ECNL supported the development of the study by taking part in an interview and providing materials related to the legal framework affecting volunteers.

From EC website:

The aim of this study was to help the Commission consider ways in which the voluntary sector could be further promoted at EU level and the extent to which volunteering could help the EU in achieving its wider strategic objectives set out in for example the Social Agenda and the Lisbon Strategy.
A study on volunteering in the European Union was launched by DC EAC end of 2008 within the context of its reflections on volunteering and possibly the preparation for a European Year of Volunteering.

The launch of a study on volunteering in sport was announced as an action in the Commission's 2007 White Paper on Sport.

In 2008, it was decided to integrate it with the general EU study on volunteering.

The final report released last week study provides research and insights into the current situation of volunteering in the European Union. It includes a comparative analysis of volunteering in 27 Member States with 27 national reports, a sector study on volunteering in sport and 27 national fiches on volunteering in sport.

The purpose of the study was to reach a better understanding of the conditions and the state of volunteering in the 27 Member States including the national, regional and local level and to identify trends, similarities and differences, opportunities and challenges.

The study was also meant to assist the Commission in determining the scope and the direction of future European wide initiatives aimed at promoting volunteering.