European youth: grants to bodies active at European level, 2004-2006 action programme

The committee adopted the report by Christa PRETS (PES, A) amending the proposal under the 1st reading of the codecision procedure. It called for the programme to last for 5 years rather than 3 years on the grounds that it is one of seven new programmes which should all have the same duration in order to make a mid-term assessment of needs. MEPs also wanted the overall budget to be increased from EUR 11.52 million to EUR 13.17 million, so that the sums foreseen for Part 2 of the programme could be increased to reflect the impact of enlargement. They deleted the requirement in the Commission's proposal that grants awarded to international youth organisations be progressively reduced from the third year onwards, arguing that, under the rules on implementing the Financial Regulation, the principle of gradual reduction did not apply to such organisations since they are bodies "pursuing an objective of general European interest". The committee adopted a number of other amendments: - stipulating that one of the objectives must be that the beneficiary organisations contribute to "the active participation of young citizens in public life and in society"; - seeking to give a fuller and more exact description of the work and mission of non-governmental youth organisations and the European Youth Forum; - recommending that applicants should be given the opportunity to correct errors of form within a specified period after submitting the application; - calling on the Commission to submit a brief report to Parliament each year on the implementation of the programme. Lastly, in the interests of transparency, MEPs said that any beneficiary of a grant from the EU budget should indicate this in a prominent place such as a website homepage or an annual report.