COM(2011)0220

In accordance with the requirements of Decision N° 1719/2006/EC, the Commission presents an interim evaluation of the ‘Youth in Action’ Programme, which aims at developing cooperation in the field of youth in the EU and covers the years 2007 to 2013.The interim evaluation is based on• evaluation reports from Member States and other participating countries, and a report drawn up by an external independent evaluator.

The evaluation presents a positive assessment which backs up the results of the monitoring survey launched in 2010 among the various categories of beneficiaries of YiA, which demonstrated inter alia that:

77% of young participants learned better how to identify opportunities for their personal or professional future and 66% believe that their job chances have increased thanks to the project experience; 88% of youth workers consider that they gained skills and knowledge which they would not have been able to gain through projects organised at national level;

92% of youth organisations consider as "very true" or "somewhat true" that participating in a project supported by Youth in Action increased their project management skills.

The main quantitative outcomes of YiA over the three years 2007-2009 are the following:

more than 380 000 persons (278 000 young people and 102 000 youth workers) have participated in YiA; 21 800 projects were granted out of 42 700 (an increase by 14% from 2007 to 2008 and by 18% from 2008 to 2009) projects submitted; YiA has involved annually around 20 000 promoters presenting a significant renewal rate from year to year (only 28% of the 2009 beneficiaries were already beneficiaries of YiA in 2008).

The operational appropriations allocated to YiA from 2007 to 2009 amounted to EUR 405.4 millions (EUR 360.9 millions from the annual EUR27 budget and EUR 44.5 millions corresponding to additional appropriations including contributions from the EFTA/EEA and candidate countries) and have been fully used.

Given the high number of projects and the need for close proximity to the beneficiaries, YiA is largely (81% of the budget) managed in a "decentralised" manner by national agencies (NAs) established in the participating countries.

Main recommendations: the evaluators made a series of recommendations and the Commission response may be summarised as follows:

Improve the rationale of a future Programme : the Commission intends to reduce the number of Actions proposed in a future Programme, with a view to streamlining and simplifying it, to increasing its readability and visibility and to making its results more easily measurable. Consider an increased focus on employability : in the context of Youth on the Move and the Europe 2020 Strategy , the Commission intends to reinforce the focus of the activities proposed for young people on their learning dimension, with a view to supporting in the most effective way the acquisition of skills and competences through such non formal activities.

Keep the mix of support to youth organisations and youth workers and direct grants for young people : the Commission shares the view that a future Programme should continue to target young people themselves, taking into account the effectiveness of the activities and the fact that they are in certain countries the only transnational opportunities offered. On the other hand one has to consider the extent to which a wider impact can be reached by enhancing the support to youth work. The future Programme will have to strike the right balance between these two objectives.

Further promote Youthpass : in order to increase the value of Youthpass, more promotion and awareness-raising activities should be used.

Youthpass was introduced for the first time in 2007 and applied in the beginning to a limited number of Actions of YiA. The Commission now intends to promote it more widely.

Further promote and define costs covered for "youth with fewer opportunities": the additional financing opportunities proposed for youth with fewer opportunities could be better promoted and defined. The Commission intends to take this recommendation into consideration when defining the future funding rules.

Improve the targeting of youth through additional communication strategies : the visibility and promotion of YiA should be channelled through additional channels in order to reach out to a wider group. Suggestions include promotion through schools, better Internet use and the use of social media. The Commission intends to follow this recommendation on both aspects: better dissemination and exploitation of the results of the projects granted (notably through a platform aimed at showcasing the outcomes of various European programmes in the field of Education and Culture); enhanced visibility of YiA (possibly by recourse to new social media).

Consider measures to reduce the administrative burden : the financing of relatively small projects involving grass root organisations is an explicit choice made within YiA according to its legal basis and contributes to capacity building on the one hand but entails a relatively high administrative burden and management costs on the other. It is recommended that an investigation is undertaken as to whether these can be reduced by implementing some efficiency measures. The implementation of the future Programme should be simplified by various means

(streamlining the actions proposed, striking the optimal balance between costs and benefits of controls, enhancing the recourse to simplified forms of flat rate financing...) with a view to making it more user-friendly for its beneficiaries but also less consuming in terms of administrative resources for the implementing bodies. Some measures will already be introduced under the current Programme.

Improve the monitoring system : the Commission has already launched the process aimed at defining a more suitable management and monitoring system for the future Programme.

The Commission intends to implement all the recommendations issued by the evaluators with a view to further improving the effectiveness and efficiency of a Programme which receives, year after year, an increased number of grant requests. Some of these recommendations will lead to an action plan aimed at already improving the management of the current Programme, while others will contribute to the definition of the actions to be proposed for young people at European level after the current Youth in Action Programme comes to an end.

COM(2011)0220
EUR-Lex

PURPOSE: to establish a programme “Youth in Action” - 2007-2013.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision 1719/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the “Youth in Action” programme for the period 2007-2013.

BACKGROUND: within the framework of the new financial perspectives, 2007 -2013 a series of new financial programmes in the field of education, life-long learning, youth and culture have been adopted. They are:

- Citizens for Europe ;

- Culture 2007 ;

- MEDIA 2007 ;

- Lifelong learning .

