WRITTEN QUESTION E-3567/98

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE) to the Commission

(1 December 1998)

Subject: Traffic in women from Eastern and Central Europe to the European Union

In recent years there has been an alarming increase in the trafficking of women, mainly from Eastern and Central Europe, for prostitution in various Member States of the Union, including Greece. Recently, in fact, this phenomenon has assumed alarming proportions in Greece. One of the aims of heading B3-4109 of the Community budget is to provide funding for measures to combat this problem.

1. Which programmes, and what type of programme, have so far received funding from heading B3-4109 of the Community budget and which countries have benefitted?

2. Does the Commission intend to take additional and more effective measures in future to prevent/combat this phenomenon and, if so, what might those measures be?

3. Does the Commission intend to put this matter on the agenda for the pre-accession negotiations with countries applying for membership?

4. Might measures designed to combat trafficking in women be eligible for joint funding under the next batch of Community Support Frameworks for Objective 1 regions?

Answer given by Mrs Gradin on behalf of the Commission

(21 January 1999)

1. and 2. The Commission shares the concern of the Honourable Member about the trafficking in women for the purposes of sexual exploitation, which it regards as a fundamental breach of human rights.

It has adopted on 9 December 1998 a communication to the Council and the Parliament for further actions in the fight against trafficking in women(1). This is a follow-up to its first communication of November 1996(2) and sets out a comprehensive action plan to strengthen the existing initiatives and in particular to develop cooperation with the candidate countries, as a serious increase has been noted in the numbers of women trafficked into the Community from Central and Eastern European countries. The Commission will make continued use of the PHARE programme to support initiatives to improve, in line with the Union's "acquis", the legal framework and structural capacities of the candidate countries in the fields of Justice and Home Affairs and encourage concrete projects in the fight against trafficking in women.

Furthermore the Commission is in charge of the management of the Daphne initiative (budget line B3-4109) which seeks to assist non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the fight against all forms of violence against children, young people and women, including trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation. Since 1997, 10 projects have directly addressed the issue of trafficking in women and a number of other projects have addressed it indirectly. On 20 May 1998, the Commission adopted a proposal for a Council decision(3) establishing a five-year Community action programme to combat violence against children, young people and women (the Daphne programme) to run for the period 2000 to 2004 with total funds of ECU 25 million. This will enable a greater degree of coordination, cohesion and continuity in the fight against trafficking in women and children.

The Commission is also in charge of the STOP programme. Based on the joint action of 29 November 1996, this is an incentive and exchange programme for those responsible for combating trafficking in human beings and the sexual exploitation of children. Since 1996, 24 projects have addressed the issue of trafficking in women.

The Commission will encourage the opening to the candidate countries of both the STOP and Daphne programmes. It should however be noted that a substantial number of STOP projects have already included the participation of candidate countries.

3. In the context of the accession process, the candidate countries will also have to implement the third pillar "acquis" in this field, in particular the joint action of 24 February 1997(4) concerning action to combat trafficking in human beings and sexual exploitation of children. The main objective of this joint action is to improve the Member States' penal provisions and their judicial cooperation in the context of combating trafficking in human beings.

4. The Commission listed in its communication of 9 December 1998 the various financial instruments that should be mobilised to promote specific projects so as to prevent and fight against trafficking in women. The Commission does however not believe that the regional fund is an appropriate instrument to be used in this matter.

(1) COM(98) 726 final.

(2) COM(96) 567 final.

(3) COM(98) 335 final.

(4) OJ L 63, 4.3.1997.