EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 21.4.2021

COM(2021) 210 final

2018/0230(COD)

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION
TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

pursuant to Article 294(6) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union

concerning the

position of the Council on the adoption of a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Solidarity Corps programme and repealing [European Solidarity Corps Regulation] and Regulation (EU) No 375/2014

(Text with EEA relevance)

2018/0230 (COD)

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION
TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

pursuant to Article 294(6) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union

concerning the

position of the Council on the adoption of a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Solidarity Corps programme and repealing [European Solidarity Corps Regulation] and Regulation (EU) No 375/2014

(Text with EEA relevance)

1.Background

2.Objective of the proposal from the Commission

The European Solidarity Corps is one of the funding instruments under the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework. The Commission proposed an overall budget of EUR 1.26 billion.

The European Solidarity Corps proposal was intended to create opportunities for young people aged 18-30 years to volunteer, do a traineeship or work in solidarity activities, as well as implementing their own solidarity projects, for the benefit of communities and people around Europe. Its main proposed novelty was the integration of a new humanitarian aid strand into the European Solidarity Corps turning the new Corps into a one-stop-shop for all volunteering opportunities the EU offers to young people in Europe and beyond. The humanitarian aid strand was proposed to ensure continuity of Treaty obligations to create a European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps for young Europeans, implemented currently under the EU Aid Volunteers initiatitve 1 .

3.Comments on the position of the European Parliament

The European Parliament’s first reading position, adopted on 12 March 2019, suggested amendments to the Commission proposal, notably:

–Budget: percentage breakdown between strands (volunteering, jobs/traineeships, humanitarian aid) in both constant and current prices;

–Delegated acts for adoption of annual work programmes;

–Humanitarian aid strand: the European Parliament opened the strand up to people of all ages; wanted to keep the EU Aid Volunteers Portal and selection procedures; added solidarity projects to the strand and the possibility to involve local volunteers in third countries;

–In-country activities: obligation to add partners from other countries and only for people with fewer opportunities;

–Solidarity projects: possibility to add cross-border elements;

–Changes to the monitoring and evaluation framework;

–Addition of new quality and support measures.

In the course of the negotiations, the European Parliament also requested to delete the jobs and traineeships strand entailing a budget breakdown between the two remaining strands of 94% for volunteering and 6% for humanitarian aid, a separate inclusion article, a reference to insurance and clearance requirements as well as revised indicators. Additionally, for the humanitarian aid strand, the European Parliament requested references to various humanitarian aid principles, cooperation mechanisms and policy documents as well as the involvement of local communities and additional indicators.

As part of the agreement reached in the trilogues, the Commission accepted a budget of €1.009 billion, the deletion of the jobs and traineeship strand and an indicative budget breakdown between the two remaining strands; in-country activities in particular for young people with fewer opportunities; an increased age limit of 35 years for the humanitarian aid strand and the possibility for experts of all ages to support humanitarian aid projects in the context of capacity building; additional indicators for the humanitarian aid strand; various referenes to humanitarian aid prinicples and cooperation mechanisms; a specific reference to clearance requirements in accordance with applicable national law; and a reinforced inclusion dimension.

The Commission also agreed to issue the following statement regarding an additional indicator for the humanitarian aid strand:

“The European Commission takes note of the proposal of the European Parliament to consider “the number of local actors that apply the knowledge, the principles and the approaches learnt through the humanitarian activities in which the volunteer and the experts have participated” when supplementing the Regulation with provisions on the establishment of a monitoring and evaluation framework.”

Following the Council's adoption of its first reading position, the European Parliament is expected to formally endorse the agreement reached in the trilogues.

4.Comments on the position of the Council

The Council's position reflects the agreement reached in the trilogues. The most important changes introduced compared to the Commission’s proposal include:

–The financial envelope for the implementation of the Programme for the period 2021-2027 shall be EUR 1 009 000 000 in current prices. With a maximum of 20% for in-country activities, the financial support to the actions referred to in points (a) and (b) of Article 4(1) shall be indicatively: - 94% for volunteering referred to in Article 7 and solidarity projects, - 6% for volunteering referred to in Article 11;

–The deletion of the jobs and traineeships strand;

–An upper age limit of 35 years for the humanitarian aid strand and the possible involvement of experts of all ages within the context of capacity building;

–A reinforced inclusion dimension;

–A reference to insurance coverage of the participants and to clearance requirements in accordance with applicable national law;

–In-country volunteering should be in particular for young people with fewer opportunities;

–Within the humanitarian aid strand, a reference to the “do-no-harm” principle, humanitarain need of local communities, risk assessment, involvement of local staff and volunteers, and the specific needs of women;

–A reference to the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid, international humanitarian law, the good humanitarian donorship principles and the coordinating role of UN-OCHA in recitals;

–Revised indicators and additional indicators catering in particular for the new humanitarian aid strand;

–A fixed programme duration aligned with the duration of the Multiannual Financial Framework;

–Reference to retroactivity provisions;

–Revised third country provisions clarifying participation rules for third countries associated to the programme and legal entities from third countries not associated to the programme.

In general, the agreement reached preserves the objectives of the Commission’s original proposal, with the exception of the deletion of the traineeships and jobs strand, maintaining the level of ambition but allowing the flexibility required for the implementation of the programme.

5.Conclusion

The Commission accepts the position taken by the Council.

6.Declaration from the Commission

The Commission has made one declaration which can be found in the annex.

ANNEX

Statement by the European Commission on the the number of local actors that apply the knowledge, the principles and the approaches learnt through the humanitarian activities in which the volunteer and the experts have participated

The European Commission takes note of the proposal of the European Parliament to consider “the number of local actors that apply the knowledge, the principles and the approaches learnt through the humanitarian activities in which the volunteer and the experts have participated” when supplementing the Regulation with provisions on the establishment of a monitoring and evaluation framework.

(1)    Regulation (EU) No 375/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 April 2014 establishing the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps (‘EU Aid Volunteers initiative’)