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Youth policy: Youth in action programme for 2007-2013

2004/0152(COD)

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.