“Partnership in Social, Cultural and Human Affairs”

It promotes the

mobility of young people

and the understanding between peoples through three types of actions: Youth Exchanges, Voluntary Services and Support Measures.

Euro-Med Youth I (1999-2001) and Euro-Med Youth II (2001-2004) were primarily run by the European Commission from the headquarters in Brussels. They were sub-delegated by the Directorate-General of Europe Aid to the YOUTH Unit of the DG Education and Culture (DG EAC) Euro-Med Youth III Programme focuses on mobility, non-formal education and intercultural learning.

Its geographical scope comprises 37 countries: the 27 EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom) and the 10 Mediterranean partner countries, signatories of the Barcelona Declaration ( Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey).

novelty of this phase is the decentralised implementation

of the programme, the aim being to reinforce the partnership between the European Union and the Mediterranean partner countries, to bring the action as close as possible to the beneficiaries and to adapt it to the diversity of national systems and situations in the field of youth.

Applicants (project leaders) from the Mediterranean partner countries applied directly for grants to their own national youth authorities, now responsible through the Euro-Med Youth Unit (EMYU) for grant awarding and the overall management of the programme.

For the implementation of Euro-Med Youth III, the Euro-Med Youth Units (EMYU) of the Mediterranean partners operated in collaboration with the following key actors: city Building and Support Unit (RCBS, located in INJEP in Marly-le-Roi, France) which has provided institutional capacity building and coaching to the EMYU in relationship to their new role. It has also participated in the set up of the evaluation committees and increased the visibility and dissemination of the regional programme.

• The Delegations of the European Commission in the respective Mediterranean partner countries, responsible of monitoring the EMYU, in co-operation with the Regional Capacity Building and Support Unit (RCBS). The Delegation has participated in the evaluation committees of project proposals as an observer.
• The Europe Aid Co-operation Office in Brussels supervised the RCBS and acted as final responsible for the programme.

9 countries have participated: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, The Palestinian Authority, Syria, Jordan, Israel and Turkey. Egypt refused to sign the Agreement.

The actions were coherent with the Youth Programme (2000 – 2006) and differed only on some technical criteria:

• Euro-Med Youth Exchanges
• Euro-Med Youth Voluntary Service
• Euro-Med Youth Support Measures (Job-shadowing, Contact Making Seminars, Study Visits, Training Courses and Seminars)