ENGAGEMENT UND ERWERBSARBEIT IN EUROPA - BBE

arp: greeting
Particularly in view of the current national debt
crisis we must leave no stone unturned in order to
encourage permanent, socially balanced and environmentally
friendly growth. As the urgent necessity
for budget consolidation restricts the scope for
programmes which stimulate economic activity, we
must rely even more on the expansion of the internal
market and economic structural reforms and
focus existing funds on important investments into
our future.
You can see that job creation is currently a key focus
of European Union policymaking. It is about more
jobs, better jobs, jobs with a secure future - secure
because they are competitive. I can tell you that this
issue will continue to be at the top of the agenda in
Brussels and Strasbourg.
Voltaire said that ‚Work is the father of pleasure‘. I
hope that this quote is an elegant way of introducing
the issue of volunteering. Because the 100 million
EU citizens engaged in voluntary work do so on the
one hand motivated by a feeling of social responsibility
and community spirit, and on the other – at
least I hope so – simply because they enjoy their voluntary
work.
The European Union has named 2011 the European
Year of Volunteering. In doing so, it intends
• to promote the creation of favourable framework
conditions for volunteering;
• to support organisations active in the field of
volunteering and to improve the quality of voluntary
services;
• to acknowledge the achievements of volunteers;
and
• to raise public awareness for the social significance
of civic engagement.
In the EU‘s view, volunteering is an expression of European
core values, such as solidarity, and the basis
for a functioning democracy. It benefits society and
represents a learning experience for the individuals
concerned. Hence the European Year 2011.
Without this dedication by so many people, not
least in Germany, to social aims and to environmental
protection, without their engagement in sports
associations and in the cultural and political area or
their commitment to encouraging the integration of
immigrants, our society would be less humane, and
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also less capable of functioning. Because the government
and the market would fail to fulfil many of these
social needs.
The EU also lends financial support to the voluntary
efforts of a great number of people through the programmes
‚Europe for Citizens‘ and ‚Youth in Action‘
as well as through the European Voluntary Service.
Voluntary activities do not replace professional, paid
employment opportunities but add value to society‘,
according to the EU Council‘s decision on the European
Year of Volunteering. 2 That is the European
Union‘s statement on the topic of your conference,
on the relationship between paid employment and
civic engagement. You will discuss everything else
together today and tomorrow.
I extend my thanks to all of you - and of course to the
organisers - for holding this conference as a contribution
to the European Year, and hope that it will be
successful, as well as fruitful.
2 EU Council decision dated 27 November 2009 on the European
Year of Voluntary Activities Promoting Active Citizenship (2011),
Official Journal of the European Union No. L017, published 22 January
2010.