Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-04-11-Speech-2-200"
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"en.20000411.8.2-200"2
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"Mr President, I should like to start by saying that I share the concern behind the honourable Member’s question. It is particularly depressing to see that, in a number of Central and Eastern European countries, children are suffering from the consequences or, to be more precise, the uncontrolled consequences of social change.
However, before answering your question with the standard legal arguments, I should like to get a political point out of the way first. This is not a problem specific to the candidate countries of the European Union. Unfortunately, as you well know, I am sure, the problem encompasses many, perhaps even the majority of countries in the world. It is quite clearly a development problem, a problem which stems from poverty, a problem which stems from social neglect and, I believe, a problem which stems from the indifference or lack of decisiveness in our societies to really do something to fight this terrible manifestation of child abuse.
Allow me to tell you what we can do within the framework of accession negotiations. To get straight to the point, it is not much, but the fact remains that countries wishing to join the European Union have of course undertaken to adopt the Community acquis. That includes the legally binding regulations for the protection of children.
The most important of these is the joint action to fight the trade in human beings and the sexual exploitation of children, on which a decision was reached on 24 February 1997. The Commission also intends to submit a proposal to the Council in the year 2000, i.e. this year, whereby the trade in human beings and the sexual exploitation of children, taking special account of child pornography on the Internet, will be declared to be punishable offences. If this proposal is accepted, it will become part of the Community acquis which applies in candidate countries.
The Member States and countries seeking to join the European Union are working together comprehensively in the fight against all forms of organised and other serious crime within the framework of the pre-accession agreements on the fight against organised crime concluded by the Member States of the European Union, the Central and Eastern European countries wishing to join the Union and Cyprus on 28 May 1998. Programmes such as PHARE and MEDA and the relevant specific programmes relating to justice and internal affairs such as GROTIUS, STOP, ODYSSEUS and FALCONE also offer the opportunity to support countries seeking to join the Union in this respect and support is indeed given.
The following programmes are relevant to child protection: first the DAPHNE programme approved on 24 January 2000. This relates to the period from 2000 to 2003 and includes preventive measures to fight violence against children, young people and women and allows funds to be provided to governmental and non-governmental organisations active in this area. The countries seeking to join the Union can also join this programme.
Then there is the STOP programme for the period from 1996 to 2000. This is a promotion and exchange programme for people responsible for measures to fight the trade in human beings and the sexual exploitation of children. This programme helps to develop coordinated initiatives to fight the trade in human beings and the sexual exploitation of children. The Commission will draft a proposal for a new edition of the STOP programme during the course of this year, which will then also be open to countries seeking to join the Union."@en1
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