In order to simplify and rationalise the EU’s youth objectives it has been decided to merge a number of budget lines under the one “Youth in Action” programme. Previous programmes and initiatives, which have now been repealed or abandoned include:

- Decision No 1031/2000/EC establishing the “Youth” programme 2000 -2006 (see: COD/1998/0197 ); and

- Decision No 790/2004/EC establishing a programme to promote bodies active at European level in the field of youth.

The “Youth in Action” programme will be closely aligned to the programme on lifelong learning.

CONTENT: this Decision establishes the “Youth in Action Programme” 2007 -2013 the aim of which is to develop youth co-operation across the EU. The programme will benefit from a EUR 885 000 000 budget.

The general objectives of the programme are:

- to promote young people’s active citizenship, in general, and their European citizenship, in particular;

- to develop solidarity and promote tolerance among young people;

- to foster mutual understanding between young people from different countries;

- to develop the quality of support systems for youth activities; and

- to promote European co-operation in the youth field.

The specific objectives of the programme include, inter alia ,:

- to give young people and youth organisation the opportunity to take part in social developments;

- to encourage the participation of young people in Europe’s democratic life;

- to foster mobility amongst the youth;

- to develop intercultural learning;

- to promote fundamental values: respect for human dignity; equality; respect; tolerance; non-discrimination;

- to include those with disabilities in the programme;

- to ensure the principle of equality between men and women;

- to provided non-formal and informal learning opportunities with a European dimension;

- to encourage structured dialogue between policy-makers and young people; and

- to contribute to the co-operation between various national and international youth voluntary activities.

Five types of actions are foreseen and are described in detail in Annex to the Decision. The actions implementing the general and specific objectives of the programme support small-scale projects that promote the active participation of young people, while ensuring the European visibility of all projects. The programme encourages initiatives that foster enterprise and creativity amongst young people. Particular attention is to be given to young people with few opportunities including those with disabilities. Participation in the actions is possible on condition that an appropriate insurance coverage is available to ensure the protection of young people during the programme’s implementation.

The five actions, in summary, are as follows:

Youth for Europe . To support youth exchanges and to increase youth mobility. To support youth initiatives in democratic life. Youth exchanges will allow one or more groups of young people to be hosted by a group from another country. They will be available, in principle, to those aged between 13 and 25. Projects that encourage young people’s participation in democratic life covers local, regional, national and international politics. It is open, in principle to those aged between 13 and 30.

The minimum amount to be allocated to this action is 30% of the total.

European Voluntary Service : To support young people’s participation in various forms of voluntary activities, both within and outside the EU. The aim of the Voluntary Service is to develop solidarity and to promote active citizenship among the young. It allows young people to take part in a non-profit making, unpaid, activity.

The minimum amount to be allocated to this action is 23% of the total.

Youth in the World : To support projects with partner countries and to support initiatives that reinforce young people’s mutual understanding of other cultures, sense of solidarity and tolerance. The purpose of this action is to develop mutual understanding between peoples in a spirit of openness, whilst also contributing to the development of quality systems that support the activities of young people in the countries concerned. It is open to the programme’s partner countries.

The minimum amount to be allocated to this action is 6 % of the total.

Youth Support systems : To support bodies active at a European level in the field of youth such as youth NGO’s. The purpose of this action is to develop the quality of youth support structures, to support the role of those active in youth work and youth organisation, to develop the quality of the programme and to promote the civil participation of young people at a European level.

The minimum amount to be allocated to this action is 15 % of the total.

Support for European cooperation in the youth field : To organise structured dialogue; to support youth seminars; to contribute to the development of policy co-operation and to facilitate the development of networks to help understand youth concerns. The aim of this action is to promote European co-operation in the youth field.

The minimum amount to be allocated to this action is 4 % of the total.

The programme is open to the following participating countries: the Member States; the EFTA States that are party to the EEA Agreement; the candidate countries benefiting from a pre-accession strategy; the countries of the western Balkans and Switzerland. “Partner Countries”, (here meaning those that have signed an Agreement with the EU, which include youth elements), may participate in Action 2: European Voluntary Service and Action 3: Youth in the World. Further, the programme will be open to co-operation with authorities in the field of youth and in particular the Council of Europe.

In terms of who may access the programme, the Decision states the programme is intended for not-for-profit projects involving young people, those active in youth work and other partners working in the field of youth. The group targeted are those aged between 15-28 although certain actions are open to those as young as 13 or up to the age of 30.

The Commission has been given responsibility for implementing the programme, although it will also be the responsibility of the participating countries to: ensure that the programme runs smoothly at a national level; appoint and monitor national agencies to implement the programme’s measures; assume responsibility for the sound management of the national agencies; and take the necessary audit measures.

APPLY FROM: 1 January 2007

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 14 December 2006.

Decision 2006/1719
OJ L 327 24.11.2006, p. 0030-0044

03654/2006

The European Parliament adopted the resolution drafted by Lissy GRÖNER (PES, DE) and approved the Council's common position on the 'Youth in Action' Programme for the period 2007-2013.

T6-0441/2006

Debate in Parliament

A6-0341/2006

A6-0341/2006

The committee adopted the report by Lissy GRÖNER (PES, DE) approving unamended - under the 2nd reading of the codecision procedure - the Council's common position on the 'Youth in Action' Programme for the period 2007-2013.

