EU programmes in support of the sectors of education, culture, audio-visuals and, more generally, in favour of youth, are being stepped up. In particular, the recent programme for youth called “Youth in Action” has obtained a funding of 915 million euros. European Commission sources in Brussels explain that “it’s a simpler programme than its predecessor as regards its operation and is largely decentralized”. “Youth in Action” comprises various initiatives including youth exchanges (with the objective of achieving 35,000 projects by 2013), the “European Volunteer Service” (in this case the objective is to reach 10,000 volunteers per year) and “Youth for the World”, “whose aim is that of developing projects with third countries”. The programme as a whole will be accessible to youth between the ages of 13 and 30 who are resident in member countries and in third countries covered by the EU’s new neighbourhood policy. It can be accessed either by using the portal of the EU (www.europa.eu.int) or by making enquiries to the central offices (Brussels) or decentralized offices of the Commission, located in the main cities of the Twenty-Five.
