WRITTEN QUESTION E-0786/00 by Paulo Casaca (PSE) to the Council. Judicial cooperation on paedophilia.
Date: 2000-03-16
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: child protection, extradition, judicial cooperation in criminal matters in the EU, paedophilia, trafficking in human beings

C 374 E/152

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

28.12.2000

The Dutch Government has

3.
1 February 2000.

(1) OJ C 307, 7.10.1998, p. 10.
(2) OJ L 280, 30.10.1999, p. 87.

informed the Commission that

the scheme was abolished on

(2000/C 374 E/180)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0781/00

by Roger Helmer (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(16 March 2000)

Subject: Food Authority

During the Committee on the Environment(cid:146)s question-and-answer session of 23 February 2000 on the
proposed establishment of a (cid:145)Food Authority(cid:146), Commissioner Byrne made it clear that he believes that the
proposed authority should not deal solely with food standards, but also should address nutritional and
dietary issues. He added the rider, (cid:145)so that the Food Authority is not merely telling scare stories from an
ivory tower(cid:146). Furthermore, Commissioner Byrne stated that the Food Authority should draw on advisory
research that may have been commissioned by outside organisations in the Member States.

With these points in mind, could the Commission please comment on this obvious opportunity to address
positively the issue of fortification. More particularly, does the Commission support the need to authorise
and regulate disease-risk reduction information on food packs providing customers with positive health-
related information about food?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(3 May 2000)

As mentioned in the white paper on food safety (1), adopted by the Commission on 12 January 2000, a
proposal for a Parliament and Council directive on on fortified food is foreseen for September 2000.

At present, the Commission is studying the issue of food fortification in depth with a view to preparing
such a proposal. It is difficult at this stage to inform the Honourable Member about the proposal(cid:146)s
orientation as work is still in a preliminary phase.

Regarding the views of the Commission on claims concerning reduction of risk of disease, the Honourable
Member is invited to refer to the answer given by the Commission to Written Question E-232/00 by
Mrs Thomas-Mauro (2).

(1) COM(1999) 719 final.
(2) OJ C 303 E, 24.10.2000.

(2000/C 374 E/181)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0786/00

by Paulo Casaca (PSE) to the Council

(16 March 2000)

Subject: Judicial cooperation on paedophilia

The introduction of a policy on cooperation in the field of justice and home affairs under the Treaty of
Maastricht was a vital step forwards in the European project.

It is indeed difficult to understand why, in a Europe of complete freedom of movement and establishment,
justice should remain subject to rigid borders.

28.12.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 374 E/153

Unfortunately, that new pillar of European policy failed to address international crime in the area of the
abuse and trafficking of children and women, which can be seen to be on the rise.

This might be termed as the area of crime practised on a large scale which most seriously threatens the
democratic society in which we live.

A recent case involving a Belgian citizen (Frans de Ryck) and Portuguese children from the Autonomous
Region of Madeira has highlighted the shortcomings arising from the lack of cooperation in the area of
justice with regard to this type of situation.

The Belgian state refused to extradite the citizen accused of the crime to Portugal, while the Portuguese
State, through the Office of the Public Prosecutor of the Republic, refused to provide the victims with any
legal support.

As reported in the press (DiÆrio de Not(cid:237)cias), only private efforts by the Portuguese Victim Support
Association and the support of a Portuguese law firm succeeded in resolving the problem. In the meantime
the accused has lodged an appeal against the decision, and the victim has no information on the progress
of the appeal.

Does the Council not take the view that cooperation in the area of justice provided for by the Treaty on
European Union should be extended to include international crimes involving the abuse and trafficking of
minors and women?

Reply

(18 May 2000)

The Council shares the Honourable Member(cid:146)s concern to combat more effectively international crime
involving the abuse of and trafficking in minors and women.

Article 29 of the Treaty on European Union as amended by the Amsterdam Treaty, moreover, refers
specifically, amongst ways of creating an area of freedom, security and justice, to the fight against
trafficking in human beings and crimes against children. It should also be noted that powers have been
given to Europol in the field of child pornography (1).

The example quoted by the Honourable Member relates to a specific situation encountered in the field of
extradition and is governed by the European Convention on Extradition of 13 December 1957. The
reasons which prevented the requested extradition from taking place in the case in question relate to the
fact that the Convention allows the Contracting Parties to refuse to extradite their own nationals. That
situation is supposed to change following ratification of the Convention relating to extradition between the
Member States of the European Union (2), which encourages Member States to review their domestic
legislation, including their constitutional legislation, on this point. Furthermore, Portugal is shortly to put
before the Council a significant initiative aimed at improving the situation of victims in the context of
criminal procedure.

(1) Council Decision of 3 December 1999 (OJ C 26, 30.1.1999, p. 21).
(2) OJ C 313, 23.10.1996, p. 11.

(2000/C 374 E/182)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0790/00

by Rosa MiguØlez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission

(9 March 2000)

Subject: Construction of port facilities on the river Arousa (Spain) without an environmental

impact

assessment

The construction of port facilities for oil and chemical tankers, together with the creation of a storage area
for oil and petro-chemical products, has prompted protests from the local population concerning the
effects on the environment of the whole region. No environmental impact assessment was carried out for
any of these building projects.