WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2582/97 by Johanna MAIJ-WEGGEN to the Commission. Internet
Date: 1997-07-24
Institutions: European Parliament, MAIJ-WEGGEN
Subjects: child, code of conduct, information network, judicial cooperation, network server, police cooperation, pornography, selective dissemination of information, sexual offence, transmission network

3. 4. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 102/63

However, the event referred to by the Honourable Members of Parliament has not influenced the market, since,
according to the information provided [on a weekly basis] to the Commission by the Member States, wholesale
meat prices have not been affected by the disclosures concerning the illegal exports of meat from the United
Kingdom in July.

The  Commission  continues  to  believe  that  it  is  its  duty  to  keep  Parliament  and  the  Member  States  ›  and,  if
necessary, consumers › fully abreast of affairs of this kind. This approach has also been widely approved by the
Temporary Committee to follow up the recommendations on bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

(98/C 102/92)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2582/97

by Johanna Maij-Weggen (PPE) to the Commission

(24 July 1997)

Subject: Internet

Are  you  aware  that  the  Internet  provider  Xs4All  has  decided  to  ban  from  its  Internet  services  any  material
containing child pornography?

Is it technically and legally feasible to get all providers on the Internet to take such action, and is the Commission
prepared to take such a measure, should it prove possible?

Answer given by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission

(6 October 1997)

There is no legal or technical difficulty for Internet service providers in following the action of the Dutch service
provider in removing child pornography from its own servers.

The  publication  of  child  pornography  is  illegal  in  all  Member  States,  whatever  the  means  by  which  it  is
distributed, including Internet. Illegal content must be dealt with at source by law-enforcement agencies. The
industry can help reduce circulation of illegal content through properly-functioning systems of self-regulation
(such as codes of conduct, establishment of hot-lines) in compliance with and supported by the legal system.

Third-party content hosting services should not be expected to exercise prior control on content which they have
no reason to believe is illegal. Where they are aware of such content, including child pornography, they should
take steps to remove it.

The  fight  against  child  pornography  on  the  Internet  requires  co-operation  between  all  concerned  at  national,
European  and  international  level,  since  such  content  may  be  placed  in  circulation  in  any  country  which  is
nconnected to the Internet. The Commission is actively engaged with the other institutions and Member States in
promoting effective action in this area but cannot act as a substitute for national law enforcement agencies. Links
to all relevant documents can be found at http://www2.echo.lu/legal/en/internet/internet.html.

(98/C 102/93)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2585/97

by Hilde Hawlicek (PSE) to the Council

(29 July 1997)

Subject: Credibility of the new paragraph on education in the preamble to the EC Treaty

At the Council of Heads of State and of Government in Amsterdam, it was decided to incorporate the following
new  paragraph  in  the  preamble  to  the  EC  Treaty:  (cid:145)Determined  to  promote  the  development  of  the  highest
possible level of knowledge for their peoples through a wide access to education and its continuous updating.(cid:146)