The European Volunteer Centre (CEV)) is a European network of currently 88 mainly national and regional volunteer centres and volunteer development agencies across Europe and beyond that together work to support and promote voluntary activity. CEV channels the collective priorities and concerns of its member organisations to the institutions of the European Union. It also acts as a central forum for the exchange of policy, practice and information on volunteering.

History

CEV’s origins lie in an initiative by 7 volunteer centres, Association pour le Volontariat(Belgium), Centre National du Volontariat (France), the National Centre for Volunteering (UK), Centro Nazionale per il Volontariato (Italy), Landelijk Steunpunt Vrijwilligerswerk (Netherlands) and Plataforma para la Promoción del Voluntariado en España (Spain). These organisations convene at a meeting organised in Lucca, Italy, in 1989, for the representatives of National and Regional Volunteer Centres from seven European countries. The outcome of the meeting was a joint declaration for increased European cooperation.

CEV was founded in February 1990 on the basis of this declaration and in 1992 was officially granted the status of “international non-profit organisation" registered under Belgian law. The Vlaams Steunpunt Vrijwilligerswerk, Flemish Volunteer Centre, was granted the responsibility to put in place the new organisation. On 5 December 1995, CEV organised the first ever European Day for Volunteering in the European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium, with the active support of the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and UNESCO.

Between 1994 and 2002 CEV administered as Technical Assistance Office over 13 contracts of the European Commission’s PHARE and TACIS-LIEN Programme in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and released a series of publications within these programmes.

Presidents

Name	Term
Ms Eva Hambach	2009–present
Dr Marijke Steenbergen	2007–2009
Mr Christopher Spence	2002–2007
Ms Liz Burns	1997–2001
Ms Monique Verstraeten	1992–1997

Managing Directors / Directors

Name	Term
Mr Martijn Pakker	2011-present
Mr Markus Held	2004–2011
Ms Gail Hurley	2002–2004
Mr Raf De Zutter	1994–2002

Funding

In 2009, 43,9% of CEV’s income came from the European Commission’s operational grant; 28,3% from membership fees; 8% from European Commission project grants; 5,3% from third parties' and donations' contributions; ; 4% from foundation grants; and 0,5% from its own reserves.

Aims

• To promote and win recognition for volunteering as an expression of active citizenship in Europe to the general public, the media, businesses and policy-makers on all relevant levels of government;
• To act as a bridge for communication between volunteer organizations and the work of the European institutions;
• To develop policies and promote and support the role of volunteering infrastructure in advancing volunteering as an expression of active citizenship in Europe;
• To serve as a knowledge and research resource for volunteering in Europe;
• To promote innovation and good practice in the field of supporting and reinforcing volunteering, participation and active citizenship through exchange, structured dialogue and network-building;
• To develop strategic partnerships and alliances with key stakeholders across all sectors;
• To increase and diversify the membership of CEV;
• To maintain and develop the efficient management of the organisation.

Main activities

• To promote volunteering to the general public, the media, businesses and policy-makers (e.g. through active participation in the Europe for Citizens Forum and the 2nd EU Civil Protection Forum, Contribution to a Council recommendation on mobility of young volunteers across Europe );
• To win recognition for the role and value of volunteering as an expression of active citizenship in Europe (e.g. Manifesto for Volunteering in Europe, 2006; INVOLVE Project; MOVE Project; Participatory Status of Council of Europe);
• To gather and provide information on developments within the EU on volunteer related topics (e.g. Research on the Legal Status of Volunteers in Europe in collaboration with AVSO, Facts&Figures on Volunteering);
• To represent the needs and concerns of CEV members within EU policy and with international institutions (e.g. European Election Manifesto, 2009; Public Hearing on the European Year of Volunteering 2011 in the European Parliament);
• To promote the role of volunteer development centres in advancing volunteering as an expression of active citizenship (e.g. V::I::P project; Think Future Volunteer Together project);
• To conduct research on volunteering (e.g. Bibliography on Volunteering Research in Europe; the VALUE Project)
• To encourage networking between organisations and to facilitate the exchange of good practice and innovation (e.g. CEV General Assembly in Prague on Employee Volunteering with Partnership Fair; the CEV Multi-Stakeholder Forum in April 2010);
• To provide a forum for our members to find partners for European-wide projects;
• To develop strategic alliances with other key networks and organisations (e.g. the European Year of Volunteering 2011 Alliance);
• Bi-Annual General Assemblies, conferences, seminars, workshops and meetings;
• CEV News (CEV’s monthly electronic news bulletin);
• An interactive CEV Website.