The European Commission has published the 2023 Annual Work Programma for the implementation of the European Solidarity Corps programme.
The European Solidarity Corps initiative was launched in December 2016. It aimed to create new opportunities for young people to engage in solidarity related activities for the benefit of communities and people around Europe and first operated within the context of eight pre-existing EU programmes.
The 2023 Budget
The maximum Union contribution for the implementation of the programme for 2023 is set at EUR 142,200,000, and will be financed with:
- general budget of the Union for 2023,
- EFTA contributions to the programme,
- other participating countries contributions to the programme.
The allocation of the budget in 2023 compared to 2022:
Objectives and Action of the European Solidarity Corps
The specific objective of the Programme is to provide young people, including young people with fewer opportunities, with easily accessible opportunities for engagement in solidarity activities that induce positive societal changes in Europe and abroad, while improving and properly validating their competences, as well as facilitating their continuous engagement as active citizens.
To achieve its objective, the Corps implements the following operational actions:
- volunteering (volunteering under the ‘participation of young people in solidarity activities’ strand and under the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps);
- solidarity projects;
- networking activities;
- quality and support measures.
The work programme 2023 will also support the following specific annual policy priorities defined for the ‘Volunteering teams in high priority areas’:
- Relief for persons fleeing armed conflicts and other victims of natural or man-made disasters;
- Prevention, promotion and support in the field of health;
- Inclusion and diversity;
- Environmental sustainability and climate goals;
- Digital transformation;
- Participation in democratic life.
Implementation of the Programme
In 2023, the second full year of implementing the European Solidarity Corps under the new legal base, the Commission is planning to launch a general call for proposals to cover the following actions:
- Volunteering: Individual Volunteering projects, Volunteering Teams in High-Priority Areas, and European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps.
- Solidarity projects: bottom-up, solidarity-related activities, for a period of up to 12 months and are set up and carried out by groups of at least five Corps participants, addressing key challenges in their communities while presenting clear European added value. Such projects must not substitute traineeships and/or jobs.
- Networking activities: national or transnational activities to support the Corps in fulfilling its objectives and priorities.
See the 2023 Annual Work for the implementation of the European Solidarity Corps programme.
Read also
2023 Annual Work Programme | Erasmus+ for Education, Training, Youth and Sport
