Youth volunteering: Commission seeks public views on the mobility of young volunteers

The Commission is today launching a public consultation on the mobility of young volunteers across the EU. The 12-week long consultation will collect citizens’ views and identify new challenges and opportunities in the field of youth volunteering. Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: “Solidarity is a key value of the Union. Each year, thousands of young volunteers put it into practice through cross-border activities that empower them with new competences, while building an inclusive Europe. We owe it to our young people to make sure the European policy framework is in optimal shape to further improve the quality of their volunteering and remove remaining obstacles to cross-border mobility. That is the purpose of this new initiative, which at the same time supports the resilience and recovery of our European societies.” This consultation will contribute to revising the 2008 Council recommendation on mobility of young volunteers, in order to adapt to a constantly evolving society. This initiative will allow young people in Europe to take full advantage of the opportunities in the new European Solidarity Corps and to participate in optimal conditions in cross-border solidarity activities organised by national authorities or private bodies. It will take into account health challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as digitalisation, social inclusion, inter-generational solidarity and climate change. The consultation will build on concrete proposals of an expert group as well as a study on removing obstacles to cross-border solidarity activities. Both the expert group and the study provide preliminary evidence and insights into obstacles, challenges, needs and opportunities in the cross-border solidarity landscape. The public consultation and more information are available online.