Mr President, Commissioner, in this report we are analysing the DAPHNE programme, its implementation, its achievements and its failings. It is a programme to combat violence against women and children, essentially in the domestic environment. This violence is a serious violation of their fundamental rights. Violence against women results from the unequal relationship between men and women and the sex discrimination which exists in society. The fight against violence requires an integrated approach which combines prevention, dealing with aggressors and support for victims. The European Commission has carried out an exhaustive and rigorous mid-term assessment report on the programme, which allows us to make proposals for the future with a view to achieving the objective of ‘zero violence’. Violence against women and children takes place in all countries, regardless of class, race or level of education. This violence is an obstacle to achieving equality and perpetuates inequalities. We must point out the insufficient budgetary contribution to this programme, which has only allowed a third of the projects presented to be funded. We must pay special attention to the prevention of violence, but also to the treatment and rehabilitation of aggressors in order to prevent re-offending. It is essential to create teaching programmes aimed at preventing violence, to be used in schools and adult education centres. We must involve all sectors of society in the fight against violence, and in particular the media, as opinion formers and instruments for the transmission of values, so that, by means of the media, a non-stereotypical image of women may be transmitted, also of children and of victims in general. The way news about acts of violence is transmitted is also essential to the subsequent evaluation of them. The NGOs have played an important role in the fight against violence, but the public institutions must also be involved – so far only 10% of the programmes have been implemented by them – as well as universities and study and research centres. We need more information on real violence, since we only have knowledge of a small proportion of it. We must have common indicators and a common database. The Member States should update their legislation so that they have more appropriate instruments for combating violence. In certain countries there already exists the right to remove the aggressor from the shared home, with the corresponding accompanying measures. The victims must be protected and we must ensure that it is not they who have to flee and hide. Better police training in this field would be of great help. The DAPHNE Programme should continue after this one ends, since the problem unfortunately persists and we know that it is difficult to eradicate, and therefore actions taken to increase awareness in society and try to change the sexist mentality which still persists must be welcomed. Amongst these measures we propose a European Year for combating violence against women and children. Finally, I would like to point to the need to change the legal basis of the Programme. This is the right time to do so, since the European Convention which is reviewing and updating the Treaty has the opportunity to modify it, and I would therefore affectionately ask Commissioner Vitorino, whose sensitivity towards all these problems we are well aware of, to insist, to apply pressure, to do everything humanly possible to introduce into the Treaty a legal basis which facilitates the fight against violence towards women and children throughout the European Union. I am aware of the difficulties involved in this, but I trust in your ability to achieve it. (Applause)

Political group: PPE-DE