Labour MEP Catherine Stihler welcomed a European Parliament report on the role of volunteering in contributing to economic and social cohesion: "Volunteering is good for you, your community, your region's economic development and your national economy. It also helps build the "social capital" that public policies need to succeed."
Over 100 million EU citizens, one in five, are engaged in volunteering activities, and every £1 spent on supporting them generates a return of between £3 and £8 to the nation's economy. The European Parliament requests that this hidden contribution should be acknowledged in the national accounts.
The report states that volunteering contributes about as much to Gross Domestic Product in a wide range of countries as the construction or utilities industries. This means that the not for profit sector accounts for 5-7% of the GDP in many EU countries.
For more information please call the European Parliamentary Labour Party press officer, Silke Thomson on +32 479 790 053.
European Parliamentary Labour Party, European Parliament, Rue Wiertz, 1047 BRUSSELS, Belgium -
Tel: 00 32 2 28 43736
