CELEX: 51990PC0079
Language: en
Date: 1990-03-13
Title: PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DECISION AMENDING DECISION 84/636/EEC ESTABLISHING A THIRD JOINT PROGRAMME TO ENCOURAGE THE EXCHANGE OF YOUNG WORKERS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                               C0MC90) 79 final
                                               Brussels, 13 March 1990
                            Proposal for a
                           COUNCIL DECISION
 amending Decision 84/636/EEC establishing a third joint programme
       to encourage the exchange of young workers within the
                               Community
                 YOUNG WORKERS* EXCHANGE PROGRAMME
                           REPORT 1988-1989
                    (presented by the Commission)
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 2 -
                  P X P L A HA T O R Y   Jt p M Q R A Iff _U H-M
•Ehe third joint programme to encourage the exchange of young workers within
the Community is the latest version of the oldest youth exchange programme
launched by the EBC Commission (1964). Several other programmes for young
people have been introduced, especially in the 1980s, also directly aliced
at young people or in support of the main activities that are proposed and
supported, (OQMETT, ERASMUS, PEKRA, and most recently, UNGOA). The Youth
for Europe action programme adopted in 1988 for three years, of which the
first year of implementation has just ended seeks only to promote exchanges
of young people living in the Member States of the Oommunity.
The Commission communication to the Council, education and training in the
European Octramunity - medium-term guidelines: 1989-1992 (O0M(89) 236 final)
with respect to the third programme to promote exchanges of young workers
and the Youth for Europe Action Programme states that "the Commission
intends to examine the scope for simplifying the presentation of the
opportunities available to the youth public by these two programmes and
also to streamline their administration. For this reason, the phasing of
two schemes will be synchronized to permit a more coordinated approach in
future by the Commission to youth exchanges of all kinds. For any new
arrangements to be introduced in good time for an integrated scheme, the
Council will have to decide on the Commission's proposals not later than
(June 1991."
Generally speaking, it would be useful to recall that young people
throughout the Community should be seen in the light of certain common
factors, whatever their relative demographic weight, namely:
- the young population is the most seriously affected by the eoonomio
recession (1 in 4 young men and 1 in 3 young women are unemployed and/or in
a precarious social economic situation);
- most Member States are faced with problems linked to the existence on
their territory of a growing number of young people who are not nationals
of the country and are frequently of non-Coranunity origin, whose de facto
position in our
 ---pagebreak---                                 - 3-
societies cannot i>3 called into question on historical, ideological or
legal grounds, and whose cultural contrilxition is an asset for our
countries;
- the young people are is the key to European construction, hence the
importance attached to their education, vocational training and enhancing
their awareness of Europe which will Increase their sense of responsibility
towards the building of Europe in which they live and which they will carry
forward.
In this general context, and more particularly with a view to completion of
the internal market in 1993, sufficient time must be allowed the Commission
to make an overall assessment and formulate coordinated proposals regarding
programmes for exchanges of young people. This assessment of proposals
will in particular concern:
- the role of the Community as a promoter of exchanges,
- development of the effects of programmes of exchanges of young people,
especially with regard to the principle of subsidiarity and therefore
national undertakings in this field,
- the access of young people as a whole to exchanges organized with
Community support;
- an administrative and financial framework providing a coherent approach,
a realistic policy and fair access to Community activities for young
people.
To this end, it is therefore important to extend by one year the period of
validity of the programme and the review by the Council of the exchange
programme for young workers until 31 December 1991. The Commission will
prepare an assessment by this date and proposals relating to the two
programmes in accordance with the above considérations.
 ---pagebreak---                                     4 -
                            Proposal for a
                           COUNCIL DECISION
  amending Decision 84/636/EEC establishing a third joint programme
        to encourage the exchange of young workers within the
                               Community
THE OOQNCn. OP THE EORÛPEAN OCMMDNTTIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economio Community,
and in particular Article 235 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament1,
Having regard to the opinion of the Economio and Social Committee2,
Whereas the Community is called upon to take practical measures to help
young workers;
Whereas it is the responsibility of the Member States, under Article 50 of
the Treaty, to encourage the exchange of young workers within the framework
of a joint programme;
 ---pagebreak---                                                  - 5 -
   Whereas       Council  Decision   84/636/EEC         establishes  a  third    joint
   programme to encourage the exchange of young workers within the
   Community;
  Whereas the Council also adopted the action programme, Youth for Europe
  under Council Decision 88/348/EBC ;
  Whereas the European Council on 28 and 29 «June 1985 adopted the conclusions
  of the ad boo Committee for a People's Europe recommending the promotion of
  youth exchanges within the Community and the establishment of a genuine
  network of exchanges in each Member State and between the Member States;
  Whereas there is a need to enable young people to envisage and carry out
  exchanges in a coherent framework, and thus for the Commission to present
  possibilities for exchanges under the fourth exchange programme for young
  workers and the Youth for Europe action programme in this context;
  Whereas it Is necessary to extend for one year the validity of the
  programme of exchanges for young workers to make possible this synchronized
  and coherent development,
  HAS UHWIJW) AS FOLLOWS:
f
Ï                                    Sole A r t i c l e
f
l A r t i c l e 12 of Decision 84/636/EEC is repUe-ed by the f o l l o w i n g :
i
i
\ The Council shall review this      " A Decision,
                                         r t i c l e 12 on a proposal from the Commission,
  by 31 December 1991."
  Done at                                                               For the Council
  3
    0J No L 331, 19.12.1984, p. 36.
  4
    0J No L 158, 25.6.1988, p. 42.
 ---pagebreak---                                            6 -
               (no changes are made to the body of the basic decision)
1.    Budget item and title of the operation
B-G630
Third wjoint programme to encourage the exchange of young workers within the
Community
dnnnnuTid tv.
2.    Iiftgftl. frtftin
Article 8 of Council Decision 84/636/EEC of 13 December 1984.
Article 235 of the EEC Treaty.
3.    P r o p r e classification
Non-obligatory expenditure
Kon-dissooiated appropriations
4.    Description
Objectives: to encourage the exchange of young workers within the
Community
Target group: young workers aged 18 to 28 years.
5.     tftifitlfloation
Under Article 50 of the EEC Treaty, the Member States are responsible,
within the framework of a joint programme, for promoting ttoe exchange of
young workers to enable them to extend, in a Member State other than their
country of residence, their vocational training, cultural and linguistic
skills and knowledge of human nature.
 ---pagebreak---                                  - ? -
6. Financial impact of the programme on operational appropriations
6.1. The appropriations considered necessary to extend the programme through
       1991 will be included in the future appropriation for this financial
      year in the framework of the present financial prospects for 1988-1992,
       jointly agreed by the three institutions in June 1988, and their
       development.
6.2. Nature of expenditure
Flat rate weekly contribution per trainee, contribution to the cost of
language courses and travel, technical assistance for the administration of
the programme.
Average subsidy per participant per week is BCD 115 (1989). The flat rate
weekly contribution per participant was raised by BCD 10 in 1989.
These are short periods of training (three weeks to three months) or longer
periods (4 to 16 months).
6.3. Calculation: average cost per participant and total budgetary impact
- Short courses (per participant : 1.496.77) : 3.700.000 ECUs
- Long courses (per participant : 2.359.73) : 1.800.000 ECUs
- Technical assistance, assessment     500.000 (see point 10)
  out of a total indicative amount of 6.000.000 ECUs in 1991.
7.   Fiscal Implications
None
8. Type of monitoring
(a) Financial control is assured by the competent Commission departments
with respect to the conformity of expenditure and execution of the budget;
(b) technical control is provided by the competent Commission departments,
especially the Task Force for Human Resources, Education, Training and
Youth.
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 8 -
9.   Financial implications on staff and operating appropriations
None
10. Technical assistance
The Commission has drawn up a technical assistance contract with an outside
organization to be responsible for the following tasks:
(a) to assist the Commission in the development and monitoring of detailed
criteria for making grants;
(b) to prepare, in all the Community languages, Information and
documentation on the operations in question;
(c) to prepare working documents in selected Comssunity languages to assist
the Commission in developing and reviewing policy orientations;
(d) to prepare seminars, workshops, information and other meetings on
insl^cuctions from the Commission, including meetings of AâviBory groups;
(e) to provide such clerical, translation and secretarial assistance in the
operation of this programme as the Commission may deem necessary;
(f) to assist, on instructions from the Commission, with the development by
Hsnber State authorities of effective mechanisms for the implementation of
Community policies in this sector; and to monitor the effectiveness of such
mechanismsl
(g) to process enquiries as to the availability of grants; to analyse
apïûioations and to provide advice to the Commission in the scrutiny of
such applications as are received;
(h) to operate, on instructions from the Commissi on, a payment system for
such grants as the Commission shall determine;
(i) to assist the Commission with 1&e development and application of
evaluation processes;
(J) to assist the Commission with the development of working materials for
the "European'' dimension of the programme;
(k) to advise the Commission on the potential impact of the extension of
the programme to cover young people in other occupations (e.g. vocational
training, e t c ) .
 ---pagebreak---                                               - 9 -
                            IMPACT CM gUFgriTIVENKSS AND Bffl/KMHET
I.       Wat Is the m1n jiifrMfioation for tlift moa/Mro?
To promote the exchange of young workers within the Community (about 3 00
participants per year).
II.       nvwvintffplBtios of the firms oonoerpflfl. In partl.oulftr:
(a) Are many small businesses involved?
        All enterprises are concerned.
(b) Have any concentrations been observed In regions
         . eligible for regional aid from the Member States?
         . eligible under the ERDF?
No.
I I I . fflyrt, flbillgfttflmff fvrft tilmrtrly Imjmyi m pr***?
None.
IV.       yhftt, (MlfffttrlfTOfi my frft Ifflllrfitttly ligpasefl on firms vjft the loo*!
None
v.      Are tforcre any ppoolftl romfnrrffi for m i l l latfrtnRfyyyf?        Describe them
None
 ---pagebreak---                                 - 10 -
VI.     What is the foreseeable effect on
(a) the competitiveness of firms?
The reoeption by firms of young trainee workers who are nationals of other
Member States will lead to a broadening of horizons and will develop
practical knowledge about technioal developments, vocational training and
the labour market at European level.
(b) employment?
The language and occupational s k i l l s acquired during a training period In
another Member State will have a positive Impact on the stability of the
Individual's employment and on the s k i l l s of workers in general.
VII.     Have the two sides of industry been consulted?      What are their
yjLswjs?
No.
 ---pagebreak---                                        - 11 -
                                                                         ANNEX
                          YOUNG WORKERS' EXCHANGE PROGRAMME
                                  REPORT 1988-1989
     INTRODUCTION
     The Third Joint Programme to encourage the exchange     of young workers was
     adopted by the Council in its decision of 13 December   1984 and covers the
     period 1985-1990.
     In general terms, this programme of exchanges for young workers is intended
     to provide an opportunity for participation in a Community scheme offering
     experience of living and working conditions in other Member States,
     fostering the skills necessary for adult and working life - including the
(     development of vocational knowledge and practical skills as well as the
     skills of interpersonal communication between individuals from different
     cultural backgrounds - and enabling participants to find interests in common
     with young people from other Member States and, above all, to develop an
     awareness of a shared European identity.
    The Commission sets the rules and guidelines of the scheme, but the running
    of individual projects is mainly the responsibility of the exchange
    organisers. Any organisation can apply for grants for Young Worker Exchanges
    so long as these comply with the guidelines. In each Member State there is a
    government representative who acts as a national coordinator for the
    exchange programme.
    EXCHANGE ORGANISERS
    Being entrusted with the responsibility of organising and implementing the
    exchanges, the exchange organisers remain the most important element in the
( .  structural framework supported by the Commission. The relationship between
    the Commission and each organiser is governed by contracts covering the
    individual exchange projects. These contracts define the conditions for
    implementing the exchanges, the obligations of the body or group involved
    and the financial responsibilities.
