One year since the launch of the European Solidarity Corps
Taking stock and looking ahead, towards a final agreement on the Commission's proposal to reinforce the European Solidarity Corps
Today marks the first anniversary of the creation of the European Solidarity Corps which offers young people between the ages of 18 and 30 the opportunity to take part in a wide range of solidarity activities across the EU.
The creation of a European Solidarity Corps was announced by the Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in his 2016 State of the Union address and was launched two months later.
One year since the European Commission launched the European Solidarity Corps, 42,745 young people from all Member States have signed up. 2,166 of them have started their placements with 1,434 organisations.
The Commission's proposal presented on 30 May 2017 for the reinforcement of the European Solidarity Corps is currently is currently being discussed in the Council and the European Parliament. In the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council, Member States reached an informal agreement amongst themselves on 20 November 2017 which paves the way for a final agreement with the European Parliament.
In its proposal, the Commission stressed the need to put the European Solidarity Corps on a firm footing, with a budget of €341.5 million for the years 2018-2020 and a dedicated legal base. In addition, the Commission proposed to extend opportunities for young people. As well as offering volunteering, traineeships and job placements, in the future the European Solidarity Corps would also offer participants the opportunity to set up their own solidarity projects or to volunteer as a group.
In Gothenburg on 17 November, President Juncker invited EU leaders, during their Working Lunch on education and culture, to reach a target of 1.5 million young people participating in the European Solidarity Corps by 2025, which would require a budget of €6 billion for the period 2021-2027.
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