Youth Policy

Voluntary Activities

By volunteering one can learn a new language, meet new friends, see another country and gain valuable skills. More young people should be given opportunities to volunteer in another Member State of the EU. This is the aim of “Mobility of Young Volunteers across the European Union”, the first ever Council Recommendation in the youth field, which was adopted by EU Member States on 20 November 2008.

The Council Recommendation on Mobility of Young Volunteers

The Recommendation seeks to boost cooperation between organisers of voluntary activities in the EU Member States. These activities, whether developed by civil society or public authorities, should be opened up to young people from other EU countries. This would not replace the European Voluntary Service, but rather complement it and ensure a wider range of opportunities for participation. The expected result is that more young people will have the opportunities to enhance their knowledge of other countries, languages and cultures by taking part in voluntary activities.

The Recommendation fully respects the diversity of traditions and practices in organising voluntary activities between different Member States of the European Union. It encourages Member States to promote the mobility of young volunteers across Europe, so that every young person, who so wishes, has the opportunity to volunteer.

Concretely, the Council recommends that Member States take the following actions:

raise awareness about cross-border volunteering
develop opportunities for cross-border volunteering
assure quality through the development of self-assessment tools
recognise learning outcomes of voluntary activities through instruments such as Europass and Youthpass
promote cross-border mobility of youth workers and young people in youth organisations
pay particular attention to young people with fewer opportunities

The European Commission will support the Member States' efforts through the development of a European Youth Volunteer Portal and the organisation of an exchange of information and experience.

The Recommendation is based on a proposal made by the Commission in July 2008 and is the first Recommendation adopted in the youth policy area.

More information:

European Voluntary Service