PE378.610

The common position was adopted on 24 July 2006 by unanimity. The Commission can endorse it because it considers it an appropriate compromise which is largely based on the amended Commission proposal, which itself accepted a large number of the amendments made by the European Parliament in first reading and by the Council in the partial political agreement. Furthermore the amendments to the revised Commission proposal reflect an agreement reached between the three institutions in view of a rapid adoption of the decision establishing the programme.

In relation to the amended Commission proposal, only a few slight changes of substance have been made:

a) the minimum amount to be allocated to Action 3 of the Programme (Youth in the World) is fixed at the level of 6% instead of 4% in the amended Commission proposal;

b) the monitoring of the agreement with the European Youth Forum, including the annual work plan and the annual report of the Forum, falls under the remit of the management procedure ("comitology").

As regards the increase of the minimum allocation to Action 3, it can be noted that it reduces only slightly the remaining margin to be allocated to the various strands of the programme according to the annual priorities (22% instead of 24%).

The Commission notes that the equivalent of the financial envelope of EUR 785 million in 2004 prices referred to in the Council common position (Article 13) is EUR 885 million in current prices.

The Commission considers that the common position adopted on 24 July 2006 by unanimity is in line with the essential objectives and underlying approach of its proposal. It notes that the Chair of the EP Culture and Education Committee has indicated in a letter to the Council Presidency of 26 June 2006 that if the common position was adopted as such he would recommend to the Committee to approve the common position in second reading. The Commission can therefore support the common position which reflects the agreement reached between the three institutions.

COM(2006)0465
EUR-Lex

The Council's common position remains substantially in line with the Commission's original proposal, not least in respect of the Programme's objectives and actions, which it was possible to maintain in full following the Interinstitutional Agreement on the Financial Framework for 2007-2013.

The total amount allocated to the Programme stands at EUR 785 million at 2004 prices (i.e. EUR 885 million at current prices), which represents only a slight fall in relation to the Commission's original proposal.

New elements contained in the common position as compared to the Commission proposal

The most significant amendment to the original proposal was probably the inclusion of minimum financial thresholds for each of the actions under the Programme (see Annex - Management of the Programme). Although this conflicts slightly with the Commission's call for maximum flexibility, the compromise agreement reached between the Parliament and the Council on the breakdown between the five actions still allows for a flexibility margin of 22% to be allocated in accordance with future priorities and requirements. Apart from a number of structural and textual improvements, the other main changes to the original proposal involved a decision to focus primarily on the 15-28 age group, a requirement on appropriate insurance cover for participants and greater emphasis on the provision of non-formal learning opportunities.

European Parliament amendments

The Council has sought in its common position to take account of the European Parliament's concerns and priorities and has been able to accept a large number of Parliament's amendments. However, just over a quarter of the total number of EP amendments have been rejected.

Those which request an increase of 23% in the overall budget for the Programme - were rejected in the light of the Interinstitutional Agreement on the 2007- 2013 Financial Framework. A number of amendments (on disabilities, youth seminars and proportionality) were rejected on the grounds that their content was covered elsewhere in the text. Others were felt to be either too restrictive (on ‘qualified’ operatives, on the need for 'sufficiently skilled' staff and on funding procedures) or too detailed (on the European Youth Week and on a database for financial documentation). Nor could the Council accept the amendment on language learning, arguing that this was amply covered by other Community programmes.

Lastly, the Council - in support of the Commission's original proposal - rejected two deletions by the Parliament: one which had deleted a reference to the need for national agencies to offer 'sufficient financial guarantees' and the other which had removed the possibility for certain types of project to call for volunteers with specific skills.

06236/3/2006
OJ C 251 17.10.2006, p. 0020-0036 E

The Council's common position remains substantially in line with the Commission's original proposal, not least in respect of the Programme's objectives and actions, which it was possible to maintain in full following the Interinstitutional Agreement on the Financial Framework for 2007-2013.

The total amount allocated to the Programme stands at EUR 785 million at 2004 prices (i.e. EUR 885 million at current prices), which represents only a slight fall in relation to the Commission's original proposal.

New elements contained in the common position as compared to the Commission proposal

The most significant amendment to the original proposal was probably the inclusion of minimum financial thresholds for each of the actions under the Programme (see Annex - Management of the Programme). Although this conflicts slightly with the Commission's call for maximum flexibility, the compromise agreement reached between the Parliament and the Council on the breakdown between the five actions still allows for a flexibility margin of 22% to be allocated in accordance with future priorities and requirements. Apart from a number of structural and textual improvements, the other main changes to the original proposal involved a decision to focus primarily on the 15-28 age group, a requirement on appropriate insurance cover for participants and greater emphasis on the provision of non-formal learning opportunities.

European Parliament amendments

The Council has sought in its common position to take account of the European Parliament's concerns and priorities and has been able to accept a large number of Parliament's amendments. However, just over a quarter of the total number of EP amendments have been rejected.

Those which request an increase of 23% in the overall budget for the Programme - were rejected in the light of the Interinstitutional Agreement on the 2007- 2013 Financial Framework. A number of amendments (on disabilities, youth seminars and proportionality) were rejected on the grounds that their content was covered elsewhere in the text. Others were felt to be either too restrictive (on ‘qualified’ operatives, on the need for 'sufficiently skilled' staff and on funding procedures) or too detailed (on the European Youth Week and on a database for financial documentation). Nor could the Council accept the amendment on language learning, arguing that this was amply covered by other Community programmes.

