DG EAC has just published the results of the Study on volunteering in the European Union which was launched at end of 2008 within the context of its reflections on volunteering and possibly the preparation for a European Year of Volunteering.
The aim of this study was to help the Commission consider ways in which the voluntary sector could be further promoted at EU level and the extent to which volunteering could help the EU in achieving its wider strategic objectives set out in for example the Social Agenda and the Lisbon Strategy.
News :
The final report released last week study provides research and insights into the current situation
of volunteering in the European Union. It includes a comparative analysis of volunteering in 27
Member States with 27 national reports, a sector study on volunteering in sport and 27 national
fiches on volunteering in sport. The purpose of the study was to reach a better understanding of
the conditions and the state of volunteering in the 27 Member States including the national,
regional and local level and to identify trends, similarities and differences, opportunities and
challenges. The study was also meant to assist the Commission in determining the scope and the
direction of future European wide initiatives aimed at promoting volunteering.The launch of a study
on volunteering in sport was announced as an action in the Commission's 2007 White Paper on Sport.
In 2008, it was decided to integrate it with the general EU study on volunteering. You can directly
access all the material related to this Study from the Youth Partnership website:
http://youth-partnership.coe.int/youth-partnership/ekcyp/BGKNGE/StudyVolunteering.html. For further
information please see the Website of the European Commission (below).