REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the final evaluation of the 2014 – 2020 EU Aid Volunteers Initiative
Date: 2025-04-01
Institutions: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission
Subjects: EU aid, EU initiative, activity report, aid evaluation, aid to disaster victims, emergency aid, international voluntary worker, man-made disaster, natural disaster, third country

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 1.4.2025  COM(2025) 141 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the final evaluation of the 2014 – 2020 EU Aid Volunteers Initiative  {SWD(2025) 76 final}  
 
 
Contents 

1. 

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 2 

2. 

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EU AID VOLUNTEERS INITIATIVE ...................................... 3 

3.  MAIN EVALUATION FINDINGS ................................................................................................ 3 

3.1.  Relevance, coherence, effectiveness and efficiency – to what extent has the EUAV 

Initiative been successful? .................................................................................................... 5 

Programme relevance ................................................................................................... 5 

Coherence ..................................................................................................................... 5 

Effectiveness .................................................................................................................. 6 

Efficiency ....................................................................................................................... 7 

3.2.  EU added value – how has the EUAV Initiative made a difference, and for whom? ........... 8 

4.  CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................................. 8 

1 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1.  INTRODUCTION  

The  EU  Aid  Volunteers  initiative  (‘EUAV  Initiative’  or  ‘the  Initiative’) was  an  EU 
programme  established  by  Regulation  EU  (No)  375/20141,  which,  in  accordance  with  its 
Article 7, pursued five operational objectives: 

•  Contribute  to  increasing  and  improving  the  capacity  of  the  Union  to  provide 

humanitarian aid. 

• 

Improve  the  skills,  knowledge  and  competences  of  volunteers  in  the  field  of 
humanitarian aid and the terms and conditions of their engagement. 

•  Build the capacity of hosting organisations and foster volunteering in third countries. 

•  Communicate the Union's humanitarian aid principles agreed in the European Consensus 

on Humanitarian Aid. 

•  Enhance  coherence  and  consistency  of  volunteering  across  Member  States  in  order  to 
improve opportunities for Union citizens to participate in humanitarian aid activities and 
operations. 

In compliance with  Article 27(4)(d) of this Regulation, the European Commission has  now 
carried  out  the  final  evaluation  of  the  Initiative  over  the  period  2014-2020.  This  final 
evaluation was supported by two external studies (carried out in 2021 and from June 2023 to 
December 2024) and consultations.  

The evaluation assessed the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and added value 
of the Initiative.  

The evaluation has concluded that the Initiative had been both: (i) responsive to the needs of 
the volunteers participating in the Initiative; and (ii) aligned with the objective of improving 
the skills and knowledge of volunteers in the field of humanitarian aid. The Initiative also: (i) 
responded  to  the  need  to  support  the  capacity  building  of  host  organisations;  (ii)  promoted 
volunteering  in  non-EU  countries;  and  (iii)  provided  EU  added  value  by  contributing  to 
common  standards  for  humanitarian-aid  volunteering  across  EU  Member  States.  The 
Initiative  made  the  most  of  the  EU’s  global  presence  to  improve  the  deployment  of 
volunteers,  providing  a  platform  for  people  to  engage  in  meaningful  humanitarian-aid 
activities in non-EU countries. 

The  accompanying  staff  working  document  provides  details  on  the  evaluation’s  findings, 
consultations and methodology. 

1   OJ  L  122,  24.4.2014,  p.  1–17. This  Regulation is  no  longer  in  force  as  it  was  repealed  by  Regulation  (EU)  2021/888 

establishing the European Solidarity Corps Programme. 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.  IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EU AID VOLUNTEERS INITIATIVE 

When entering  in  force in 2009,  Article 214(5)  of the Treaty  on the Functioning  of the EU 
provided for the creation of the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps (EVHAC), the 
objective of which was to set up a ‘framework for joint contributions from young Europeans 
to the Humanitarian Aid operations of the Union’.  
In  2014,  the  EUAV  Initiative  was  set  up  by  Regulation  (EU)  No  375/2014.  The  overall 
objective of the Initiative was to contribute to increasing and improving the EU’s capacity to 
provide  needs-based  humanitarian  aid  aimed  at:  (i)  preserving  life;  (ii)  preventing  and 
alleviating  human  suffering;  (iii)  maintaining  human  dignity;  and  (iv)  strengthening  the 
capacity  and  resilience  of  vulnerable  or  disaster-affected  communities  in  third  countries 
(particularly  through  disaster  preparedness,  disaster-risk  reduction  and  better  links  between 
disaster relief, disaster rehabilitation and development). 

