A few days ago, the Council of the European Union published its proposal for “a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of research, studies, pupil exchange, remunerated and unremunerated training, voluntary service and au pairing”, resulting from the meeting in Brussels on the last 9th of December.

The Council of the European Union, who was under the Italian Presidency back in December, made a further step in the legislative process which will lead to an update Directive on visa issues. In fact, back in March 2013, the European Commission (EC) published a Proposal for revising the existing Directive 2014/114/EC (dated December 2004) on the conditions of admission of third-country nationals for the purposes of studies, pupil exchange, unremunerated training or voluntary service, and Directive 2005/71/EC (Dating October 2005) on the conditions of admission of third-country nationals for the purposes of scientific research. The aim was to improve the legal framework applicable to third-country nationals, including also the remunerated trainees and au pair.

In February 2014, the European Parliament (EP) voted its first reading, serving as a mandate for the negotiations with the Council.

Despite its title, and the premises in the same text (point (2) of the Proposal: “[The Directive] should therefore simplify and streamline the existing provisions for the different groups”), this proposal was embarrassingly inadequate compared to the EC and the EP proposals.

In fact, already in the Article 1 (a) and in the Article 2 (1), the Directive makes a clear distinction between third-country nationals who apply to be admitted on the territory of a Member State for the purpose of research and study – for which the Directive shall compulsory apply –  and the ones applying in the frame of “pupil exchange scheme or educational project, unremunerated training or voluntary service”, for which “Member States may also decide to apply” (the Directive, ndr).

This reduction of the scope of the Directive, compared to the one proposed by the EC, is of huge concern. In fact, if we bring it to our association, it may mean that non-EU members may have burdens in participating in events taking place in all those countries who won’t extend the scope of the Directive to others than students.

The second biggest concern regards the fee for applying for a visa: not only is a fee foreseen, but, in its document,the Council does not foresee any limitation, but rather gives a suggestion for it not to be “disproportionate or excessive”. Again, the limit of the Council is clear: we all know how difficult, demanding and expensive it is to apply for a visa (if we didn’t apply directly, we for sure know stories from our friends in the Network), and this document proceeds in the exact opposite way than the Erasmus+ legal framework, where the learning mobility of individuals is one of the main actions to pursue the Programe objectives.

The list doesn’t stop unfortunately. Reading further in the document is clearly stated that “The competent authorities of the Member State concerned shall adopt a decision […] as soon as possible but no later than 90 days of the complete application being lodged”. Can you imagine applying for an Agora three months in advance to make sure to get the visa on time? Moreover, this provision extends considerably the “60 days” EC proposal, and even more the “30 days” framework suggested by the European Parliament.

The last remarkable point comes regarding the visa holders for studying and research considering to spend a period of time (up to 6 months) in another EU Country: despite the already long procedure spent to apply for a visa, the third-countries nationals may incur in a renew procedure for the second Member State, who is allowed to start further verification on documentation and purpose of stay.

Luckily, this is not the final version of the Directive. According to the Lisbon Treaty, this document has to go through the Parliament, who has the right not to validate it as such, but to propose modifications that will need to be then approved by the Council.

Of course, this doesn’t mean at all that there is an easy path ahead. Unfortunately, this document shares the fear to further concede facilitation for mobility in Europe. Let’s not forget that the Schengen agreement has been quoted and pointed out as one of the main factors allowing free movement to terrorists, and the happenings in Ukraine, Turkey, France, Libya (and the list may unfortunately go on) are misused and misreported to create a growing terror mood in Europe which is disruptive and mining the concept of United Europe.

That’s why AEGEE, together with the European Youth Forum and in all the possible platforms, is and has to continue campaigning for Youth Rights in Europe. An official statement has been presented, and a Policy Paper on Youth Mobility will be presented at the next Agora Asturias to be ratified.

Youth rights are at a stake, and we, European citizens, need to do as much as we can (and a bit more) to make sure we build up the Europe we want to live in.

You can read AEGEE-Europe Reaction to the Council Proposal for the Revision of the Visa Directive here.

Written by Alfredo Sellitti, AEGEE-Salerno, Policy Officer on Youth Mobility

I have frequently been asked why I find volunteering so important and why I´ve made it such a huge part of my life. Most people expect me to give them a short answer, something along the lines of  “I do it because it makes me feel good”. Certainly, none of them expect me to look at them with bright eyes and a wide smile saying “Where do I begin?” At this point many people run away terrified thinking that I’m about to deliver a life-long speech full of boring statistics. Well, just kidding. However, for brevity´s sake and in order to keep you interested, I´ll sum everything up in just three words: oneself, people and world.

Before I explain such choice of words, let´s state what is volunteering, indeed. As a future psychologist I´m extremely fond of experiments, so let´s carry one out. Say Volunteering aloud and ask the person next to you what is the first image or word that comes to their minds. You will find, as I did, that most people think about spending a month abroad helping out in a big natural catastrophe or fighting against one of the Big Problems of Humankind (war, hunger…). However, volunteering can also mean giving some hours of your time and taking action in your own city. Isn´t it fantastic? And incredibly cheaper, let me tell you. You can even be a volunteer in your own home trying to be more helpful, kind and loving, because in the end that´s what volunteering is about. Anyway, in some respects dedicating some hours of your week throughout a year is even better than attending a work camp or other volunteering program. This is mainly because it is important to recognize volunteering as a part of your life. This way you´ll be able to fit the precious knowledge you´re obtaining into your daily life. When one goes away to volunteer he or she is at risk of considering the experience as something isolated from their lives, in other words, something that cannot, in anyway, be brought into their lives.

