WRITTEN QUESTION E-2011/01 by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Council. Göteborg Summit and removing the causes of violent conflict at meetings of European heads of government.
Date: 2001-07-12
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: public order, summit meeting, trends of opinion, violence

C 81 E/94

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.4.2002

Reply

(6 December 2001)

The Council
is aware of the very tight schedule in the run-up to expiry of the ECSC Treaty and
Decision 3632/93/ECSC and will give suitable priority to the proposal for a Council Regulation on State
aid to the coal industry adopted by the Commission on 25 July 2001 and presented to the Council on
30 July 2001.

(2002/C 81 E/110)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2011/01

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Council

(12 July 2001)

Subject: G(cid:246)teborg Summit and removing the causes of violent conflict at meetings of European heads of

government

Can the Council confirm that during preparations for the EU Summit of 15 and 16 June 2001 in
the police began by engaging in constructive dialogue with the organisers of peaceful

1.
G(cid:246)teborg,
demonstrations whose intention it was to call attention to a divergent opinion during the summit?

2.
Can the Council also confirm that the above approach, based on contact, dialogue and de-escalation,
was suddenly abandoned by the police a few days before the summit and that from that moment on they
were no longer approachable to demonstrators? For what reasons?

3. What assumptions underlie the unexpectedly harsh approach to maintaining order as of Thursday
15 June, which included forcing those present in certain sleeping accommodation to lie flat on the ground,
police beatings and intimidation, causing possible agents provocateurs to mingle with the demonstrators,
taking individuals into preventive detention and shooting with live ammunition.

4.
Does the Council share my view that groups wish to draw attention to their divergent view by
peaceful means may, in the event of a police deployment experienced by them as unreasonable be so
demoralised that they will out of desperation allow themselves be led on by a very small minority who
may possible not have come with peaceful intentions?

5.
How will the Council help to remove the now much sharper opposition between the Europe of the
leaders, whose main interests are in centralisation, uniformity, economic liberalisation, spending cuts and a
high-handed show of force and the Europe of the citizen that gives priority to democracy, activity on a
small scale, social equality, environment protection, disarmament and social services?

6.
Is the Council prepared to engage in constructive talks with the Member States responsible for
security in each instance to ensure by way of consistently maintained de-escalating and tolerant policing
operations that subsequent summit meetings will no longer be at the centre of outbreaks of violence?

Reply

(27 November 2001)

As the Honourable Member knows, the Council has addressed this issue on two occasions (cid:129) at its

1.
meetings on 13 July 2001 (Justice and Home Affairs) and 16 July 2001 (General Affairs).

At the first of those meetings, the Council and the representatives of the Governments of the

2.
Member States:

(cid:129) recognised that the host country is responsible for maintaining public order and safety in the context

of meetings of the European Council and other comparable events;

(cid:129) recalled that one of the objectives of the European Union is to maintain and develop the Union as an

area of freedom, security and justice;

4.4.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 81 E/95

(cid:129) deplored the actions of those who abuse democratic rights by initiating, planning and carrying out

acts of violence to coincide with public demonstrations;

(cid:129) recalled the need for a dialogue with non-governmental organisations, social partners and civil society.

Building on the possibilities offered by existing legal instruments and bodies set up within the European
Union, they saw a need to stress the importance of effective European cooperation on law and order.

3.
At its meeting on 16 July 2001, the Council announced that it would publish, in conjunction with
the Commission, a detailed rationale of the already very positive role played by the European Union in this
regard.

As regards police action during the G(cid:246)teborg European Council, the Swedish authorities are currently
including a parliamentary inquiry conducted by the former Prime Minister,
conducting an inquiry,
Mr Ingvar Carlsson.

The Council would inform the Honourable Member that the full text of the conclusions mentioned in

4.
the first paragraph above is available on the Council(cid:146)s Internet site.

(2002/C 81 E/111)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2022/01

by Elizabeth Lynne (ELDR) to the Council

(12 July 2001)

Subject: US study on solicitation of children on the Internet

Will the Council be taking any action to examine the recent findings of US studies which showed that one
in five children who go online regularly have been approached by strangers for sex at least once in the
past year. The studies indicate that neither the presence of Internet filters nor parental monitoring of
children(cid:146)s Internet use decreased the likelihood that a child would be sexually solicited by a stranger online.
Because of the global spread of the Internet it is unlikely that these trends are isolated to the United States.
Does the Council therefore intend to complete similar European research to build upon the American
results? Furthermore, does the Council see that such studies raise the need for further European-wide
action in this area that builds upon the STOP and Daphne programmes and the recently adopted initiative
of the Swedish Presidency on combating the sexual exploitation of children and child pornography? If so,
what future action is planned?

The main study to which I refer is Kimberly J. Mitchell, PhD; David Finkelhor, PhD; Janis Wolak, JD, (cid:145)Risk
the American Medical
Factors for and Impact of Online Sexual Solicitation of Youth.(cid:146)
Association, Vol 285, No 23, June 20, 2001.

Journal of

There is also a similar report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. This is due for full publication
very soon.

Reply

(6 December 2001)

The Council views with concern abuse in the use of
the internet, particularly where children are
concerned. The Community is already active in the area of the protection of minors in audiovisual and
information services as indicated by the Council Recommendation of 24 September 1998 on the
protection of minors and human dignity in audiovisual and information services (1) which is itself closely
connected with the multiannual Community action plan for promoting safer use of the internet by
combating illegal and harmful content on global networks (2). The latter
followed on from the
Commission(cid:146)s communication on illegal harmful content on the internet.