Lastly, the Council - in support of the Commission's original proposal - rejected two deletions by the Parliament: one which had deleted a reference to the need for national agencies to offer 'sufficient financial guarantees' and the other which had removed the possibility for certain types of project to call for volunteers with specific skills.

06236/3/2006

11293/2006

On 14 July 2004, the Commission adopted a proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council creating the “YOUTH IN ACTION” programme for the period 2007-2013 (please refer to the Commission’s initial proposal). To recall, the new "Youth in Action" Programme - successor to the current YOUTH Programme - consists of five separate and mutually complementary strands and is aimed at providing young people in the participating countries with opportunities for group exchanges and voluntary work, as well as at reinforcing cooperation and supporting a range of activities in the youth field. By these means, the Programme is intended to foster a greater sense of active citizenship and responsibility among young people, to encourage young people's initiative, enterprise and creativity, to promote mutual understanding between young people in different countries and, at the same time, to stimulate recognition of the value of informal education acquired within a European context.

The amended proposal integrates all the modifications adopted by the Council on its political agreement of 15 November 2005 (refer to Council activities 15/11/2005).

Furthermore, the Commission’s proposal integrates a new financial allocation in line with the financial perspectives ( EUR 885 million ) and as a result of this has integrated a new age bracket in the programme.

On 25 October 2005, the European Parliament adopted 68 amendments. The Commission considers that a large number of the European Parliament's amendments are acceptable in full, in principle or in part, as they improve its proposal and maintain the aims and political viability of the proposal. The Commission can accept, in full or in part, the following amendments:

§ Inclusion of the reference of equality and antidiscrimination;

§ Details the different forms of discrimination;

§ Inclusion of the principle of human rights and fundamental freedoms;

§ Inclusion of a reference to tolerance and diversity);

§ Inclusion of a reference to linguistic diversity);

§ Inclusion of an additional paragraph concerning the participation of young people in democratic life; Stresses the importance of taking into account young people with disabilities;

§ Inclusion of an additional paragraph concerning the informal learning and active citizenship;

§ Improvement of the concept of youth workers);

§ Inclusion of the local and regional dimension;

§ Describe in a more detailed way the objectives of Action 5 (Support for European cooperation in the youth field;

§ S tresses that the main target 15 to 28 years old;

§ Inclusion of consultation of stakeholders in the evaluation of the programme;

§ Inclusion of a reference to local actions and the principle of proportionality;

§ Inclusion of minimum financial thresholds for each action of the programme;

§ Covers the preparatory activities designed prepare young people to participate in projects;

§ Indicates that EVS project can take place from local to international levels;

§ Stresses that the measure 3.1 is open to all countries which are included in the neighbourhood policy + Russian Federation and Western Balkans countries;

§ Inclusion of deadline for the contracts procedures;

§ Inclusion of the European Youth Week in action 5.

COM(2006)0228
EUR-Lex

Package of legislative proposals following the Interinstitutional Agreement on

budgetary discipline and sound financial management

The conclusion on 17 May 2006 by the Commission, the Council and the European Parliament of the agreement on the 2007-2013 financial framework (Interinstitutional Agreement on budgetary discipline and sound financial management – please refer to procedure ACI/2004/2099 ) marks a real success for Europe, providing a stable financial framework for the political priorities of the enlarged Union for the next seven years. It is now up to the institutions and Member States to ensure that the financial resources available are used and implemented as well as possible. Action at European level must contribute true added value to that taken at national, regional or local level and must have an optimum impact on each European player. The Commission is ready to play a full role in all these areas.

The agreement marks a decisive step forward towards the ultimate objective of providing the Union with operational programmes by the beginning of 2007. Work must now be continued on each legislative act. To this end, the Commission intends to continue to provide momentum and act as a facilitator, as it has been doing since the start of the negotiations.

As part of the negotiations on the 2007-2013 financial framework, in October 2005 the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission adopted a joint declaration in which they undertook to continue work on the legislative proposals currently being discussed and then, once the interinstitutional agreement had been adopted and on the basis of amended proposals by the Commission, to reach agreement on each of these proposals. Thus, in accordance with Article 250(2) of the EC Treaty and in order to facilitate this phase for each legislative act, the Commission has adopted a total of 30 proposals, 26 of which are amended and 4 new.

