European voluntary service for young people: Community action programme 1998-2002

In adopting the recommendation for second reading by Mrs Nicole FONTAINE (PPE, F) on European voluntary service, Parliament amended the common position of the Council, upholding 4 amendments which it regarded as fundamental. These concerned: -the budget for voluntary service: Parliament upheld its call for a budget of ECU 80 m rather than the ECU 35 m proposed by the Council, maintaining that its proposed figure was essential to enable young volunteers to be properly prepared, both culturally and linguistically, and to make support for individual mobility sufficiently attractive; -the social security and tax provisions applicable to young volunteers: Member States should adopt measures to remove obstacles to the satisfactory functioning of the programme by granting residence rights, maintaining their social security entitlements, and granting tax exemptions in respect of expenses and allowances received by young volunteers for their travel and accommodation. Parliament also called on the Commission to make proposals for introducing a European statute for young volunteers; -complementarity with national civilian services: Member States were called upon to facilitate the access of young European volunteers to national infrastructures, both material and organizational (moreover, Parliament wished to see the gradual integration of voluntary service into national civilian services in order to impart a transnational dimension to national volunteer work); -Parliament's right to be kept informed throughout the implementation of the programme and when it is evaluated.