7. Decision No. 1686/98/EC of the European Parliament and the Council establishing the Community action programme “European Voluntary Service for Young People” (1998)

(Adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, 1686/98/EC, 20 July 1998)

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

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(14) Whereas participation by young people in voluntary service activities constitutes a form of informal education, the quality of which will to a large extent be based on appropriate preparation activities including those of a linguistic and cultural nature, contributes to their future development and to broadening their horizons, promotes the development of their social skills, active citizenship and their balanced integration into society from an economic, social and cultural point of view and makes it possible to promote awareness of genuine European citizenship;

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HAVE DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Establishment of the programme

1. This Decision establishes the Community action programme 'European Voluntary Service for Young People`, hereinafter referred to as the 'programme`, concerning European voluntary service activities within the Community and in third countries for young people legally resident in a Member State.

The programme is adopted for the period from 1 January 1998 to 31 December 1999. 

2. This programme comes within the context of the general objectives of a cooperation policy in the youth field as set out in the programme 'Youth for Europe` (Article 1(2)). It is intended, while respecting equal opportunities for men and women, to encourage mobility and solidarity among young people as part of active citizenship, to promote, and give them the chance of acquiring, informal educational experience in a variety of sectors of activity, which may be one of the foundations of their future development, and to promote, through their participation in transnational activities of benefit to the community, an active contribution on their part to the ideals of democracy, tolerance and solidarity in the context of European integration and to cooperation between the European Community and third countries.

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