible, whilst ensuring that 
the scheme clearly remains demand-driven and professional. 

The type of activities for volunteers under the EVHAC should cover a large range, not only 
related to classical humanitarian crisis response. Disaster Risk Reduction activities, aimed at 
reducing the vulnerability of disaster prone countries and regions, as well as interventions in 
transition  situations,  aimed  at  ensuring  a  smooth  evolution  from  relief  to  the  development 
phase, are part and parcel of the aid contiguum, and can provide meaningful and sustainable 
contexts for volunteer deployment. 

Regarding concrete options for the establishment of the EVHAC, the work done so far points 
generally towards three major approaches: 

A first option would mainly consist of addressing the challenges volunteer organisations have 
indicated  regarding  generally  agreed  standards  of  selection  and  training  for  volunteers, 
including  in  some  specialised  niches  such  as  volunteer  management,  some  back-office 
functions or prevention and preparedness activities. This could include the establishment of an 
"EU certification mechanism" for organisations respecting those standards. 

Another option could combine the approach described above, which focuses on training with 
work on recruitment and rosters for surge capacities for the benefit of organisations involved 
in humanitarian disaster relief (NGOs, Red Cross and UN), especially targeting experienced 
staff to be deployed in key functions.  

A further option-that is to say the establishment of a fully-fledged volunteer scheme including 
selection,  training,  matching  and  deployment  of  volunteers  (similar  to  some  of  the 
programmes  described  above)-  would  need  careful  consideration,  especially  regarding  the 

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appropriate management structure (inside or outside the Commission), though its operational 
implementation would not present insurmountable obstacles. 

All  these  options  will  have  to  be  examined  while  respecting  the  current  ceilings  of  the 
relevant  headings  of  the  Multiannual  Financial  Framework.  For  the  period  post  2013,  they 
will be examined in the context of the Commission wide debate on all proposals to be made 
for that period. 

Whatever the chosen approach, the concrete results and added value of EVHAC will need to 
be  visible  for  the  European  citizen  in  order  to  show  clearly  the  expression  of  Europe's 
solidarity with people in need. 

6. 

CONCLUSIONS AND WAY FORWARD 

The  first  stocktaking  phase  leading-up  to  this  Communication  has  allowed  the  European 
Commission to obtain a broad picture of the current situation of volunteering, including the 
identification of challenges, gaps and emerging needs.  

Nevertheless there are a number of open questions, and further research and testing of options 
is needed before a legislative proposal can be tabled. 

For this reason, subject to the availability of corresponding appropriations in the 2011 budget, 
the  Commission  will  launch  a  preparatory  action  next  year,  which  will  allow  further 
development  of  the  scheme  during  the  European  Year  of  Volunteering.  The  continuous 
dialogue  with  stakeholders  will  allow  the  Commission  to  prepare  a  proposal  for  the 
establishment of the EVHAC responding to real needs and providing an effective contribution 
to humanitarian disaster response. 

The Commission will: 

•  Continue the consultation with stakeholders through different channels, including an open, 

on-line consultation; 

•  Subject to the adoption of the 2011 budget, implement a preparatory action next year, the 

European Year of Volunteering; 

•  Analyse further the gaps and opportunities, as well the possible forms of cooperation with 

relevant actors; 

•  Look  at  different  options  in  terms  of  a  sound  and  fraud-proof  management  structure  and 

scope of intervention; 

•  Assess the cost/effectiveness of the different options and social impacts in the framework 
of an Impact Assessment, while taking into account the above mentioned conditions for the 
EU financing of this initiative; 

•  Table a legislative proposal in 2012. 

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