CEV Manifesto for Volunteering in Europe
Over 100 Mio citizens in Europe are actively engaged in volunteering. They undertake a huge variety of work and, by their efforts, bring an enormous range of social, cultural and economic benefits to their communities and beyond. However, while volunteers give their time, energy and skills freely, volunteering is not cost-free. A strong infrastructure, supported by all stakeholders, is needed to ensure that volunteering is effective and accessible to all.
While excellent progress has been made towards putting such an infrastructure in place in some Member States, the situation varies greatly across the European Union and much remains to be done, especially at the European level. So CEV has produced a Manifesto for Volunteering in Europe to highlight the importance of volunteering and to bring it to the attention of opinion leaders and decision makers. It outlines the very real economic, social and cultural importance and value of volunteering and makes 23 concrete proposals for how the European Parliament, the European Commission and Member States can most effectively support this activity.
To read about the launch of the Manifesto, hosted by Jo Leinen MEP in the European Parliament on 28 March 2006, click here.