This document proposes a simplified visa procedure for unpaid interns and volunteers ("stagiers or trainers") working on projects promoting European integration and values. It argues current visa procedures are expensive, time-consuming, and demotivating. The proposal is that unpaid interns and volunteers involved in EU-funded projects promoting European values should not need to prove financial status, have medical costs reimbursed, have visa costs reimbursed, be able to use a fax invitation letter, have visas issued within two weeks, and receive a visa type allowing them to leave the country before getting a residence permit. The document was written by AEGEE, a large European student organization working with the EU on projects.

1. AEGEE Position Paper No.1
Position Paper on youth mobility: simplified visa procedure for unrumerated stagiers or
trainers (volunteers)
Topicality
The freedom of movement and access to mobility is one of the fundamental rights of
all residents on the European continent. Moving forward the strive towards economic social
and cultural integration and self-identification of Europeans united in their diversity faces the
obstacles of visa and border policy inherited from the XIX century. Today more and more
young people from all over Europe choose the opportunity to voluntarily contribute to the
development, promotion and spreading of common European values. However most of the
volunteers from European but non-EU countries coming to EU member states for developing
and managing projects aimed on promotion of European integration, intercultural youth
dialogue and cooperation, still have to pass through complicated, expensive and demotivating
visa procedures.
Among these procedures are consulate charges (up to 180 Euro in certain EU
countries), unnecessarily expensive medical check (up to 600 Euro) and unclear timeline (up
to 6 months waiting for issuing the Visa, while most of the projects last no longer than 12
months). Moreover these procedures create logistical expenses: getting to and from the
location of the consulate/embassy including accommodation, high charges for sending
documents by post and other indirect time and money consuming and demotivating
operations. In the end the volunteer going to work for free for promoting European values
feels him/herself alienated, less willing to contribute to further projects and to spread
information about similar projects.
For this reason AEGEE as interdisciplinary European students’ association strives for
simplifying the visa procedure for unrumerated stagiers or trainers (volunteers), who serve
projects funded by and in line with the values of the EU.
Proposal
AEGEE proposes that in case a stagier or trainer is working on the development of European
Integration, European Citizenship concept, volunteering in projects promoting values of the
European Union, funded by an institution of the European Union, the stagier or trainer should
go through a simplified visa procedure, meaning:
- no proof of financial status needed (in case the grant of the receiving association
covers the living costs and subsistence);
- if an obligatory medical certificate is needed it should be reimbursed from the
European Commission’s funding on the project granted, the stagier or trainer is
involved in;
- any kind of appeared costs related to issuing a visa (travel costs to the consulate/
embassy, subsistence costs or other costs if needed) should be reimbursed from the
funding source;

2. - the invitation letter of the stagier or trainer issued by the granted association sent by
fax from the association’s head office to the respective embassy shall be accepted as
official invitation;
- the procedure of issuing the visa should not exceed the total period of two weeks
(could be ensured by the European Commission directive in the framework of the
Shengen agreement);
- the visa should be automatically issued in C+D format (allowing the stagier to leave
the country before the Residence Permit is issued).
AEGEE-Europe
AEGEE-Europe is one of the largest interdisciplinary student associations in Europe,
which promotes a unified Europe, cross-border cooperation, communication, integration
among students and strives to create an open and tolerant society of tomorrow. AEGEE is a
voluntary non-profit organization that operates without being linked to any political party. It is
represented in 230 university cities, in 42 countries all around Europe and has about 15.000
members.
Created 25 years ago, AEGEE has been working on a regular basis with the European
Commission on implementing projects and is consulted on themes related to the students and
particularly to the SOCRATES program. AEGEE is also recognized and has Consultative
Status towards UNESCO and Participatory Status towards the Council of Europe.
AEGEE-Europe is looking forward to proceed with the discussion on the topic.
Contact Person:
Denis Maksimov
Director for European Institutions of AEGEE-Europe
AEGEE-Europe / European Students' Forum
Rue Nestor de Tiere 15
B 1030 Brussels
office: +32 (0) 224 603 24
fax: +32 (0) 224 603 29
mobile: +32 (0) 484 058 034