16 Amendments of Tom VANDENKENDELAERE related to 2017/0102(COD)
Amendment 30 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1
Recital 1
(1) The European Union is built on solidarity, among its citizens and among its Member States. This common value guides its actions and provides the necessary unity to cope with current and future societal challenges, which young Europeans are willing to help address by expressing their solidarity in practice. The principle of solidarity is enshrined in Article 2 TEU and the preamble to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
Amendment 34 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) The State of the Union address of 14 September 201617 emphasized the need to invest in young people and announced the establishment of a European Solidarity Corps with a view to creating opportunities for young people across the Union to make a meaningful contribution to society, show solidarity and develop their formal, informal and non-formal skills, thus getting not only work but also invaluable human experience. __________________ 17 The State of the Union 2016: Towards a Better Europe – A Europe that Protects, Empowers and Defends, IP/16/3042 (http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16- 3042_en.htm).
Amendment 59 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6
Recital 6
(6) The European Solidarity Corps would provide a single entry point for solidarity activities throughout the Union. Consistency and complementarity of that framework should be ensured with other relevant Union policies and programmes. The European Solidarity Corps should build on the strengths and synergies of existing programmes, notably the European Voluntary Service. It should also complement the efforts made by Member States to support young people and ease their school-to-work transition under the Youth Guarantee19 by providing them with additional opportunities to make a start on the labour market in the form of traineeships or jobs in solidarity-related areas in another Member State or within their respective Member State, or an condition that the solidarity activity is of a cross -borders nature. Complementarity with existing Union level networks pertinent to the activities under the European Solidarity Corps, such as the European Network of Public Employment Services, EURES and the Eurodesk network, should also be ensured. Furthermore, complementarity between existing related schemes, in particular national solidarity schemes and mobility schemes for young people, and the European Solidarity Corps should be ensured, building on good practices where appropriate. __________________ 19 Council Recommendation of 22 April Council Recommendation of 22 April 2013 on establishing a Youth Guarantee (2013/C 120/01).
Amendment 80 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 10
Recital 10
(10) Traineeships and jobs in solidarity- related areas can offer additional opportunities for young people to make a start on the labour market while contributing to addressing key societal challenges. This can help foster the employability and productivity of young people while easing their transition from education to employment, which is key to enhancing their chances on the labour market. TOn no account may the traineeship placements offered under the European Solidarity Corps shouldbe used to secure cheap labour to replace jobs, and they must always be remunerated by the participating organisation and. The traineeship placements must follow the quality principles outlined in the Council Recommendation on establishing a Quality Framework for Traineeships of 10 March 201421. The traineeships and jobs offeredIn addition, traineeship placements must be based on a written agreement concluded between the contractor and the participating organisation before the beginning of the traineeship. The traineeships and jobs offered must be clearly distinguished, in terms of funding and substance, from voluntary work. These traineeships and jobs should constitute a stepping stone for young people to enter the labour market and should therefore be accompanied by adequate post-placement support. The traineeship and job placements should be facilitated by relevant labour market actors, in particular public and private employment services, social partners and Chambers of Commerce. As participating organisations, they should be able to apply for funding via the competent implementing structure of the European Solidarity Corps in view of intermediating between the young participants and employers offering traineeship and job placements in solidarity sectors. __________________ 21 Council Recommendation of 10 March 2014 on a Quality Framework for Traineeships, OJ C 88, 27.3.2014, p. 1.
Amendment 88 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) Young people’s spirit of initiative is an important asset for society and for the labour market. The European Solidarity Corps should contribute to fostering this aspect by offering young people the opportunity to devise and implement their own projects aimed at addressing specific challenges to the benefit of their local communities. Those projects should be an opportunity to try out ideas and support young people to be themselves drivers of solidarity actions. They could also serve as a springboard for further engagement in solidarity activities and could be a first step towards encouraging European Solidarity Corps participants to engage in self- employmentbecome entrepreneurs or setting up associations, NGOs or other bodies active in the solidarity, non-profit and youth sectors.