Regulation  (EU)  No  375/2014  stated  that  the  actions  of  the  EUAV  Initiative  should  be 
conducted  in  compliance  with  the  humanitarian-aid  principles  (i.e.  humanity,  neutrality, 
impartiality and independence) and and the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid2. The 
Regulation  also  said  the  actions  of  the  Initiative  should  aim  to:  (i)  respond  to  the  needs  of 
local  communities  and  the  requirements  of  the  hosting  organisations;  (ii)  ensure  the  safety 
and  security  of  candidate  volunteers;  (iii)  promote  transnational  partnerships;  and  and  (iv) 
contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of the humanitarian sector.  

The EUAV Initiative brought together volunteers and organisations from different countries, 
and  aimed  to  incentivise  and  foster:  (i)  collaboration;  (ii)  the  exchange  of  knowledge  and 
good  practices;  and  (iii)  the  building  of  partnerships  between  organisations  in  the  field  of 
humanitarian aid. 

The  European  Education  and  Culture  Executive  Agency  (EACEA)  was  responsible  for  the 
practical  implementation  of  the  EUAV  Initiative  (i.e.  for  calls  for  proposals,  contract 
management,  budget  appropriation,  etc.).  The  programme  was  managed  until  2020  by  the 
Directorate-General  for  European  Civil  Protection  and  Humanitarian  Aid  Operations  (DG 
ECHO),  and  for  the  legacy  projects  that  continued  in  2021  and  2022,  by  the  Directorate-
General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC). The Initiative was phased out at 
the  end  of  2020  (but  the  implementation  of  ongoing  projects  continued  until  2022)  and 
integrated into the European Solidarity Corps. 

3.  MAIN EVALUATION FINDINGS 

Based  on  the  Commission’s  Better  Regulation  Guidelines 3,  the  evaluation  draws  on  the 
evidence provided by two external studies, the first one carried out in 20214 and the second 

2   https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/who/european-consensus_en  :  Joint  Statement  by  the  Council 
and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council, the European Parliament 
and the European Commission 

3   https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-making-process/planning-and-proposing-law/better-regulation-why-and-how/better-

regulation-guidelines-and-toolbox_en. 

3 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
one  carried  out  in  2023-20245.  The  evaluation  conculded  with  an  overall  positive 
assessment of the Initiative across all evaluation criteria. 

4   ADE 

(2021).  Ex-post 

evaluation  of 

the  EU  Aid  Volunteers 

Initiative,  2014-2020.  Available 

at: 

5  

https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/1d172a85-0b96-11ec-adb1-01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 
Interim evaluation for the 2021-2027 European Solidarity Corps, final evaluation for the 2018-2020 European Solidarity 
at 
Corps 
https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2766/5736339 

2014-2020  EU  Aid  Volunteers 

Initiative.  Available 

evaluation 

final 

and 

the 

for 

4 

 
 
 
 
3.1.  Relevance, coherence, effectiveness and efficiency – to what extent has the 

EUAV Initiative been successful?  

Relevance 

Main findings 

•  The  EUAV  Initiative  aligned  with  the  need  to  promote  capacity  building  in 
hosting organisations, as it provided timely and necessary support and expertise to 
partner organisations. 

• 

It  was  also  well-aligned  with  the  need  to  improve  EU  volunteering  within  the 
humanitarian-aid 
field  by  employing  a  comprehensive  approach.  Most 
organisations surveyed by the evaluation agreed or strongly agreed that the Initiative 
had addressed persisting needs in the less-developed countries. 

