Considered the increasing interest and demand of young Europeans for voluntary activities, and notably cross-border volunteering opportunities, the Commission has launched a proposal for Council Recommendation which respects the diversity of existing volunteering schemes but also facilitates their inter-operability and makes them more available to volunteers from other EU countries.

This initiative is addressed to young people in the European Union under 30 years of age who wish to volunteer in a country other than their own and is part of the EU's "Renewed Social Agenda: Opportunities, Access and Solidarity in 21st century Europe". Its scope covers voluntary activities conducted abroad during a limited period of time, typically several months in areas such as civil protection, social inclusion, cultural preservation, regional development and environment.
The active involvement of the civil society and volunteers is an inalienable element of any successful inclusion strategy for street children and strongly contributes to the achievement of a social Europe, and EFSC welcomes the fact that the adoption of the Recommendation may pave the way for more volunteering opportunities fror young people in Europe.

Moreover, As Mr Ján Figel', Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, stated, this is the first Recommendation that the Commission has ever made in the area of youth policy.