EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 78/493

(2004/C 78 E/0514)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3222/03

by Proinsias De Rossa (PSE) to the Commission

(31 October 2003)

Subject: Missing persons

In its answer to my question E-1932/01 (1) on contact services for missing persons, the Commission said it was at that time (September 2001) concentrating on the situation as regards missing children and teenagers.

What action has been taken on foot of the study (which was due by early 2002) to examine the provisions existing in this field in the Member States?

What action has been taken on foot of the resolution tabled by Belgium calling on the Member States to set up national monitoring centres and other centres to combat the disappearance and sexual exploitation of children?

What action has been taken on foot of the recommendation from the European Conference on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings held in Brussels in September 2002 that a feasibility study be conducted on the establishment of a European database for missing persons, a recommendation reiterated by the European Parliament in its recent resolution (2) on the Daphne II programme?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(3 December 2003)

The study referred to by the Honourable Member is now available under the title ‘Child Abuse and Adult Justice. A comparative study of different European Criminal Justice Systems handling of cases concerning Child Sexual Abuse’. It was conducted by Rädda Barnen (Sweden) with a pan-European partnership. A copy of this study is sent direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's Secretariat.

Concerning the Resolution (3) of the Council inviting the Commission to have a study drawn up on missing or sexually exploited children, an action under the STOP II programme was undertaken in 2002 (4). The first part of the project involves a study on the actual extent of the phenomenon of missing or sexually exploited children. The second part of the project aims to give an overall view on the existence, role and structure of civil society organisations in the Member States actively supporting action on missing or sexually exploited children. The third part of the project examines the legal issues arising from the involvement of civil society organisations in the Member States actively combatting the disappearance and sexual exploitation of children, in particular the issues concerning competent authorities sending confidential information to such organisations. The final report is expected by 31 March 2004.

With regard to the recommendation made at the European Conference on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings held in Brussels in September 2002 that a feasibility study be conducted on the establishment of a European database for missing people and reiterated by the Parliament in its resolution (5) on the Daphne II programme, a response to this was made in the explanatory memorandum of the amended proposal of the Commission on Daphne II (6). This response was that, in fact, the possibility for searching missing people, and children in particular, already exists in the current Schengen Information System (SIS) (see also Article 97 of the Schengen Convention). Within the development of the second generation of the SIS, this possibility will be maintained. The Commission is therefore of the opinion that, given the current functionalities of the SIS, it is not opportune to examine the creation of an additional specific system that would merely duplicate the current system and would generate significant additional costs.

(1) OJ C 40 E, 14.2.2002, p. 142.

(2) P5_TA(2003)0366 — A5-0280/2003.

(3) OJ C 283, 9.10.2001.

(4) project 2002/STOP II/108.

(5) P5_TA(2003)0366 — A5-0280/2003.

(6) COM(2003) 616 final.