Skilled professionals, local volunteers

Feature published by European Voice in November 2006 regarding humanitarian aid organisations, strongly connected to voluntary work and yet a multi-billion euro global industry. The article points out to the increasing professionalisation in the sector, narrowing the scope for volunteering.

The idea of setting up a young person’s ‘European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps’ was met with scepticism from non-governmental organisations. European Commission officials confirmed that the concept was neither feasible nor desirable and had been shelved along with the idea of a European Civil Peace Corps for conflict prevention and peace-building.