    The programme is open to young people between 18 and 28 years of age, who
    are either employed or available for employment and who have completed basic
    vocational training or have similar work experience.
    The exchanges range from the short-term, lasting 3 weeks to 3 months and
    which include study visits, work placements and a brief experience of the
    working environment, to the longer term, lasting 4 to 16 months and which
    are mainly work placements preceeded by a language and orientation course.
 ---pagebreak---                                       - 12 -
   The majority of exchange organisers fall into two categories - those
   operating at European level and those operating primarily at national level
   but which     have acquired    a Community dimension. The organisers are
   principally involved in exchange programmes, vocational training programmes
   or a variety of social, cultural and educational projects aimed at target
   groups from particular professional or industrial sectors which have been
   networking for the purpose of developing exchanges of young people. This
  wide range of organisations has greatly contributed to the variety of
   sectors in which exchanges have been run within the programme.
   In 1989 a total    of 29 organisations have received grants for Young Worker
  Exchanges.
   In 1988/89, there were three meetings   with exchange   organisers involved in
   the programme :
  -   23 March 1988 :          a one day meeting in Brussels to clarify the
                               existing     administrative     procedures    with
                               exchange organisers.
  -   24/27 September 1988     a "brainstorming meeting" at Lago Maggiore,
                               Italy, with the purpose of gathering together
                               both representatives of the main organisers and
                               a number of outside experts to discuss :
                               * options for the   long-term development   of the
                               programme and
                               * guidelines for the two remaining years of the
                               Third Programme.
  -   26/27 October 1989 :     a two-day meeting in Brussels to discuss the
                               administrative and financial aspects of the
                               programme for 1990, to consider the statistical
                               evaluation of the programme carried out by the
c                              Commission and to exchange points of view on the
                               context and scope of the fourth programme.
  NATIONAL COORDINATORS
  The Commission is particularly anxious that exchange organisers liaise with
  coordinators to discuss exchange plans and that a copy of each project
  submitted to the Commission be sent to the pertinent national coordinator.
  A meeting was held with the national coordinators in Brussels on 24 October
  1388 to inform them of developments and to outline the perspectives of the
  fourth programme.
  No meeting of the national coordinators was held in 1989; a next meeting is
  planned for the beginning of 1990.
 ---pagebreak---                                     - 13 -
 PRACTICAL RESULTS 1988-89
 From 1987 to 1988 the annual budget for the programme remained at 4.5 mio
 ECUs and in 1989 there was an increase of 500.000 ECUs to 5 mio ECUs.
 Despite this situation, the number of participants has increased from 2304
 in 1987 to 2676 in 1988 and approximately 2995**> in 1989. It should also be
 noted that in 1989 the flat-rate contributions per participant per week were
 increased by 10 ECUs allowing for an increase in the grant per participant
 per week.
 The average cost per participant per week in 1988 amounted to 141 ECUs and
 in 1989 this amount has increased to 154 ECUs and the average grant per
 participant per week increased from 117 ECUs in 1988 to 125 ECUs in 1989.
 The slight increase in both average cost and grant reflects, on the one hand
 the ability of organisers to reduce costs and, on the other, the ability of
 some organisers - essentially those new to the programme - to secure other
 sources of income and thus reduce the grant required.
 Projects are in principle approved on a biannual basis - at the beginning
 of and in June each year. This system has the advantage of allowing for a
 mid-year funding review. Organisers inform the Commission of any under-
 utilization of monies granted; excess funds can therefore be recouped
 immediately and allocated to another project.
 SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM EXCHANGES
As the Council Decision provides, exchanges are divided into short-term and
 long-term programmes, each having its own particular objectives within the
overall guidelines.
In 1988 and 1989 there was        a decline in long-term exchanges. This is a
result of several factors :
-   Increasing difficulty of finding      work placements    in general   and
    particularly for foreign nationals in the different Member States.
-   Reluctance of young people who are employed        to  leave jobs, albeit
    temporarily, to participate in the Programme.
-   An increase of "medium-term" exchanges, usually of 13-16 weeks' duration
    and often preceded by a very short language course. These combine the
    objectives of short-term and long-term exchanges, while many of the
   difficulties involved in the long-term programmes are eliminated.
