91996E2895

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2895/96 by Arlene McCarthy (PSE) to the Council (4 November 1996)

Subject: Children's rights

How does the Presidency intend to ensure the speedy ratification of the Europol Convention by the Member States, so that any extra powers given to it to deal with the sexual exploitation of children or with paedophilia networks or missing children, can be carried out effectively and as they are intended?

What immediate measures does the Presidency intend to put in place so that action on these issues can begin as soon as the Europol Convention is ratified?

Answer (13 February 1997)

The Council attaches great importance to the speedy ratification of the Europol Convention, which would be another step to the aim of achieving an efficient cooperation in the field of justice and home affairs in Europe. The Member States have indicated their intention to ratify the Convention ultimately by the end of 1997 and the Council expects that this will take place, subject to constitutional requirements.

As the Council has indicated in previous answers to Members of the European Parliament, a number of actions have been taken already now to stop the sexual exploitation of children. These measures aim at improving police and judicial cooperation as well as dealing with training programmes. More specifically, the following measures have been agreed:

- An Irish Presidency proposal to extend the mandate of the Europol Drugs Unit to cover trafficking in human beings;

- A Belgian proposal aiming at establishing a programme of encouragement for exchange and training of persons responsible for dealing with trafficking in human beings;

- A Belgian/Presidency proposal concerning the creation of Directories of centres of excellence to combat all forms of crime within the mandate of the EDU with a concentration on, inter alia, trafficking in human beings. This proposal will further enhance international cooperation between operational police forces.

- A Belgian proposal concerning a common approach to the definition of sexual exploitation of children and trafficking in human beings as well as measures of cooperaton between the Member States.

The Council attaches great importance to this question and will continue to do so. It recalls that the Commission recently made a communication relating to the use of Internet in this context and, no doubt, the Council will examine this question in the near future.