The EU Aid Volunteers initiative presented by the European Commission would created create opportunities for some 10,000 people from 2014-2020 to volunteer worldwide in humanitarian operations. The European Commission presented this plan which includes developing European standards for managing volunteers in humanitarian projects, and a training programme to prepare volunteers for deployment.

The European Commission presented the EU Aid Volunteers initiative that will create opportunities for some 10,000 people from 2014-2020 to volunteer worldwide in humanitarian operations. This plan will provide a path for Europeans eager to help practically where help is most urgently needed. The Commission also proposes to develop European standards for managing volunteers in humanitarian projects, and a training programme to prepare volunteers for deployment. Only well-prepared volunteers will have the possibility to be deployed as 'EU Aid Volunteers' in humanitarian projects.

The plan includes to train 'EU Aid Volunteers' together in multinational groups and will also be able to spend some months in apprenticeship placements in a foreign country in Europe before going to the field. The Commission also announced that a network of 'EU Aid Volunteers' will be created that is expected to grow over the years into a unique pool of ambassadors for European solidarity.

A €239.1 million budget is foreseen in the proposal. It would be used for an extensive training package (€58 million), deployment (€137 million), capacity building in communities hit by disasters (€35 million) and supporting activities. The European Voluntary Corps is one of the innovations in the Treaty of Lisbon. Preparation of the scheme began in 2011 with wide public consultations, two waves of pilot projects and some 200 pilot volunteers already deployed.