Volonteurope ASBL

EU Legislative Interests

Volonteurope works to advance social justice through volunteering, civic engagement and democratic participation. Our advocacy is grounded in civic resilience, foresight and citizen-led participation, with a strong focus on youth, intersectional equality and environmental justice, including water resilience and climate transformation. We mobilise member organisations, youth workers and young people to collect signals of change, analyse emerging trends and co-create proposals that feed into EU policy debates. We primarily target EU legislative proposals and policy frameworks that shape civic space, social rights, equality and preparedness. These include the European Pillar of Social Rights and its Action Plan, initiatives on adequate minimum income and fair minimum wages, the follow-up to the European Social Pillar and social acquis, the European Democracy Action Plan, the EU Youth Strategy and Youth Goals, and the EU’s inclusion and equality agendas (Union of Equality framework, anti-discrimination measures, gender equality and LGBTQIA+ rights). Our work also contributes to the European Green Deal (especially just and sustainable transitions), the EU Preparedness Union, the European Skills Agenda and wider debates on shrinking civic space, rule of law, fundamental rights and digital citizenship. Volonteurope engages with the European Commission, European Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee, in particular through structured civil dialogue, where we bring evidence from grassroots organisations and youth actors into advisory processes and stakeholder consultations. We are an active member of key European civil society platforms and networks such as Social Platform, Lifelong Learning Platform, Civil Society Europe, European Civic Forum and the Erasmus+ Alliance, which allows us to co-shape common positions on social rights, volunteering, civic space, skills and youth participation and to relay them towards EU institutions. Through these channels, we contribute to public consultations, hearings, civil society events, lifelong learning weeks, youth events and other EU-level dialogues, and we help translate complex policy discussions into more accessible narratives for citizens and young people. Our activities support the implementation of the EU Youth Strategy (Engage, Connect, Empower) by strengthening meaningful youth participation in democratic life and embedding future-oriented thinking into youth work. We organise training cycles, a Futures Academy and a Civic Resilience Campaign that together help youth workers, civil society organisations and young people anticipate change, respond to uncertainty and develop proposals for more inclusive, resilient democratic futures. These activities are closely linked to EU initiatives on participation in democratic life, civic resilience, media literacy and countering disinformation, and they create concrete opportunities for young people to interact with EU institutions, participate in dialogues and contribute to policy consultations. Outputs such as an annual Trends Report on civic resilience and youth engagement, youth-generated narratives, policy briefs and campaign materials are shared with EU institutions and advisory bodies, and feed into debates on participation, skills, inclusion and trust in public institutions. In parallel, Volonteurope contributes to EU-level civil society processes and coalitions that reflect on the future of Europe, the state of European democracy and the role of civil society and volunteering in addressing poly-crises. Through these collaborations, we advocate for strong protections for civic space, sustainable investment in youth and volunteering, and better recognition of the contribution that citizen-led initiatives make to implementing EU priorities on social justice, green and digital transitions and territorial cohesion.

Communication Activities

Volonteurope’s communication and outreach activities are designed to translate complex EU policy debates into accessible narratives and concrete engagement opportunities on social justice, civic space, democracy and environmental stewardship. We combine in‑person events, online campaigns, storytelling formats and policy publications to connect grassroots experiences and youth perspectives with EU-level discussions on the European Pillar of Social Rights, the European Democracy Action Plan, the EU Youth Strategy, the European Green Deal and shrinking civic space. Our General Assembly in Brussels in May 2025 marked a strategic turning point, with members reaffirming water justice, participatory foresight and the triangulation of human rights, democracy and rule of law as core priorities. Building on this mandate, Volonteurope has intensified communication on how EU policies impact communities, volunteers and young people, and on how volunteering and civic engagement contribute to adequate minimum income and fair wages, inclusion and equality, just transitions and preparedness. Through our website, newsletters and social media, we highlight citizen-led initiatives and youth actions that respond to these priorities and link them explicitly to EU frameworks and debates. The BRIDGE initiative on democratic resilience and participatory governance has become a key communication pillar. A dedicated online hub and StoryMap present narratives from local and transnational dialogues that explore how democracy, participation and rights can be strengthened in practice, including in countries closely linked to the EU such as Georgia and Serbia. These multimedia materials showcase foresight sessions, civil society pacts and local democratic innovations and are used to inform EU-facing debates on the future of democracy, trust in institutions and civic space. 4Voices, our futures and storytelling initiative, has further shaped communication on EU priorities related to youth participation, democracy and the European Green Deal. Around the General Assembly in May 2025 we hosted a major 4Voices conference in Brussels, bringing together young people, members and partners to explore alternative democratic futures, climate and water justice, and the role of EU policies in their daily lives. The resulting stories, visual materials and recommendations are disseminated through our channels and at EU events, including Civil Society Week 2026, where we contribute to discussions on civic resilience, participation and youth engagement. Our communication activities also include regular webinars, training sessions and conference contributions on civic resilience, media literacy, countering disinformation, inclusive volunteering and foresight in youth work, helping organisations and young people navigate EU programmes and policy developments. Publications such as position papers, policy briefs and online articles summarise insights from projects and events, with a strong focus on implications for EU initiatives on social rights, equality, youth participation and environmental sustainability. Overall, these communications create feedback loops between local realities and EU institutions and demonstrate how volunteering, citizen‑led initiatives and youth engagement support the Union’s objectives on democracy, social justice, green and digital transitions and preparedness.

Interests Represented

Promotes their own interests or the collective interests of their members

Member Of

We are members of: • Social Platform • Lifelong Learning Platform • Civil Society Europe • European Civic Forum • Civil Society Convention on the Future of Europe (coordinated by Civil Society Europe) We are a partner of: • SOLIDAR & SOLIDAR FOUNDATION

Organisation Members

Please visit http://www.volonteurope.eu/ for further details, under "Membership"

Additional Information

In addition to EU funding, we also receive income from our member and associate organisations in the form of annual membership fees, which are €100 for members and €50 for associates. These are reflected in our accounts. From the accounts of 2024 we brought a positive balance forward into 2025 of €10,049.61. In 2025 we also received a project grant from the Council of Europe for the BRIDGE Project, worth €40,000, which we distributed according to an approved budget amongst Volonteurope and 8 other project partners. The Volonteurope share of this funding was €5,090.72. Once we have audited our 2025 financial accounts and they are approved by the General Assembly (which will take place around May 2026), we will update the figures for the most recent closed financial year.