Brussels, 23/04/2008 (Agence Europe) - Encouraging people to get involved in volunteer work, encouraging volunteer work through European funds, and recognising and assisting volunteer activities at European level are ways of creating direct links between citizens, their communities and the Union. That is the belief of the European Parliament which, on Tuesday 22 April adopted the own initiative report by Marian Harkin on “volunteering in contributing to economic and social cohesion” (639 votes to 23, with 21 abstentions). The EP noted that (1) more than 100 million Europeans are involved in volunteer work and every euro spent to support them brings a return of between €3 and €8, (2) volunteering is good for those who do so and for their family and friends, for regional development and for the economy nationally, and (3) volunteering also contributes towards the “social capital” that is needed for public policies to be successful. (G.B.)