The proposals amended as a result of the IIA are as follows:

Programmes concerning the external policy of the Union and development cooperation:

Ø COD/2004/0219 ( European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument )

Ø COD/2004/0220 ( development co-operation and economic co-operation instrument )

Solidarity and Management of Migration Flows Programme (JHA):

Ø COD/2005/0046 ( European Refugee Fund )

Ø COD/2005/0047 ( External borders fund, 2007-2013 )

Ø COD/2005/0049 ( European Return Fund )

Fundamental Rights and Justice Programme (JHA):

Ø COD/2005/0037/A (DAPHNE )

Ø COD/2005/0037/B ( drugs prevention and information )

RDT Framework Programme and specific programmes :

Ø COD/2005/0043 ( RDT Framework Programme )

Ø CNS/2005/0044 (Nuclear Research Programme )

Ø CNS/2005/0184 ( Joint Research Centre - JRC )

Ø CNS/2005/0185 ( Transnational cooperation specific programme )

Ø CNS/2005/0186 ( Specific programme Ideas, frontier research )

Ø CNS/2005/0187 (S pecific programme supporting researchers )

Ø CNS/2005/0188 ( RDT Capacities specific programme )

Ø CNS/2005/0189 ( specific programme direct actions by the Joint Research Centre JRC )

Ø CNS/2005/0190 ( fusion energy, nuclear fission and radiation protection specific programme)

Employment and social cohesion Programme: COD/2004/0158

Programmes in the fields of youth and education:

Ø COD/2004/0152 ( Youth )

Ø COD/2004/0153 ( Education – lifelong learning )

Consumer Protection and Public Health Framework programme:

Ø COD/2005/0042/A ( Public health )

Ø COD/2005/0042/B ( Consumers )

Programme in the fields of energy, environment and transport :

Ø COD/2004/0218 ( LIFE+)

Ø COD/2004/0154 ( TransEuropean networks in the areas of energy and transport )

Ø CNS/2004/0221 ( Decommissioning of the Bohunice nuclear plant )

GALILEO ( radio-navigation by satellite ): COD/2004/0156

In terms of new proposals , the Commission has already submitted three in the area of agriculture and rural development policy and fisheries and aquaculture policy:

Ø CNS/2006/0081 ( fisheries and aquaculture )

Ø CNS/2006/0082 ( rural development )

Ø CNS/2006/0083 ( common agricultural policy ).

Certain legislative acts do not form part of this package of measures, in particular those on which political agreement has been reached since 17 May. For these measures, the Commission has played a full part in helping to bring about agreement between the arms of the legislative authority. The same applies to the acts for which conclusion of the interinstitutional agreement does not modify the Commission’s original proposal. For all the others, which are included in the package presented, the changes proposed by the Commission take account of the content of the interinstitutional agreement adopted, either in a simplified form, where the financial resources allocated to each programme must be adapted, or in a more detailed form where the structure or even the content of the act must be revised. It should also be noted that four of the amended proposals contain amendments already voted on by the European Parliament at first reading and that one proposal has been divided into two amended proposals in response to a request by the Council and the European Parliament, although Parliament has not yet proceeded to a first reading of this proposal.

Based on these amended proposals, the Commission calls on the European Parliament and the Council to continue their discussions of these proposals and conclude them as soon as possible in order to ensure that all the legal instruments are available in time for the effective launch of the programmes in January 2007.

COM(2006)0239
EUR-Lex

On 14 July 2004, the Commission adopted a proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council creating the “YOUTH IN ACTION” programme for the period 2007-2013 (please refer to the Commission’s initial proposal). To recall, the new "Youth in Action" Programme - successor to the current YOUTH Programme - consists of five separate and mutually complementary strands and is aimed at providing young people in the participating countries with opportunities for group exchanges and voluntary work, as well as at reinforcing cooperation and supporting a range of activities in the youth field. By these means, the Programme is intended to foster a greater sense of active citizenship and responsibility among young people, to encourage young people's initiative, enterprise and creativity, to promote mutual understanding between young people in different countries and, at the same time, to stimulate recognition of the value of informal education acquired within a European context.

The amended proposal integrates all the modifications adopted by the Council on its political agreement of 15 November 2005 (refer to Council activities 15/11/2005).

Furthermore, the Commission’s proposal integrates a new financial allocation in line with the financial perspectives ( EUR 885 million ) and as a result of this has integrated a new age bracket in the programme.

On 25 October 2005, the European Parliament adopted 68 amendments. The Commission considers that a large number of the European Parliament's amendments are acceptable in full, in principle or in part, as they improve its proposal and maintain the aims and political viability of the proposal. The Commission can accept, in full or in part, the following amendments:

§ Inclusion of the reference of equality and antidiscrimination;

§ Details the different forms of discrimination;

§ Inclusion of the principle of human rights and fundamental freedoms;

§ Inclusion of a reference to tolerance and diversity);

§ Inclusion of a reference to linguistic diversity);

§ Inclusion of an additional paragraph concerning the participation of young people in democratic life; Stresses the importance of taking into account young people with disabilities;

§ Inclusion of an additional paragraph concerning the informal learning and active citizenship;

§ Improvement of the concept of youth workers);

§ Inclusion of the local and regional dimension;

§ Describe in a more detailed way the objectives of Action 5 (Support for European cooperation in the youth field;

§ S tresses that the main target 15 to 28 years old;

§ Inclusion of consultation of stakeholders in the evaluation of the programme;

§ Inclusion of a reference to local actions and the principle of proportionality;

§ Inclusion of minimum financial thresholds for each action of the programme;

§ Covers the preparatory activities designed prepare young people to participate in projects;

§ Indicates that EVS project can take place from local to international levels;

§ Stresses that the measure 3.1 is open to all countries which are included in the neighbourhood policy + Russian Federation and Western Balkans countries;

§ Inclusion of deadline for the contracts procedures;

§ Inclusion of the European Youth Week in action 5.