•  The Initiative also: (i) addressed the central needs and concerns of participating 
volunteers  and  host  organisations;  (ii)  improved  the  transversal skills  of  these 
volunteers  and  host  organisations;  (iii)  built  an  understanding  of  the  needs  and 
challenges  of  the  less-developed  countries;  and  (iv)  addressed  the  need  to  prepare 
people for careers in international development. 

Coherence 

Main findings 

•  The EUAV Initiative was complementary to other EU programmes (including the 
European  Solidarity  Corps,  the  former  European  Voluntary  Service  and  Erasmus+) 
due to its wider geographical scope and the specific types of activities it organised. 

•  Although  the  Initiative’s  objectives  were  coherent  and  aligned  with  the  EU’s 
humanitarian agenda, there was limited evidence of synergies between the Initiative’s 
activities and other EU activities in the areas of humanitarian aid. 

•  The  Initiative  was  perceived  by  stakeholders  as  coherent  with  national  policies  in 
host  countries.  Informal  links  between  the  Initiative  and  some  volunteer  networks 
within EU Member States were observed. 

•  Stakeholders  highly  valued  the  Initiative  for  strengthening  local  capacities, 

particularly through training. 

The  latest  evaluation  study  found  that  the  Initiative  was  complementary  to  other  EU 
programmes offering volunteering activities due to its wider geographical scope and specific 
types  of  activities.  Like  the  European  Solidarity  Corps,  the  Initiative  was  concerned  with 
solidarity but with a focus on humanitarian action in non-EU countries.  

5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Although  the  EUAV  Initiative’s  objectives  were  coherent  and  aligned  with  the  EU’s 
humanitarian  agenda,  the  evaluation  found  limited  evidence  of  synergies  between  the 
Initiative’s  activities  and  other  EU  activities  in  the  areas  of  humanitarian  aid.  A  major 
challenge,  as  noted  in  the  previous  evaluation  study,  is  that  security  concerns  prevented 
volunteers from being deployed to regions where EU humanitarian-aid efforts were underway 
during  disasters.  The  coherence  of  the  Initiative  with  other  EU  humanitarian  actions  was 
limited by: (i) the fact that volunteers could not be deployed to conflict zones6; (ii) internal 
concerns  about  deploying  young  volunteers  to  emergency  situations7;  and  (iii)  lengthy 
recruitment  and  deployment  procedures.  In  addition,  as  found  by  the  first  evaluation  study, 
there was a lack of information among DG ECHO field offices or other EU delegations about 
the  Initiative’s  activities  and  limited  interactions  between  them8.  However,  the  fact  that  the 
Initiative was very small compared with overall EU humanitarian aid (EUR 141 million was 
allocated to the Initiative for 2014-2020 under EU Regulation EU (No) 375/2014 compared 
with the European Commission’s humanitarian-aid budget of EUR 13.5 billion for the same 
period9) also limits the potential observation of wider synergies. 

Effectiveness 

Main findings 

•  The  EUAV  Initiative  faced  substantial  challenges  in  achieving  the  targeted 
number  of  deployments.  Although  some  of  these  challenges  were  subsequently 
addressed,  the  Initiative  was  severely  hit  by  the  restrictions  on  travel  during  the 
COVID-19  pandemic.  The  number  of  volunteers  travelling  abroad  to  work  on 
activities under the Initiative fell by 90% between 2019 and 2020. 

•  Individual  Initiative  participants  benefited 

improved  skills  and 
professional  development,  particularly  in  high-demand  areas  such  as  project 
management and security training before their deployment. These volunteers also got 
to practice and develop various transversal skills in the development context. 

from 

•  The  Initiative  helped  organisations  to  gain  increased  capacity  in  disaster-risk 
reduction  and  resilience,  increasing  their  visibility,  credibility,  and  operational  and 
communication  capacity.  Organisations  that  wished  to  participate  in  the  EU  Aid 
Volunteers  Initiative  and  deploy  or  host  volunteers  had  to  be  certified  as  either 
sending or hosting organisations. An open call was published in 2015 which allowed 
organisations to apply until 30 September 2020. By the end of 2020, 74 sending and 
296 hosting organisations had been certified. 

