AP/Carte-J (2016) PV 37

Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility through the Youth Card

37th meeting of the Board of Co-ordination

Monday, 17 October 2016

18.30 – 20.00

European Youth Centre, Strasbourg

Room 3.2

 REPORT

1. Welcome and opening of the meeting

The Secretariat welcomed the present Board members (the list of participants appears in Appendix II) and opened the meeting in view of the forthcoming elections of the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Board of Co-ordination under item 3.

2. Adoption of the agenda

AP/Carte-J (2016) OJ 37prov

Agenda was adopted with no change as it appears in Appendix I and in the reference document here above.

3. Election of the Chair and Vice-Chair

The Board of Co-ordination agreed to prolong the mandate of the current Chair, Jarkko Lehikoinen (EYCA), and the current Vice-Chair, Jorge Orlando Quieros (CDEJ, Portugal) till the next meeting of the Board in March 2017.

4. Adoption of the report of the 36th meeting of the Board of Co-ordination

AP/Carte-J (2016)PV36 prov

The report of the 36th meeting of the Board of Co-ordination was adopted without change as it appears in AP/Carte-J (2016)PV36.

5. Implementation of the programme of activities 2016

AP/Carte-J (2016)1

The Secretariat updated the Board on the implementation of the Partial Agreement’s programme of activities since the last Board’s meeting in March 2016: on the success of the PA-EYCA seminar“Mobility towards Inclusion: youth cards supporting young migrants and refugees” (Samobor, Croatia, 10-11 May 2016); on the PA-EYCA promotional seminar for member states not party to the Partial Agreement (Sitges, Spain, 28 September 2016) where, apart from EYCA member organisations, governmental representatives from Ukraine, Belarus, Albania and Georgia took part. The Partial Agreement took an active part in the preparation, by the IJD France, of the Launch of the European Youth Card FRANCE on 13 September 2016 in Strasbourg. It took place in co-operation with the Youth Department and the Directorate of Communication of the Council of Europe, the City of Strasbourg, the University of Strasbourg and AFGES, the most important student union in the Alsace region. The Partial Agreement’s seminar in the framework of the Cypriote Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers was postponed at the request of the Cypriote hosts from 5-6 December 2016 to early 2017.

If time and financial resources allow, a joint PA/EYCA expert visit could be organised to Minsk, Belarus, at the request of Belarussian partners, to present the Partial Agreement and the youth card scheme to a wider specter of decision-makers from the youth sector, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus.

The Board of Co-ordination took note of the above information provided orally by the Secretariat on the basis of document AP/Carte-J (2016)1.

6. Draft programme of activities for 2017

AP/Carte-J (2016)2

The specific aims for the Partial Agreement work programme in 2017 were defined as the following, in line with the priorities of the Council of Europe youth sector for 2016-2017:

- to generate and mobilize knowledge about youth mobility in Europe;

- to support governments to make better policy responses to youth mobility issues;

- to engage a wide range of stakeholders to devise youth mobility-related policy including European institutions, governments, business, experts and young people;

- to stimulate and present youth card practice that contributes to better youth mobility solutions leading to integration and inclusion, especially in the light of refugee crisis in Europe.

EYCA Director, Manel Sanchez, and EYCA’s Management Board member Gazela Pudar, outlined the Partial Agreement’s work programme to be implemented by EYCA in 2017, focusing in particular on a possible CDEJ Summer University on the theme of youth mobility – which would be the major event of the programme of activities in 2017 – and the next issue of the promotional seminar for non-member states in September 2017.

The Board of Co-ordination took note of the above information provided orally by EYCA representatives on the basis of document AP/Carte-J (2016)2.

7. Exchange of views on PA’s priorities for 2018-2019 in the framework of youth sector’s priorities (no document)

The youth sector’s priorities for 2018-2019 were preliminarily discussed by the Joint Council on Youth on the following day, so the Board entrusted the Secretariat, in co-operation with EYCA, to define the Partial Agreement’s work programmes for 2018 and 2019 in accordance with the overall youth sector’s priorities in due time.

 

8. Recent developments in the European Youth Card Association (EYCA) – oral presentation by EYCA’s Director and President

EYCA Director, Manel Sanchez, reported on the recent developments in EYCA:

a. The 32^nd EYCA Conference took place in Poland on 2-5 June; its highlight was the EYCA Excellence Awards with the following winning EYCA members, as voted by their peers:

Sustainability Award - Centre Information Jeunes, Luxembourg, in recognition of the great work and dedication of the Centre Information Jeunes team, especially their contribution to the EYCA Mobility in the Mind project.

Quality Benefits and Discounts Award – Young Scot, Scotland, UK: Young Scot was voted the EYCA member with the best discounts and opportunities designed to support young people to grow and live happy, fulfilled and healthy lives.

