European Year for Volunteering

On Sunday December 5, volunteers and campaigners around the world celebrated their work during International Volunteers day. In Europe alone, more than 100 million Europeans dedicate their time and expertise to helping the needy and giving back to their communities. From the retired art teacher who gives lectures on European masterpieces to foreign visitors at a museum to the high school student who reads to sick children at a hospital and the former national football player who coaches at a neighborhood club, there are thousands of ways in which people can make a difference.

To highlight these efforts and encourage more citizens to join in, last Thursday the European Commission launched their  “2011 European Year of Volunteering” program.  Vice-President Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, together with Jean-Marc Delizée, Belgium’s federal Secretary of State for Social Affairs and European Parliament Member Marian Harkin, presented the year’s slogan: “Volunteer! Make a difference.”

Harkin, who is the political figure of reference for volunteering in Brussels and who was one of the main proponents of the idea of making 2011 the year for volunteering, spoke to Vita Europe.

What concrete actions will you be taking next year to make sure that the European Year won’t end up being just a series of conferences and talks?

Before I give you the concrete actions I want to tell you how I think we should arrive at them, which is by involving the Alliance and the voluntary sector right across the European Union. It is only through listening to the sector that we can then begin to see what we can do at European level to add value. So now I can tell you the concrete actions I have had in mind, but we may end up with slightly different ideas or proposals, because we need to listen.

There is the idea placing a value on volunteer time, which some European programs already do. So, for projects funded by Europe that require co-funding, for example, instead of the organisation having to fundraise 20 or 30 per cent of the total cost, the time dedicated by their volunteers would be taken as their contribution meaning they wouldn’t have to use their time and energy to fundraise, but could concentrate their efforts on doing their voluntary work.

Another thing I would like to see is proper and comparable statistics on volunteering across the EU and for measurements like those taken by the John Hopkins and the International Labour Organisation to be in the national statistics of all member states. Until policy makers see the actual value of volunteering they won’t take it seriously.

What about a European agency for volunteering?

I am not going to make any comment on that for now because I don’t believe in setting up agencies unless it is clear that they have a big added value. Volunteering is very different in each of the member states, so I don’t think that the European Union should meddle with what is happening in Italy or in Belgium or in Ireland, but if there is anything we can do at European level to add value, maybe a European agency could. We look at that, but it is not on top of my agenda.

The European year for poverty didn’t take off in any of the European member states and in general terms this is a difficult time for Europe, where social issues aren’t being taken into consideration. What do you expect in 2011 from member states for the European Year of Volunteering?

Each member state has a national contact point. These contact points will mobilise the volunteers and the member states. There will be a number of events, there will be an opening and a closing event and then we have the European tour, which will travel around all member states, and that’s an opportunity to showcase what is going on.

Also, what in Ireland they are hoping to do, and I know that they are hoping to do the same in other member states as well, is to ensure that this goes right to the regions and at local level. Let me give you an example: perhaps the local authorities might decide that their town hall will be available at a particular time for a week for volunteer organizations to showcase what they are doing, their work, maybe an opportunity to get new volunteers. There would be a real engagement at local level as well and the volunteers would recognize that they are part of a bigger picture, that they would celebrate their volunteering in their own place and in their own community.

Every single MEP will then know about the national contact points, so if they are interested they can engage. I think it will allow MEPs, who might not have otherwise a major interest in volunteering or indeed a knowledge of volunteering, to know what is going on in their own country. I think that it will be very useful and very important. 

What kind of initiatives would you like to promote inside the European Parliament? Can we expect initiatives at a political level?

We would be working with the Alliance to encourage the Commission to come forward with a green paper. Obviously there are legal issues here – for example, the Commission has come forward with a green paper on pensions. Now, the provision of pensions is up to member states, not Europe, but the cause is such a major issue, one that has impacts in every member states and that concerns mobility and European legislation, so the Commission came forward with the green paper. We will work very closely on the policy side with a number of European organizations and we will work through that with them and then we will go to the Commission with our proposals, but I want to say that it won’t be Marian Harkin’s suggestions, it genuinely will be the suggestions coming from the Alliance and the voluntary organizations.

What about the budget cuts to the voluntary sector being made across Europe?

Governments cut budgets to voluntary organizations because they know that they will still deliver more value for every euro spent than any other organization. No financial institution will give you that kind of return: for every 1 euro, 5 to 8 euros are given in return. These are reliable figures across the EU. Right now, in times of austerity, communities need the kind of solidarity that comes from our communities. They improve quality of life, especially for those, maybe older people, poor people, weaker people, vulnerable people, people with special needs, people with disabilities, perhaps where the state doesn’t always step forward as it should. So if you attack volunteers you attack society.

Do you have the feeling that social cohesion in Europe is at risk today?

Not social cohesion, perhaps. I think that because of the economic crisis and of the instability of the euro, there is a certain fragmentation, because I think citizens are very anxious and very worried and they don’t know about what the future holds. If anything were to happen to the common currency – and I hope it won’t and I can’ let myself believe it would – but, if it did, then I think it would be a real problem. Look at Ireland, our bank debt became our sovereign debt and now we have four and a half million Irish citizens with 85 billion euro of debt; this can damage social cohesion very quickly.

The European Year for Volunteering Website: http://europa.eu/volunteering