Oneself

I have myself been a volunteer since I was 16. Countless are the hours I spent with children, immigrants and other groups. I faced some difficult moments, but also some of my most beautiful and precious memories are linked to volunteering and I will be forever grateful for these experiences. Volunteering has made me, in fact, who I am today. Now, let´s get down to those words. First of all, “oneself”. Something extremely important about volunteering is the fact that it enables you to view life from another perspective, to walk in another´s shoes. This is an enriching experience, as it is a way to encounter other situations, to see through another person´s eyes. Sometimes we tend to live in our own bubble, without getting close to any problems but the ones of our family and friends. Besides, we go through life on autopilot, but one cannot help someone, and do so the best of one´s ability, half conscious, that is, without concentrating fully on the task ahead: you have to be wide awake; you have to put your whole mind to it. Moreover, most of what you´ll learn by volunteering will go more than skin-deep and will certainly keep life interesting. Suffice is to say that what you´ll learn might also prove to be very useful in your future/current career. I can´t help but quote the lyrics from a song by Bob Dylan:

You say you´d never compromise

With the mystery tramp, but now you realise

He´s not selling any alibis

As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes

People

With the second word, “people”, I refer to all the people you meet when you volunteer; not only the people you help but also the other helpers. People with whom you are sharing a moment of your life, who are doing the same thing you are, and who may have different reasons than you to volunteer. I assure you there is an unimaginable amount of things to learn from this people, so keep your ears open! In addition, getting to know someone through volunteering is vastly different than getting to know someone at a party, in the workplace or in the classroom. Two people, volunteers, that are working for the same cause, both of whom have their hearts and their minds set on doing the task the best they can, who are bent on doing it right and, most importantly, on cooperating, form a very meaningful and deep connection.

World

Last but not least, “world”. This is a pretty personal motivation, but I hope it applies to you as well. So let´s be honest: the world is in a chaos in this century; we are cruel, self-centered, selfish, vain and greedy beings. However, for me, if there´s something that makes us worthy, something that erases all of the above, is our capacity to give other resources (money, effort, time, even life) to other beings and to do so freely, willingly and without demanding anything in return. This selflessness that we are capable of is what makes Humankind truly admirable. That, and our capacity to produce delicious chocolate, but that´s quite another story. I know that giving away some hours of your week won´t stop wars or rape, nor will it reforest the Amazon or wipe clean all the bloodshed throughout History, but it will make a difference.

Volunteering is, if you will, a movement, a movement of people who refuse to be passive machines and decide instead to take action. A movement of people fixated on an idea: making this world a little better. I am not saying we can transform the chaos into an utopia, but as one Beatles´ song goes:

I’ve got to admit, it’s getting better,

A little better all the time

Spoiler alert: you won´t be given money, and if you are I suggest you to refuse it. I have to admit I´ve been offered pastry and I did accept, but that´s also another story for a more appropriate moment. Your reward will be a priceless one, much more important than anything material, for what fuels volunteering is not something as banal or futile as money, or food for that matter. When you volunteer you feel a satisfaction that nothing else can bring, and you obtain a knowledge that no words in a book or sentences uttered in a class can grasp. It is the kind of knowledge shared by the whole Humankind, the kind of knowledge that doesn´t perish. It is the kind of knowledge that makes you, somehow, more human.

Written by María Eugenia Casariego Artola, AEGEE-Oviedo

Are you active within AEGEE-Europe? If you answered yes, you are also a youth worker, because you are a volunteer working on the youth field. By doing this, you do not only help other young people develop, but you also improve yourself, although you can’t prove that you gained these competences. For this, AEGEE-Europe set up the COY project, together with Youth for Exchange and Understanding (YEU – Portugal), Institute of Entrepeneurship Development (Greece), Modavi ONLUS (Italy) and Cracow University of Economics (Poland). The AEGEEan spoke to Madalena Sousa, CD Assistant, to find out more!

You may be asking yourself: “What exactly is this project?”. The aim of the project is to develop a process of certification, which gives youth workers in NGOs like AEGEE-Europe the possibility to asses and validate the qualities they gained through their volunteer work. Because the ECVET-system is used, this recognition of qualifications will be valid all over Europe. AEGEE-Europe is in the project on behalf of Belgium, while also Portugal, Greece, Italy, Poland and Belgium are presented. “Each partner represents the country where it’s based and where they have been working on the dissemination of the project”, Madalena says.

The whole project started on the initiative of the current coordinator of the project, YEU, who invited AEGEE-Europe to join. “AEGEE acknowledged the potential that this project might have on social and political recognition of Youth Work”, Madalena continues. “We have been following the current European processes on the recognition of Non Formal Education and Youth Work. As a consequence of this active participation and interest, and because we believe that our members can also be considered as Youth Workers, we have been taking a more active role in the field by developing some processes.”

This is exactly the reason the project is also looking for members of AEGEE who want to participate in the pilot phase, which will take place in June 2014. In the end, the project will lead to the development of a competence profile with the necessary qualifications that youth workers should have and learning outcomes supposed to be achieved while working for an organization and in the sector in general. Participants will be tested on their knowledge, skills and competencies they have acquired informally through their work, and the successful participants will receive an European Certificate for Youth Workers of Non-governmental organizations.

Want to know more about the project? Check out the Open Call for participants and members of the advisory board. The deadline for applications is this Thursday, June 5th.

Written by Svenja van der Tol, AEGEE-Nijmegen

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