Youth Mobility and Active Citizenship Award - Polish Youth Projects Association, Poland, in recognition of the work to organise the City Games in Kwidzyn.

Knowledge of Young People Award – Mecenat, Sweden set an example for all EYCA members on how to use mobile app technology to find out more about young people and their needs and use this information to tailor their services.

Communications & PR Award - Agència Catalana de la Joventut, Catalonia, Spain: The 30^th anniversary of the youth card in Catalonia was celebrated with a great communications campaign with a clear message – all generations are Carnet Jove generations because for the past 3 decades the card has always been there for young Catalans.

Active Contribution to EYCA Award – Movijovem, Portugal, won the Active Contribution to EYCA Award for being such an important part of the Association from the very beginning and for continuing to deliver outstanding work for young people, as shown by their 30^th Anniversary campaign.

b. On 3 June 2016 EYCA and CSR Europe[1] signed a Memorandum of Understanding paving the way for EYCA to join the European Pact 4 Youth[2] in order to achieve the programme’s aims:

- Boost youth employability and inclusion with a target of at least 100,000 new good quality apprenticeships, traineeships or entry-level jobs;

- To reduce the skills gaps with a target of creating 10,000 quality business-education partnerships;

- To contribute to European and national policy through National Action Plans and joint proposals.

 Being in contact with 6 million young Europeans and having over 30 years’ experience in working with youth, EYCA’s role in the development of the programme will be significant. The Partial Agreement could also benefit from this experience as youth unemployment is one of major concerns for most Council of Europe member states and countering it is an objective for many.

The above-mentioned Memorandum of Understanding is the result and continuation of EYCA’s co-operation with ENGIE, one of the largest energy companies in Europe, which joined EYCA’s Mobility in the Mind project in 2015 to lend its support and expertise to the EYCA Young Innovators participating in the programme. After a successful cooperation, EYCA and ENGIE have decided to continue working together on the European and national levels in order to support young people's entrepreneurial spirit and provide them with real opportunities to develop their business ideas.

c. The 2016 edition of the EVS European Youth Card Awardsfour young volunteers were chosen winners with 15,000 votes cast.

d. The three main European networks for youth information and youth mobility - EYCA, Eurodesk and ERYICA - have joined forces to develop a set of recommendations for the new EU Youth Strategy. The position paper entitled Engage. Inform. Empower elaborates on the recommendations of the three networks and stresses the importance of making youth information and mobility opportunities available to all young Europeans.

e. New EYCA members

“Inspired” is the newest member of the EYCA, having been awarded the licence to develop the European Youth Card in England. The organisation is the UK’s leading volunteering charity for 14-25 year olds, supporting young people to get involved in causes they care about and make a difference. “Inspired” believes that volunteering can create more cohesive communities whilst giving young people the opportunity to learn new skills and discover their talents. These shared values created a solid foundation for the organisation’s membership in EYCA.

As mentioned under item 5, on September 13 the University of Strasbourg hosted the official launch of the Carte Jeunes Européenne in France. One of the highlights of the event was the signing of an agreement between the Carte Jeunes Européenne and the Deputy Mayor of Strasbourg, Ms Nawel Rafik-Elmrini. The two partners agreed to work together to promote youth mobility and participation to young residents in the city, with of view to expanding this partnership in the near future.

A youth-led organization, QNA Moldova, will launch the European Youth Card in Moldova. QNA is dedicated to investing in the development of young people through education, sports and mobility. For the past 6 years, QNA has been working diligently to organise sports events, trainings and projects involving young Moldovans and supporting them to develop. By launching the European Youth Card in Moldova, the new EYCA member organisation aims to increase its impact on young people and make a real difference in their lives.

Istvan Karasz updated the Board on the development of the youth card in Hungary, which is also a youth-led initiative supported by the Hungarian Government. In 2012 the official Hungarian Student Card was redesigned to meet the EYCA standards. Since then every new cardholder automatically becomes an EYCA member. In one last year the number of Hungarian card-holders increased by almost a million.

The Board of Co-ordination took note of the above information provided orally by EYCA representatives.

9. Any other business

At its 36^th meeting, the Board of Co-ordination requested the Secretariat to prepare a budgetary simulation of Partial Agreement’s member states’ contributions if the overall budget of the Partial Agreement were to increase by  €10 000. The Secretariat prepared such a simulation in comparison to the actual budget of the Partial Agreement. The table is set out in Appendix III.

The increase per member state would be insignificant, nonetheless the administrative and political hassle it would provoke at national level and in the Committee of Ministers would not be worth that almost imperceptible budgetary growth.

The Board of Co-ordination took note of the budgetary simulation presented by the Secretariat and agreed not to undertake, at the current stage, actions to increase the budget of the Partial Agreement.