Amendment 91 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13
Recital 13
(13) Particular attention should be paid to ensuring the quality of the placements and other opportunities offered under the European Solidarity Corps, in particular by offering training, language support, insurance, administrative and post- placement, support to participants before, during and after placements, as well as the validation of the knowledge, skills and competences acquired through their European Solidarity Corps experience. This support should be organised in collaboration with youth organisations, educational institutions and other civil society organisations.
Amendment 98 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
Recital 14
(14) To ensure the impact of European Solidarity Corps placements on the personal, educational, social, civic and professional development of the participants, the knowledge, skills and competences that are the learning outcomes of the placement should be properly identified and, documented and certified, in accordance with national circumstances and specificities, as recommended in the Council Recommendation of 20 December 2012 on the validation of non-formal and informal learning22. __________________ 22 Council Recommendation of 20 December 2012 on the validation of non- formal and informal learning, OJ C 398, 22.12.2012, p. 1.
Amendment 109 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 17
Recital 17
(17) A European Solidarity Corps Portal in all EU official languages should continuously be developed in order to ensure easy access to the European Solidarity Corps and to provide a one-stop shop for both interested individuals and organisations as regards, inter alia, registration, identification and matching of profiles and opportunities, networking and virtual exchanges, online training, language and post-information on existing solidarity placements or projects and on participating organisations, relevant Union and national contact points, online training, language support and support before, during and after placement supports, as well as other useful functionalities, which may arise in the future.
Amendment 122 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21 a (new)
Recital 21 a (new)
(21a) The European Solidarity Corps should specifically focus on volunteering, traineeships or work with a foreign placement which involve young people carrying out solidarity activities in another country. Placement within their own Member State is possible only in a project with cross-border activities involving two or more countries.
Amendment 127 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 23 a (new)
Recital 23 a (new)
(23a) The target group of young people should be as broad and inclusive as possible, so that young people with different backgrounds, levels of education, skills, capabilities, knowledge and experience participate in the European Solidarity Corps.
Amendment 159 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 5
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 5
5) “solidarity placement” means a volunteering activity, or traineeship orundertaken for a limited period or a job in a solidarity-related area, which is organised by a participating organisation and which contributes to addressing key societal challenges while enhancing the personal, educational, social, civic and professional development and the employability of the European Solidarity Corps participant who undertakes it, either in a country other than the country of residence (cross-border) or in the country of residence of the participant (in-country);
Amendment 165 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 6
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 6
6) “volunteering” means a full-time32 unpaid voluntary service for a period of up to twelvesix months, which may be extended once for a maximum of six months, and which provides young people with the opportunity to contribute to the daily work of organisations active in solidarity-related fields, to the ultimate benefit of the communities within which the activities are carried out, including a solid learning and training dimension in order to enable the young volunteer(s) to gain skills and competences, which will be useful for their personal, educational, social and professional development, and which will also contribute to improving their employability; __________________ 32 As a general principle, an activity carried out continuously, 5 days a week for 7 hours a day.
Amendment 172 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 8
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 8
8) “traineeship” means a period of work practice from twoone to twelvesix months, which may be extended once by a maximum of six months, remunerated by the organisation hosting the European Solidarity Corps participant, based on a written traineeship agreement, which includes a learning and training component, and undertaken in order to gain practical and professional experience with a view to improving employability and facilitating transition to regular employment;
Amendment 173 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 8
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 8
8) “traineeship” means a period of work practice from twoone to twelvesix months, which may be extended once by a maximum of six months, remunerated by the organisation hosting the European Solidarity Corps participant, based on a written traineeship agreement, which includes a learning and training component, and undertaken in order to gain practical and professional experience with a view to improving employability and facilitating transition to regular employment;
Amendment 194 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1
Article 3 – paragraph 1
The objective of the European Solidarity Corps is to promote European solidarity and enhance the engagement of young people and organisations in accessible and high quality solidarity activities as a means to contribute to strengthening cohesion and solidarity in Europe, supporting communities and responding to societal challenges.
Amendment 211 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point a
a) solidarity placements in the form of volunteering, traineeships or jobs, including individual cross-border and in- country placements as well as volunteering teams’ placements, with the proviso that placement within the home country is possible only in a project with cross- border activities involving two or more countries;