COM(2006)0228
EUR-Lex

The Council has adopted a Resolution in which it recognises that non-formal and informal learning are important elements in the learning process. The Council notes that the Youth in Action programmes contribute significantly to the acquisition of skills and are therefore key in providing young people with opportunities for non-formal or informal learning in a European context. As a result, the Council invites the Commission:

- To encourage the development of a comparable and transparent youth-specific element within Europass for identifying and recognising the skills and competences acquired by young people through non-formal and informal learning, that could be attached to or form an integral part of, certificates or other recognition tools in order to make it easier for third persons to understand what the original certificate means in terms of knowledge and skills.

- To enable by these means the identification of those skills acquired and actually used, with a view to their recognition on the labour market.

- To encourage public bodies and NGO’s to use and where appropriate, adapt comparable and transparent instruments for recognising competences of those active in youth work and youth organisation, in accordance with the European Portfolio for Youth Leaders and Youth Workers currently being developed within the Council of Europe.

- To support the contribution made by youth organisation and other non-governmental organisations in providing non-formal and informal learning.

- To promote the application of common principles for the identification and validation of non-formal learning to the specific needs of youth.

- To encourage further research into the impact of non-formal and informal learning provided by those working in the youth field and youth organisations and in particular their contribution to society and the economy, inter alia , by making comprehensive use of the information provided by the European Knowledge Centre for Youth Policy.

- To encourage the social partners to acknowledge the quality and diversity of young people’s non-formal and informal learning and to recognise its social and economic added value.

- To encourage innovative partnerships between formal and non-formal learning providers, in order to develop pedagogical approaches that could be attractive for different groups of learners.

- To promote access to Europass and similar instruments existing at national and European level and to encourage young people to use these on a voluntary basis.

SP(2005)4593

The Council reached a partial political agreement on a decision establishing the programme Youth in action 2007, which is aimed at providing financial support for the European youth sector for the 2007-2013 period.

With regard to the two remaining outstanding issues, it was decided to support the Commission text and therefore:

-not to make project selection subject to the management procedure; and

-not to allow a Ministry to act as a national agency.

The "partial" nature of this agreement is due to the fact that the budgetary aspects have been excluded pending the outcome of the discussions on the future Community financial framework (Financial Perspective 2007/2013). It is therefore expected that this item will return to the (Education, Youth and Culture) Council's agenda at some future date in order to finalise the budget and its final breakdown aspects.

2689

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Lissy GRÖNER (PES, DE) by 542 votes in favour, 76 against 12 abstentions and made some amendments to the proposal. (Please see the document dated 12/09/2004.) Parliament proposed EUR 1.128 billion as opposed to the Commission’s proposal of EUR 915 million budget . Parliament also called for the following:

-project funding to be paid within four months by the Commission as a rule;

-the programme is aimed at young people between the ages of 13 and 30, but Parliament felt that the main target group should be people aged 15-28;

-young people with disabilities must be included on equal terms so as to prevent any form of discrimination;

- the specific aims of the programme should be extended to include "encouraging the participation of young people in the democratic life of Europe" and opening up opportunities for the exercise of active citizenship. The promotion of language-learning should also be explicitly mentioned;

-to help reinforce social cohesion, the programme should also aim to "promote tolerance among young people in response to diversity";

-the programme must promote sport and cultural activities as a means of fostering social integration, tolerance and non-discrimination;

-it must also provide informal educational opportunities with a European dimension and open up innovative opportunities in connection with the exercise of active citizenship;

-the Commission and participating countries must consult the European Parliament, young people, youth organisations and other organisations entrusted with project implementation with a view to defining the programme's aims and its evaluation;

-the Commission must respect the principle of proportionality in determining the requirements in relation to the amount of financial support, taking account of the characteristics of the participants, their age, the nature of the action and the amount of financial support ;

-t he minimum annual funding for the European Youth Forum should be EUR 2.2 million rather than EUR 2 million as proposed by the Commission;

-Parliament proposed a different weighting of budget funds for the various actions and therefore inserted an indicative financial endowment of 30% (of the total costs for all five actions, for the period 2007-2013) for Action 1, 23% for Action 2, 4% for Action 3, 15% for Action 4 and 4% for Action 5;

- in the interest of the sustainability and continuity of youth organisations founded in accordance with Decision 790/2004/EC, the minimum annual allocation under Action 4.1 shall be EUR 2,6 million.

-in view of the success of European Youth Week, Parliament felt that this event should become an established part of youth policy, focusing on: information on the work of the European institutions, activities enabling young people to inform MEPs of their concerns and a prize-giving for the best youth projects promoted by the Youth programme;

- in order to present good practices and model projects, a database shall be established containing information about existing ideas concerning youth activities at European level.