(1)      The 1989 figure is based on planned participant numbers of detailed
         applications and not, as for the preceding years on final, actual
         numbers*
 ---pagebreak---                                       - 14 -
   The Commission will, of course, continue to promote both types of exchange
  while ensuring that the programme is open to the maximum number of young
   people possible and that a relative balance is maintained between the
   economic sectors in which exchanges take place.
  GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION
   There is still a degree of over-concentration at the centre of the
   Community; however,    efforts to    redress this    imbalance are proving
   successful, and one of the priorities of the programme is to encourage the
   participation of young people from peripheral or disadvantaged regions.
   The Commission endeavours to ensure a general balance between the number of
  young workers received and those sent abroad on exchanges from each Member
  State. This principle of balance operates for the majority of exchanges and
   the Commission is anxious that it continues to underpin the basic aims of
   the programme wherever feasible.
  SECTORAL DISTRIBUTION
  Although in earlier years of the programme, the primary and secondary
  sectors dominated exchanges, the development of the tertiary sector of the
  Community's economy is reflected in the Young Worker Exchange Programme, and
  this sector is now the largest in the programme.
  PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS
C Since unemployed young people were made eligible to participate in the
  programme, the proportion of unemployed participants has increased steadily
  from 46X in 1987 to 47% in 1988 and 49X in 1989, i.e. almost half of the
  participants in the programme are job-seekers.
  Another priority of the Third Programme is to offer equal opportunities to
  men and women. The Commission has endeavoured to ensure that young men and
  women are equally represented and that women are encouraged to participate
  in exchanges in new technology areas. In both 1988 and 1989, this aim was
  achieved,    i.e.   equality   was   complete and young women represented
  approximately 50X of all participants in the programme.
  TRAINING CONTENT OF THE PROJECTS
  The Third Joint Programme is not intended to offer the young person
  concerned basic vocational training and experience in another Member State
 ---pagebreak---                                      .- 15 -
but rather provides a complement to the training and experience already
acquired in his/her own country. The Commission continues to believe it is
crucial that even short-term exchanges should have a genuine work experience
content and that the work experience provided during long-term projects
should be of sufficiently high quality and value to encourage employers and
workers alike to participate in the scheme.
FUNDING OF THE PROGRAMME
Both in 1988 and 1989, the Commission had to refuse funding for a large
number of    exchange projects for budgetary reasons. The Commission's
financial support of the exchange programme was always intended to act as
an incentive to the development of young worker exchanges within the
Community. It was never intended to cover the entire costs of each exchange
project, although this is in fact the case in the majority of the exchanges.
This situation obviously leaves much to be desired as it ultimately means
that the number of young people who can participate in the programme is not
as high as it might otherwise be.
If we are to extend the programme and make it less dependent on Community
funds it is vital for exchange organisers, in cooperation with national
coordinators, to explore all possible sources of complementary funding, be
they governmental, regional, local or private. The Commission considers that
the Member States should continue their support at national level and their
action if the programme is to have a real impact on young workers throughout
the Community.
The Commission will continue to encourage new exchange initiatives via
subsidies other than the existing flat-rate weekly contribution. This
practice will make it possible to achieve partially the aim of co-financing
exchanges, since the subsidy system requires that the organisers seek other
sources of funding.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
As mentioned earlier, there has been a progressive increase in the number of
participants eventhough there has only been a limited increase in the
budget. The Commission is also happy to note the constant increase in the
number of new exchange organisers (in 1989 19 new organisations applied for
a grant, 10 of these received grants).
The impact of the information materials disseminated since 1988 is becoming
evident and it should also be noted that requests for information from
individuals, as well as from organisations, are still increasing. In 1989
an in-depth evaluation of the programme took place, inter alia to prepare
the way for the 4th Programme.
 ---pagebreak---  ---pagebreak---                                                                      ISSN 0254-1475
                                                               COM(90) 79 final
                                                      DOCUMENTS
                                                                                05
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                                                             ISBN 92-77-58486-6
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