The non-profit sector is an essential yet commonly overlooked part of the EU economy. Across member states, non-profits remain crucial. For example, 45% of people in the Netherlands engage in voluntary work. In France, nearly 1.5 million associations exist, amounting to approximately 15 million volunteers, 1.8 million employees and a combined budget of almost €120 billion.

Despite their major impact, obstacles still exist for non-profits to operate across borders within the EU. Currently, non-profits only exist within the Member State they were founded in, and face numerous challenges when trying to operate within other Member States. This is where the proposed European Cross-Border Associations (ECBA) Directive comes in. This necessary Directive would allow non-profit organisations with members across Europe to be recognised and operate in all Member States.

This would unlock the potential of cross-border cooperation and allow the non-profit sector to exist within the Single Market: the free movement of goods, services, capital and persons within the EU. The establishment of cross-border associations contains many benefits for various sectors of society; from culture to environment, social services, civic engagement and more.

Learn more about the added value of ECBAs: read our paper here.