T6-0396/2005
OJ C 272 09.11.2006, p. 0017-0213 E

Results of vote in Parliament

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Lissy GRÖNER (PES, DE) by 542 votes in favour, 76 against 12 abstentions and made some amendments to the proposal. (Please see the document dated 12/09/2004.) Parliament proposed EUR 1.128 billion as opposed to the Commission’s proposal of EUR 915 million budget . Parliament also called for the following:

-project funding to be paid within four months by the Commission as a rule;

-the programme is aimed at young people between the ages of 13 and 30, but Parliament felt that the main target group should be people aged 15-28;

-young people with disabilities must be included on equal terms so as to prevent any form of discrimination;

- the specific aims of the programme should be extended to include "encouraging the participation of young people in the democratic life of Europe" and opening up opportunities for the exercise of active citizenship. The promotion of language-learning should also be explicitly mentioned;

-to help reinforce social cohesion, the programme should also aim to "promote tolerance among young people in response to diversity";

-the programme must promote sport and cultural activities as a means of fostering social integration, tolerance and non-discrimination;

-it must also provide informal educational opportunities with a European dimension and open up innovative opportunities in connection with the exercise of active citizenship;

-the Commission and participating countries must consult the European Parliament, young people, youth organisations and other organisations entrusted with project implementation with a view to defining the programme's aims and its evaluation;

-the Commission must respect the principle of proportionality in determining the requirements in relation to the amount of financial support, taking account of the characteristics of the participants, their age, the nature of the action and the amount of financial support ;

-t he minimum annual funding for the European Youth Forum should be EUR 2.2 million rather than EUR 2 million as proposed by the Commission;

-Parliament proposed a different weighting of budget funds for the various actions and therefore inserted an indicative financial endowment of 30% (of the total costs for all five actions, for the period 2007-2013) for Action 1, 23% for Action 2, 4% for Action 3, 15% for Action 4 and 4% for Action 5;

- in the interest of the sustainability and continuity of youth organisations founded in accordance with Decision 790/2004/EC, the minimum annual allocation under Action 4.1 shall be EUR 2,6 million.

-in view of the success of European Youth Week, Parliament felt that this event should become an established part of youth policy, focusing on: information on the work of the European institutions, activities enabling young people to inform MEPs of their concerns and a prize-giving for the best youth projects promoted by the Youth programme;

- in order to present good practices and model projects, a database shall be established containing information about existing ideas concerning youth activities at European level.

T6-0396/2005

Debate in Parliament

A6-0263/2005

A6-0263/2005

PE357.696

The committee adopted the report by Lissy GRÖNER (PES, DE ) amending the proposal under the 1st reading of the codecision procedure:

- the specific aims of the programme should be extended to include "encouraging the participation of young people in the democratic life of Europe " and opening up opportunities for the exercise of active citizenship. The promotion of language-learning should also be explicitly mentioned;

- to help reinforce social cohesion, the programme should also aim to "promote tolerance among young people in response to diversity";

- young people with disabilities should be expressly mentioned and encouraged to participate in the youth programme;

- new provisions were introduced requiring the Commission and participating countries to involve young people, youth organisations and the European Parliament in the definition of the programme's aims and in its evaluation;

- the committee deleted the requirement that participating bodies should have "sufficient financial guarantees (preferably from a public authority)", arguing that this concept was too vague and would reduce the number of potential participants;

- the EUR 915 million budget proposed by the Commission should be increased to EUR 1.128 billion;

- the committee wanted to see a slightly different weighting of budget funds for the various actions and therefore proposed an indicative financial endowment of 30% (of the total costs for all five actions, for the period 2007-2013) for Action 1, 23% for Action 2, 4% for Action 3, 15% for Action 4 and 4% for Action 5;

- funding for projects should be paid by the Commission no later than three months after approval has been granted;

- the minimum annual funding for the European Youth Forum should be EUR 2.2 million rather than EUR 2 million as proposed by the Commission;

- lastly , in view of the success of European Youth Week, this event should become an established part of EU youth policy and should be incorporated into Action 5.

PE357.642

PE357.931

PE357.890

CES0253/2005
OJ C 234 22.09.2005, p. 0046-0051

CDR0270/2004
OJ C 071 22.03.2005, p. 0034-0039

The Council held a policy debate on an action programme proposed by the Commission in July 2004, aimed at promoting actions in favour of youth, for the period 2007-2013.

The debate focussed essentially on the following items: innovations and added value of the programme; age range to be covered by the programme; accessibility of the programme to young people with fewer opportunities.

Delegations agreed on the general approach of the Commission in its proposal, recognising the European added value of a programme supporting actions in favour of young people.

The objectives of the programme - the development of young people's European identity and active citizenship as well as the promotion of the participation of young people in voluntary activities, opened up to third countries - were particularly welcomed by the delegations. A broader range of ages was supported by a number of delegations, which could be justified, on the one hand, by the earlier maturity of the new generation of young people and, on the other hand, by the later entry into active life.

Delegations generally agreed on the need to give special attention to young people with fewer opportunities, especially in order to combating social exclusion and discrimination and with a special focus on early school leavers.

The action programme will be adopted by a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council under the codecision procedure, the opinion of the European Parliament being still awaited. In this context, the aim of this debate was to give delegations the opportunity to express their opinion, at ministerial level, on a number of issues identified by the Presidency, in preparation of further examination of the file.

2616

PURPOSE: to establish the "Youth in Action" Programme for the period 2007-2013.

PROPOSED ACT: Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council.

CONTENT: the Commission presents this legislative proposal since the Youth Programme comes to an end in 2006. The interim evaluation of the YOUTH programme demonstrated its popularity and showed that it has a real impact. The evaluation also included a number of recommendations to be implemented in order to take into account, in particular, changing trends in youth, the expectations created by this type of programme and requests for simplification.

