Youth: Community action programme 2000-2004

By adopting the recommendation for the second reading of Mrs Lissy GRONER (PES, D) on the "Youth" programme, the European Parliament calls for the programme to be extended from 01.01.2000 to 31.12.2006 (and not from 01.01.2000 to 31.12.2004) and to be given a budget of EUR 980 million and not EUR 350 million as was provided for by the Council. In addition, it requests that this amount be reviewed in a proportion not exceeding 20% thereof as part of the annual budgetary conciliation. The European Parliament also called for the age limits for access to the programmes to be adapted taking account of the specific circumstances of each project. It reiterated its demand regarding equality of access to the programmes. In addition, the Parliament requests that the actions are adequately publicised in order to ensure that they are not in fact reserved for the initiated (need to ensure that national centres reach young people in general, and not just those who belong to youth organisations). It calls on the Member States to adopt appropriate and coordinated measures to remove legal and administrative obstacles in order to further improve young people's access to the programme and facilitate recognition of the specificity of young volunteers. In relation to youth studies associated with the programme objectives, the Parliament wishes priority to be given to studies concerning the paths taken by less-favoured and marginalised young people. Priority should also be given to comparative studies of measures designed to promote the spirit of initiative, including their impact on local development, particularly through the creation of activities (creation of jobs, creation of cultural or social enterprises, etc.). It also called for a 'Young People in Europe' Internet site to be set up and managed by the Commission in order to increase the visibility of measures for young people taken at Community level and in the Member States in widely differing areas: education, training, social and political rights, health, sport, leisure, housing consumption, audio-visual, media, etc. Parliament also called for the Commission and the Member States to coordinate their efforts so that the beneficiaries of the programme can have access to social welfare and medical assistance. The EP also changes the composition of the programme committee and called for the Commission to provide a report on the results achieved by the programme, accompanied by any proposal it deems appropriate, also as regards the financial framework, by December 2002.