Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-04-21-Speech-1-201"
Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
---|---|
rdf:type | |
dcterms:Date | |
dcterms:Is Part Of | |
dcterms:Language | |
lpv:document identification number |
"en.20080421.19.1-201"2
|
lpv:hasSubsequent | |
lpv:speaker | |
lpv:spokenAs | |
lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, volunteers do a great deal, at both local and regional level. Their efforts give social cohesion a very personal face. There is a difference between towns in certain parts of Europe. In the ‘new’ Member States the level of volunteering is still much lower. A lot of work is being done, and Mrs Harkin’s report emphasises positive ideas for supporting volunteers and encouraging action at all levels. The Group of the European People’s Party and European Democrats takes the view that there is no question of volunteers on the one hand and professionals on the other. The two are not mutually exclusive: neither group can function without the help of the other. Both groups, professionals and volunteers, are part of the social model that Europe exemplifies, of civil society, in which the citizen too has an important voice. That is the famous partnership principle.
There is one point I would like to raise following the debate in committee. The new Paragraph 17 deals with whether or not volunteer work should be rewarded with tax incentives. The answer is yes, but the form these take may vary considerably. That is a matter for our individual states to decide when we talk about VAT. My home country of the Netherlands has its own special system: the activities of sports associations are exempt, for example, and other activities such as canteen management are partly exempt, as is third-party sponsorship. So in 2010, when the VAT system comes up for review, it would be good to take this report on board and be able to point to examples of good practice in the Member States which others might usefully emulate.
Lastly, to make the point once more, volunteering deserves our broad support in the work of churches, politics and the rest of society."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples