European Commission – Directorate-General Communication 1 Lessons learned from the European Year of Volunteering Preparations for the European Year of Citizens 2013 Research seminar mobility of young people Partnership Commission – Council of Europe in the field of youth, Strasbourg, 12 December 2011 Jutta König Georgiades

European Commission – Directorate-General Communication 2 EYV 2011: What did we set out to do?

European Commission – Directorate-General Communication 3 Objective 1: Create an enabling environment for volunteering BeforeAfter Lower obstacles to volunteering

European Commission – Directorate-General Communication 4 Objective 2: Empower volunteer organisations 4

European Commission – Directorate-General Communication 5 Objective 3: Recognise volunteering activities 5

European Commission – Directorate-General Communication 6 Objective 4: Raise awareness about value & importance of volunteering 6

European Commission – Directorate-General Communication 7 Commissions Budget for the Year 3 million for Preparatory Actions in million for Preparatory Actions in million for the Year itself 8 million for the Year itself + other sources… + other sources…

European Commission – Directorate-General Communication 8 We needed to build up momentum for change… …but how? 8

European Commission – Directorate-General Communication 9 We learned 5 lessons

European Commission – Directorate-General Communication 10 Lesson 1

European Commission – Directorate-General Communication 11 We need good cooperation with the Member States EYV2011 had the luxury of National Coordination Bodies, which developed national action plans organized national EYV events were a useful one-stop shop for national volunteering issues

European Commission Lesson 2 12

European Commission – Directorate-General Communication 13 It is good to have a representative stakeholder body We had the EYV2011 Alliance, which is 39 EU-wide volunteering networks (such as Caritas, European Red Cross, etc.) is the voice of the volunteering sector formed six working groups for policy debate – results will be presented to Commission was formed in December 2007 expressly to have 2011 declared EYV

European Commission Lesson 3 14

European Commission – Directorate-General Communication 15 It is vital to use existing networks We benefitted from channels such as: Commission Representation Offices European Parliament Offices Europe Direct relays EYV Alliance member organisations Member States National Coordination Bodies

European Commission Lesson 4 16

European Commission – Directorate-General Communication 17 The activities must be supported by a communication campaign We used a variety of different tools to get our messages across: Multilingual website: Lively: six news items a daywww.europa.eu/volunteering EU-level thematic conferences EYV Tour, plus posters & promo items EYV Relay Reporters Downloadable logo & slogan, in all languages Press and A/V media resources

European Commission Lesson 5 18

European Commission – Directorate-General Communication 19 EU-level policy initiatives help ensure a legacy for years to come We had two major political milestones during 2011: We had two major political milestones during 2011: Commission Communication on EU Policies and Volunteering (20 September 2011) Commission Communication on EU Policies and Volunteering (20 September 2011) Council Conclusions on the role of voluntary activities in social policy (3 October 2011) Council Conclusions on the role of voluntary activities in social policy (3 October 2011)

European Commission – Directorate-General Communication 20 Thematically-linked European Years help keep the ball rolling! 2010: EY against Poverty and Social Exclusion 2010: EY against Poverty and Social Exclusion 2011: EY of Volunteering 2011: EY of Volunteering 2012: EY of Active Ageing & Inter- generational solidarity 2012: EY of Active Ageing & Inter- generational solidarity 2013: EY of the Citizen (to be confirmed) 2013: EY of the Citizen (to be confirmed) Volunteers are important in all these areas!

European Commission – Directorate-General Communication 21 EYC 2013: Context Article 20 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU): Union citizenship is conferred automatically upon all Member States' nationals Rights: 1.right to move and reside freely within the territory of other Member States than the one of which they are nationals. 2.right to vote and stand as a candidate in the European parliament and municipal elections 3.right to be protected by the diplomatic and consular authorities of any other EU country 4.right to petition the European Parliament and complain to the European ombudsman

European Commission – Directorate-General Communication 22 Launch of the next generation of Europe for Citizens program 2012 European Year of Active Ageing and Intergeneration al Solidarity Political Guidelines for this Commission Link between civic participation and policy- making Interdependence of political commitment and rights Run-up to 2014 European elections 2013 European Year of Citizens

European Commission – Directorate-General Communication 23 Financial and Legal Framework Legal Basis: Art. 21 (2) TFEU Budget: 2012: m 2013: m Broad cooperation under the common EY label: EU Institutions, civil society, REPs, Europe Direct Network …

European Commission – Directorate-General Communication 24 Rationale and Actions Union citizens rights and civic participation AVs on rights and participation Mobilizing events Thematic seminars 2013 European Year of Citizens … and: initiatives promoted by strategic partners with their resources