10. Date and place of the next meetings

In the framework of the youth sector’s statutory bodies in Budapest in March 2017[3].

Appendix I

Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility through the Youth Card

37th meeting of the Board of Co-ordination

Monday, 17 October 2016

AGENDA

1. Welcome and opening of the meeting

2. Adoption of the agenda

AP/Carte-J (2016) OJ 37

3. Election of the Chair and Vice-Chair

4. Adoption of the report of the 36th meeting of the Board of Co-ordination

AP/Carte-J (2016)PV36 prov

5. Implementation of the programme of activities 2016

AP/Carte-J (2016)1

           

6. Draft programme of activities for 2017

AP/Carte-J (2016)2

7. Exchange of views on PA’s priorities for 2018-2019 in the framework of youth sector’s priorities (no document)

8. Recent developments in the European Youth Card Association (EYCA) – oral presentation by EYCA’s Director and President

9. Any other business

Budget of the PA as a follow-up to the discussions at the 36^th meeting of the Board of Co-ordination

           

10. Date and place of the next meetings

In the framework of the youth sector’s statutory bodies in Budapest, in March 2017

Appendix II

List of participants / liste des participants

Governmental representatives / Représentants gouvernementaux

ANDORRA / ANDORRE

Mr Agustí PIFARRÉ        Apologiesed for absence/Excusé

Coordinateur des politiques de Jeunesse et du Volontariat

Govern d’Andorra  (Departament de Joventut i Voluntariat)

Prada Casadet, AD500 Andorra la Vella (Principat d’Andorra)

Tel + 376 829456.      Fax +376 820606

Email: [email protected]

AUSTRIA / AUTRICHE

Markus Wolf

Austrian Federal Ministry of Families and Youth

Untere Donaustraße 13-15 · 1020 Wien

Tel.: +43 1 71100-633280

Email: [email protected]

AZERBAIJAN / AZERBAIDJAN

            Mr Rustam ABDULLAYEV

Leading advisor

Ministry of Youth and Sport

4 olimpiya str. 1072 Baku, Azerbaijan

            Tel: +994 50 255 45 89

            Email: [email protected]

CROATIA / CROATIE

Ms Morana MAKOVEC

            Head of Youth Department

Ministry of Social Policy and Youth

Trg Nevenke Topalušić 1, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Tel: 0038515557185

Email: [email protected]

CYPRUS / CHYPRE

Ms Eleftheria CHRISTOFOROU

Youth Board of Cyprus

104 Athalassas Avenue, 2024NICOSIA, Cyprus

            Tel +357 22402601/2

            Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / REPUBLIQUE DE MOLDOVA

Mr Ion DONEA

Head of Youth Programs Department

Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Moldova

162, Stefan cel Mare st., MD-2004 Chisinau, Republic of Moldova

Tel …373 820 864……………Fax + …373 820 861

Email:  [email protected]; [email protected]

MONTENEGRO

Mr Krsto VUKADINOVIC

Directorate for Youth and Sports
Novaka Miloševa 28, 81 000 Podgorica, Crna Gora, Montenegro

            Tel: +382 020 232 167

            Email: [email protected]

SERBIA / SERBIE   Apologised for absence/Excusé

Mr Djuro.BLANUSA

Ministry of Youth and Sports

Boulevard Mihajla Pupina 2

11000 Belgrade

Tel :

Email: [email protected]

Representatives of the European Youth Card Association (EYCA) / Représentants de l’Association européenne des cartes jeunes (AECJ)

Mr Jarkko LEHIKOINEN

President of EYCA

Director of International Affairs Allianssi

(National Youth Council of Finland)

Asemapäällikönkatu 1, 00520 Helsinki, Finland

Email: [email protected] ; [email protected]

Mr Manel SANCHEZ

Director European Youth Card Association (EYCA)

Rue d'Alost 7, B - 1000 Brussels

            Tel. 0032471308488

Email: [email protected]

Ms Gazela PUDAR

EYCA board member

Evropski omladinski centar (Serbia)

Email: [email protected]

Mr Bruno del Mazo

Board member

Mr Julian Villarroya

Board member

Mr Istvan Karasz

Board member

Representative of the Advisory Council on Youth (CCJ) / Représentant du Conseil consultatif sur la Jeunesse (CCJ)

            Valentin DUPOUEY

            Erasmus Students’ Network

Email: [email protected]

Directorate of Democratic Citizenship and Participation / Direction de la Citoyenneté démocratique et de la Participation, Youth Department / Service Jeunesse

Mr Florian CESCON, Administrator, Head of Youth Policy Division

Ms Natalja TURENNE, Administrator, Responsible for the Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility through the Youth Card, Email: [email protected]

Appendix III

Actual budgetary situation along with the simulation of the budgetary increase of €10 000