•  The Initiative benefited the supported communities, especially those communities 
that  were  vulnerable  to natural  hazards  and  large  migrant  flows.  The  Initiative 

6   Article 14(3) of EUAV Regulation 375/2014. 
7   ADE (2021). Ex-post evaluation of the EU Aid Volunteers Initiative, 2014-2020. 
8  
9   DG ECHO Annual Activity Reports 2014-2020. 

Ibid. 

6 

 
 
 
 
provided  critically  important  support  to  build  resilience  and  disaster-management 
capabilities in disaster-prone areas. 

•  The  Initiative  increased  the  use  of  innovative  approaches  during  the  COVID-19 
pandemic,  such  as  online  volunteering,  to  ensure  ongoing  community  engagement 
and support. 

Efficiency 

Main findings 

Budget  execution  and  programme  management  were  efficient  given  the  context  within 
which  the  programme  was  implemented,  with  improvements  needed  in  the  measuring  of 
outputs and outcomes. 

•  Funding  was  sufficient  as  the  budget  spent  was  only  around  76%  of  all  available 
funds. This was due in large part to the delays in starting up the EU Aid Volunteers 
Initiative and delays towards the end of the outbreak of COVID-19.  

•  On  implementation,  the  actual  expenditures  for  the  EU  Aid  Volunteers  Initiative 
were  consistent  with  the  share  of  the  budget  allocation  specified  in  Regulation 
EU (No) 375/2014.   However, the Initiative failed to meet both its spending targets 
and its target for the number of participating volunteers. By the end of 2022, funding 
was  secured  for  1  192  deployments,  equating  to  29%  of  the  initial  goal  of  4  175. 
Thus,  there  are  doubts  that  the  available  funding  would  have  been  realistic  for  the 
Initiative to achieve all its goals. This indicates that the Initiative allocated 76% of its 
budget  towards  achieving  29%  of  its  objectives. Extrapolating  this,  fulfilling  100% 
of the target for the number of volunteers deployed would have likely necessitated a 
much higher budget. 

•  Moreover,  the  rationale  linking  the  budget  allocation  to  expected  activities  and 
outcomes  was  unclear.  For  example,  there  was  no  explicit  linkage  between  the 
budget  allocated  and  the  number,  duration,  outcomes  and  impacts  of  volunteer 
deployments,  and  this  may  have  led  to  inefficiencies.  Ensuring  a  more  direct 
connection between these aspects would have potentially contributed to a more cost-
effective Initiative. 

•  Delays in starting up the EUAV Initiative and in implementing it during COVID-19 
both contributed to a low implementation rate of only 29% of the initial goal.  

•  On  performance  management,  the  actual  costs  per  organisation  engaged  in 
interventions  were  10%  lower  than  originally  anticipated  in  the  budget,  which 
indicates some degree of cost-effectiveness.  

7 

 
 
 
 
 
3.2.  EU added value – how has the EUAV Initiative made a difference, and for 

whom?  

Main findings 

•  The  EUAV  Initiative  aligned  with  the  need  to  promote  capacity  building  in 
hosting organisations, as it provided timely and necessary support and expertise to 
partner organisations. 

•  The  Initiative  was  also  well-aligned  with  the  need  for  improvements  in  EU 
volunteering  within  the  humanitarian-aid  field  by  employing  a  comprehensive 
approach. Most organisations agreed or strongly agreed that the Initiative addressed 
persisting needs within less-developed countries. 

•  It addressed the central needs and concerns of participating volunteers and host 
organisations,  improved  their  transversal skills,  and  built  an  understanding  of  the 
needs  and  challenges  of  the  less-developed  countries.  It  also  addressed  the  need  to 
prepare people for careers in international development. 

The initial 2021 evaluation study of the EUAV Initiative found that it was relevant for both 
organisations  and  individuals.  Nevertheless,  the  2021  evaluation  study  identified  areas  for 
improvement, particularly for third parties and the promotion of EU humanitarian principles 
beyond  direct  beneficiaries.  The  latest  evaluation  study  also  found  that  the  Initiative  was 
aligned with local governments’ disaster-management needs and domestic initiatives. Surveys 
revealed  that  the  Initiative’s  main  objectives  were  generally  aligned  with  societal  needs, 
although  participants  questioned  whether  the  projects  effectively  increased  community 
resilience or raised awareness of EU humanitarian principles. 

