The European Solidarity Corps year after the start
Today is a year since the creation of the European Solidarity Corps. A year after the European Commission launched an initiative on the European Solidarity Corpsit has registered 42 745 young people from all EU Member States. 2166 of them have already found themselves in one of the 1434 registered organisations.
Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources Ginters H. Etinger said: “Young people will participate in important projects, find friends for life and do something good for our society, and that will be the quality sign of European solidarity.”
Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Tibor Navrachich noted: “I am glad that so many young people in Europe believe in solidarity and are committed to voluntary or paid work or practice to help others. A year after the opening of the European Solidarity Corps, many of them have already made real changes, coming into the talent and bringing hope to the hearts that need the most. We now need to adopt a specific legal basis and a budget for the next years so that the potential benefits of the European Solidarity Corps become reality."
Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Workers Marianne Tysena added: “Participation in the European Solidarity Corps is not only a great form of proof of solidarity, but also allows young people to acquire new skills and improve THEIR CV. I hope that our proposal for strengthening the European Solidarity Corps will soon be adopted so that we can bring more opportunities for young Europeans."
Since the opening of the European Solidarity Corps, its members have been active throughout Europe. For example, in August 2017 In Norcha (Italy) was the first voluntary group of the European Solidarity Corps to help prevent damage and restore social services to local people who had suffered a year ago in the severe earthquakes that occurred in the region. By 2020, the earthquakes affected by earthquakes will be assisted by 230 members of the European Solidarity Corps. Other members of the Solidarity Corps work, for example, with young people who come from a disadvantaged environment or who have special needs, with refugees and seniors, doing this work from Rotterdam in the Netherlands to Aveira in Portugal and in many other parts of Europe.
The European Parliament and the Council are currently discussing the Commission's proposal to strengthen the European Solidarity Corps, giving it its own budget and legal basis and expanding the functioning of the Corps. Education, youth, culture and sports at the Council meeting on 20 November 2017, Member States reached informal agreement among others, the final agreement with the European Parliament is now expected.
General information
President of the Commission Juncker in his 2016 talking about the situation in the Union announced the idea of establishing a European Solidarity Corps that will offer young people aged 18-30 years the opportunity to participate in various solidarity measures throughout the European Union.
Two months later was open The European Solidarity Corps. It was intended that 100 thousand young people could be involved in its work by the end of 2020.
Currently, the first phase of the European Solidarity Corps, which operates eight different programmes, enabling young people to participate in various solidarity activities, addressing challenges across THE EU. Participation will not only improve the personal growth of young people, enable them to play an active role in society and enter the labour market, but will also help non-governmental organisations, public authorities and businesses to address societal and other challenges.
In March 2017 the voluntary search for organisations began, but in July the professional wing of the European Solidarity Corps was launched, in which the Italian and French public employment services run two projects supported by the European Commission. In these projects, 6000 young people are offered solidarity-related work or practice in another EU country.
On May 30, 2017, the Commission came forward with the proposal, which provides for the establishment of a European Solidarity Corps on a rigorous basis, giving it a budget of eur 341,5 million for 2018-2020 and a specific legal basis. In addition, the Commission proposed to extend the opportunities of young people. In addition to volunteering, traineeships and paid jobs, the European Solidarity Corps will also provide the participants with the opportunity to develop their own solidarity projects or to perform volunteering in the group.
The President of the Commission, Juncker Gothenburg (Sweden), held a working lunch on education and culture on 17 November, calling on EU heads of state and government to achieve the involvement of the European Solidarity Corps by 2025 1.5 million young people