In the beginning of 2020, PPMI completed the study on removing obstacles to cross-border solidarity activities. Now, the study report is available to everyone on the Publications Office of the EU.
This study, through the detailed country-level analysis and EU-wide consultation activities, aimed to identify the key obstacles for cross-border solidarity activities of young people. The study also fed into the revision of the implementation of the 2008 Council Recommendation on the mobility of young volunteers, which is being finalised by a dedicated expert group.
Our study concluded that even though the situation regarding the volunteering improved in the EU Members States since the adoption of the 2008 Council Recommendation, many obstacles that were identified at that time persist. To mention a few:
- There is a large diversity of administrative and regulatory frameworks that govern the volunteering field, and the legal status of volunteers is not always clear.
- In the majority of the EU Member States, there are no special provisions that describe the entrance of volunteers from third countries. Thus, obtaining visa and residence permits for international volunteers was identified as a burdensome process, which comes with a number of requirements.
- Various entitlements and benefits that the volunteers might receive are not clearly defined at the national level.
- Although most of the EU Member States have instruments and tools aimed at promoting existing volunteering opportunities in the country and abroad, they are usually not systemic or integrated, and the lack and fragmentation of awareness-raising efforts is the key obstacle.