4.  CONCLUSIONS 

Following  the  launch  of  the  EU  Aid  Volunteers  Initiative,  participation  fell  short  of 
expectations.  During  the  2014-2020  period,  the  Initiative  aimed  to  support  the  training  of 
4 400 volunteers and the deployment of 4 000 volunteers. It also aimed to provide technical 
assistance and capacity building for participating organisations and carry out communication 
and  support  activities.  However,  by  the  end  of  2022,  only  1 192  deployments  had  been 
financed (representing 29% of the original target) and 788 deployments had been completed. 

The  Initiative  introduced  a  rigorous  certification  mechanism  that  required  sending  and 
hosting organisations to demonstrate they had the necessary procedures and policies to meet 
the programme’s high standards for volunteering activities, which led to ambitious targets for 
certified organisations and volunteers being  trained and deployed,  although  this  mechanism 
was not in place during the pilot phase. Even if these targets were not fully met, the EUAV 
Initiative has marked the EU’s first steps to support humanitarian-aid volunteering. 

To address the challenges faced by the EUAV Initiative, a new humanitarian-aid strand was 
created  within  the  European  Solidarity  Corps  under  the  2021-2027  multiannual  financial 

8 

 
 
 
 
 
 
framework. This aimed to increase coherence and synergy with the other volunteering actions 
of the Corps, building  on the legacy of the EU Aid Volunteers  initiative. By expanding the 
European Solidarity Corps to include humanitarian aid in non-EU countries, the programme 
has  solidified  its  role  as  a  unique  gateway  for  young  people  to  engage  in  volunteering  and 
other solidarity activities. This  expansion has  also increased the programme’s visibility and 
impact both within the EU and beyond. 

At  the  implementation  level,  lessons  learned  from  the  EUAV  Initiative  notably  the 
preselection  by  projects  of  candidate  volunteers  before  the  compulsory  centralised  training 
have resulted in significantly simplified access for interested young people and organisations, 
including  improved  measures  to  involve  young  people  with  fewer  opportunities  in 
volunteering. The programme’s quality and support mechanisms have also been strengthened, 
with additional training and support options available to participants before, during, and after 
their engagement. 

At the implementation level, lessons learned from the 2014-2020 EUAV Initiative have been 
instrumental  for  the  design  of  the  new  humanitarian  aid  strand  of  the  2021-2027  European 
Solidarity Corps, and particularly in the following areas: 
•  Thanks  to  the  requirement  for  interested  young  people  to  register  and  express  their 
interest  on  the  EU  Youth  Portal,  a  wider  pool  of  candidate  volunteers  is  available  for 
projects. 

•  Projects  funded  under  this  new  strand  select  volunteers  directly  from  a  pool  of  trained 
candidate volunteers, in contrast with the EUAV Initiative which required volunteers to be 
pre-selected by projects before the compulsory centralised initial training. This allows for 
more  transparency  and  shortens  considerably  the  time  span  between  selection  and 
deployment,  with  the  aim  to  reduce  the  number  of  dropouts  and  to  allow  a  faster 
implementation. 

•  Measures  to  involve  young  people  with  fewer  opportunities  in  volunteering  have  also 
improved. Indeed, the inclusive ambition of the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps 
programmes  is  anchored  in  their  legal  bases  through  a  dedicated  chapter  on  inclusion, 
underpinned  by  the  Inclusion  and  Diversity  Strategy  for  2020-2027,  and  through  the 
dedicated Framework of inclusion measures adopted in October 2021.  

•  The  action  also  benefits  from  the  horizontal  support  options  offered  by  the  European 
Solidarity  Corps,  particularly  the  learning  cycle,  which  includes  inter  alia  a  General 
Online  training  and  an  Online  Linguistic  Support,  both  available  on  EU  Academy  to 
participants before, during, and after their engagement. 

9