The objectives of the new programme are the following:

promoting young people's active citizenship in general and their European citizenship in particular; developing young people's solidarity, in particular in order to reinforce social cohesion in the European Union; fostering mutual understanding between peoples through young people; contributing to developing the quality of support systems for youth activities and the capabilities of civil society organisations in the youth field; promoting European cooperation in youth policy.

These objectives are consistent with the cooperation priorities in the field of youth and with recent developments in the area of citizenship.

The proposed programme has five actions:

-"Youth for Europe" is mainly geared to reinforcing the active commitment of young people by supporting exchanges, mobility and initiatives for young people and their projects for participating in democratic life.

-The "European Voluntary Service" is geared to developing young people's solidarity, active engagement and mutual understanding. It can take the form of either individual or collective projects to enable young people to express their personal commitments but also to involve them in the Union's solidarity actions. Furthermore, it also enables cooperation between voluntary civil services to be fostered.

-"Youth of the world" contributes to developing young people's mutual understanding and active engagement through an open-minded approach to the world. It opens up the programme to projects with the neighbouring countries of the enlarged Europe and to cooperation in the youth field with other third countries.

-"Youth workers and support systems" aims to develop the quality of support structures for young people. This action helps to support youth organisations active at European level, in particular the European Youth Forum. It promotes the development of exchange, training and information schemes for youth workers, projects to stimulate innovation and quality, partnerships with regional or local entities and measures to enhance and support the programme's structures.

-"Support for policy cooperation" is aimed at promoting cooperation on youth policy, supporting structured dialogue between young people and those responsible for youth policy, cooperation with international organisations and measures aimed at gaining better knowledge of youth.

The European added value is directly linked to the nature of the action. Member States would not be able to organise individually youth exchanges across Europe or wi th partner countries, multilateral exchanges, a European voluntary service, the networking of projects, European training for youth workers or support for European youth NGOs. The European added value is also demonstrated by a leverage effect with regard to national policies, by showing the way ahead (giving priority to young people with less opportunities, initiative projects, participative democracy projects, etc.) and by supporting policy cooperation (structured dialogue with young people, cooperation between the national civic services, research, etc.).

The cost of the programme for the period 2007-2013 is EUR 915 million (EUR 880.6 million for the programme activities and EUR 34.4 million for technical assistance).

For a more detailed assessment of the budgetary implications of this proposal, please refer to the financial statement.

COM(2004)0471
EUR-Lex

SEC(2004)0960
EUR-Lex

PURPOSE: to establish the "Youth in Action" Programme for the period 2007-2013.

PROPOSED ACT: Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council.

CONTENT: the Commission presents this legislative proposal since the Youth Programme comes to an end in 2006. The interim evaluation of the YOUTH programme demonstrated its popularity and showed that it has a real impact. The evaluation also included a number of recommendations to be implemented in order to take into account, in particular, changing trends in youth, the expectations created by this type of programme and requests for simplification.

The objectives of the new programme are the following:

promoting young people's active citizenship in general and their European citizenship in particular; developing young people's solidarity, in particular in order to reinforce social cohesion in the European Union; fostering mutual understanding between peoples through young people; contributing to developing the quality of support systems for youth activities and the capabilities of civil society organisations in the youth field; promoting European cooperation in youth policy.

These objectives are consistent with the cooperation priorities in the field of youth and with recent developments in the area of citizenship.

The proposed programme has five actions:

-"Youth for Europe" is mainly geared to reinforcing the active commitment of young people by supporting exchanges, mobility and initiatives for young people and their projects for participating in democratic life.

-The "European Voluntary Service" is geared to developing young people's solidarity, active engagement and mutual understanding. It can take the form of either individual or collective projects to enable young people to express their personal commitments but also to involve them in the Union's solidarity actions. Furthermore, it also enables cooperation between voluntary civil services to be fostered.

-"Youth of the world" contributes to developing young people's mutual understanding and active engagement through an open-minded approach to the world. It opens up the programme to projects with the neighbouring countries of the enlarged Europe and to cooperation in the youth field with other third countries.

-"Youth workers and support systems" aims to develop the quality of support structures for young people. This action helps to support youth organisations active at European level, in particular the European Youth Forum. It promotes the development of exchange, training and information schemes for youth workers, projects to stimulate innovation and quality, partnerships with regional or local entities and measures to enhance and support the programme's structures.

-"Support for policy cooperation" is aimed at promoting cooperation on youth policy, supporting structured dialogue between young people and those responsible for youth policy, cooperation with international organisations and measures aimed at gaining better knowledge of youth.

The European added value is directly linked to the nature of the action. Member States would not be able to organise individually youth exchanges across Europe or wi th partner countries, multilateral exchanges, a European voluntary service, the networking of projects, European training for youth workers or support for European youth NGOs. The European added value is also demonstrated by a leverage effect with regard to national policies, by showing the way ahead (giving priority to young people with less opportunities, initiative projects, participative democracy projects, etc.) and by supporting policy cooperation (structured dialogue with young people, cooperation between the national civic services, research, etc.).

The cost of the programme for the period 2007-2013 is EUR 915 million (EUR 880.6 million for the programme activities and EUR 34.4 million for technical assistance).

For a more detailed assessment of the budgetary implications of this proposal, please refer to the financial statement.

COM(2004)0471
EUR-Lex