6.4.2022
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
C 152/23
3.7.
Many volunteers across Europe are engaged in activities that are in line with the European Commission’s long-standing EU projects (of critical importance for the future of Europe, for example concerning, vaccination, digitalisation, climate issues, financial reforms, the nuclear debate, labour reforms, etc.).
As citizens need to obtain a factual and unbiased understanding of the key proposals by EU institutions before they can support them, the EESC calls on the European Commission to actively support those activities carried out by volunteers that can help win citizens’ support for key EU projects, including by reducing the risk of fake and biased information.
3.8.
The growth of flat-rate and lump-sum financing of projects should enable the contribution of volunteers to be recognised as co-financing for EU grants.
However, this is not working well in practice due to the fact that volunteer time contributions cannot generally be included in organisational accounts.
In addition, many agencies managing EU grants require that payment receipts be provided for the full amounts of flat-rate and lump-sum payments — something that goes against the intention and spirit of the funding approach as a method of calculation.
The EESC reiterates its requests in this regard, set out in opinions adopted in 2006 (11) and 2013 (12), and regrets that these have not yet been fully implemented.
The EESC notes that the funding programmes of the Council of Europe do have a mechanism to include volunteer time as co-financing for their grants.
3.9.
The EESC strongly supports the European Volunteering Capital Competition (13), launched by the Centre for European Volunteering in 2013 as part of the legacy of EYV2011, which connects local volunteering policies and practices to the European context and European values and policy frameworks.
The EESC calls for the initiative to be encouraged and supported by all the EU institutions, but with a particular focus also on the subnational level as a way of bringing citizens closer to EU policy-makers and to demonstrate the EU-level support for solidarity-based activities and active citizens contributing to the future of Europe.
The EESC calls on the European Commission to actively support the dissemination of good practices in public policies that support volunteering activities at local level, with particular use of examples from the municipalities that have been candidates and winners in the European Volunteering Capital competition.
4.
Trends in volunteering activity 4.1.
The EESC points out that ongoing demographic changes will have an impact on the activity of volunteers in the coming years.
4.1.1.
Europe has an ageing population and lower birth rates.
This means that there are more skilled volunteers available for longer, but also more elderly people needing the support of volunteers as they live longer.
With declining birth rates, however, younger people might not be there to volunteer and more peer-to-peer projects for adult and older volunteers will be needed.
4.1.2.
Europe has increasingly diverse and shifting populations and more will have to be done to ensure social inclusion.
Member States cannot pay for all of this from public finances, and even if they had the funds, it is not just about money.
A more human and solidarity-based approach is needed for true inclusion.
Volunteers acting out of solidarity with one another are required for this.
A greater effort is called for to combat loneliness and provide social service support when families are more dispersed across countries and the continent.
The EESC believes that public authorities at EU, Member State and local levels should be prepared for this, and that the process must include the creation of favourable conditions for the expansion of voluntary activities.
4.1.3.
Less tax is being collected in the Member States and public budgets are being reduced, but at the same time there is higher demand for services.
Greater inequality and poverty result in greater need in the population, but this contrasts with a reduction in funding for civil society organisations, which could do much — with the support of volunteers — to improve the situation of individual citizens and families.
The EESC points out that a better balance must be reached.
4.2.
The EESC underlines that ongoing changes in lifestyle and in the types of activity that produce social recognition, or the need to develop new skills that may be useful professionally for younger generations, may result in a mismatch between citizens’ interest in volunteering and real volunteering opportunities, and that the level of volunteering may therefore decrease, despite high ‘supply and demand’.
This phenomenon must be constantly monitored so that in due course there can be adjustments in public policies.
(11) (12) (13)
SOC/243 — Voluntary activity: its role in European society and its impact (OJ C 325, 30.12.2006, p. 46).
ECO/343 — Statistical tools for measuring volunteering (OJ C 170, 5.6.2014, p. 11).
European Volunteering Capital — CEV.