WRITTEN QUESTION E-2219/00 by Avril Doyle (PPE-DE) to the Council. Child soldiers in Africa.
Date: 2000-07-11
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Africa, child protection, children's rights, social policy, war

C 113 E/72

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.4.2001

No 1612/68 on freedom of workers within the Community (1). This provision states that workers who
have the nationality of other Member States are to be granted the same social and tax advantages as
national workers. The Court of Justice has ruled on several occasions that this provision applies to leisure
activities (2) and it is obvious that practising sport as an amateur is a leisure activity.

The Commission draws the attention of the Honourable Member to the fact that the breach of Community
law would be attributable to the rule of a private operator, since sports federations(cid:146) status is governed by
private law. Therefore the Commission has no competence to intervene and formally examine this case. In
the context of a private sport federation, the Commission could only intervene directly on the basis of
competition rules. However competition issues are not concerned in this particular case. Therefore, it is up
to the potential victims of the discrimination to seek redress before the national judge.

(1) OJ L 257, 19.10.1968.
(2) Case C-334/94 [ECR] 1996, I-1307.

(2001/C 113 E/070)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2219/00

by Avril Doyle (PPE-DE) to the Council

(11 July 2000)

Subject: Child soldiers in Africa

Given that many African conflicts involve child soldiers, the majority of whom are abducted, that this
practice has grave psychological, emotional, social and physical consequences for its victims and society
and that reintegration of these children into society after their escape or release is extremely difficult,
would the Council outline what the European Union(cid:146)s strategy is to resolve the situation in general, what
the EU is doing specifically to prevent the abduction of children for military purposes and what assistance
the EU is providing to facilitate these children(cid:146)s reintegration into society?

Reply

(20 November 2000)

The European Union(cid:146)s strategy to ensure the protection of children in armed conflicts, in Africa and in
other parts of the world, is consistent with the efforts deployed by the entire international community
under the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child and United Nations Security Council Resolutions
1261(1999) and 1314(2000) concerning children in situations of armed conflict. In this context, the EU is
particularly encouraging the signing and ratification of the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on
the Rights of the Child, one of which is concerned with the involvement of children in armed conflict.

The Council also believes that the factors contributing to the wrongs inflicted on children should be dealt
with. One of these factors is access to weapons, particularly small arms and low-calibre weapons. In the
light of this situation, the Council has adopted a code of conduct on arms exports and a joint action on
small arms. The European Union is actively supporting all aspects of the preparation and the convening in
2001 of a United Nations Conference on trafficking in small arms and low-calibre weapons.

In the framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union, the Council
systematically and regularly urges all the parties involved in armed conflicts to respect the rights of
children and to allow humanitarian organisations full access, in safety and unhindered, to all children
affected by armed conflicts.

As regards the humanitarian assistance provided by the European Community to reintegrate child soldiers
into society, the Honourable Member should address the European Commission, which is responsible,
under Council Regulation No 975/1999 (1), for the implementation of projects in this area.

(1) OJ L 120, 8.5.1999, p. 1.