Brussels, 02/12/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 2 December, the Commission initiated its communication campaign for the European Year of Volunteering (EYV) 2011, under the slogan “Volunteer! Make a Difference”. The European Year aims to raise awareness of the contribution that volunteers can make and the challenges that face millions of volunteers throughout the EU, whose work contributes to the creation of a more democratic, more caring and more responsible society. The official site of the European Year of Volunteering is now open: http://www.europa.eu/volunteering .
Within the framework of the EYV, an “interactive EYV Tour” will travel to each member state so that the campaign becomes more tangible to the general public. The first stop of the tour will be in Brussels where a ten-day EYV event is being organised by the country's three language communities.
The European media launch of the EYV and of its political dimensions was conducted on Thursday, attended by Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding (citizenship), the Belgian secretary of state for social affairs, Jean-Marc Delizée, and MEP for the Ireland North West constituency, Marian Harkin (ALDE).
In a press release, the Commission sets out the four main objectives of the EYV with a view to: (1) reducing the obstacles to volunteer work in the EU, (2) improving the quality of volunteer work, (3) rewarding and acknowledging volunteer work, and (4) raising awareness of society and of individuals regarding the value and importance of volunteering for the economy. Of the many projects highlighted during the year, the Commission cites at EU level: (1) the EYV 2011 Tour in which volunteers will travel to EU countries during one and a half years, and (2) the EYV 2011 Relay Reporters following the work of the 54 volunteer organisations, producing audiovisual and written reports to receive media coverage. (G.B./transl.jl)