WRITTEN QUESTION E-2023/01 by Elizabeth Lynne (ELDR) to the Commission. US study on solicitation of children on the Internet.
Date: 2001-07-13
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, Internet, child pornography, child protection, co-financing, exchange of information, project management, report

C 115 E/28

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

16.5.2002

The Commission recalls each year in its Regular Reports on the progress made by the candidate
3.
countries towards accession, that they must comply with the criteria for accession laid down in 1993 by
the European Council of Copenhagen and in particular with the political criteria requiring that they
achieve ‘stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and
protection of minorities’. These Regular Reports have been transmitted to the Parliament and have been
made public. The next reports are scheduled to be transmitted in November 2001.

4. With regard to Slovenia, Annex XIII of the Europe Agreement, provides for the right of Union
citizens, having permanently resided on the present territory of the Republic of Slovenia for a period of
to purchase property. The Commission carefully monitors the
three years, on a reciprocal basis,
implementation of Annex XIII, the provisions of which complement Slovenia’s national legislation on the
restitution of property that was nationalised by the authorities of the former Socialist Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia (SFRY). With regard to Croatia, full respect for human rights and protection of minorities has
always been an essential element
in the Union bilateral relations with this country and has been
systematically monitored by the Commission in its yearly Conditionality Reports. This principle has also
been recently formalised in the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, which will mark an important
step in the process of rapprochement of Croatia to Europe. The same Agreement includes a provision
granting to Union nationals, after a transitional period of four years, the right to acquire real estate in
the only exceptions being
Croatia on a non-discriminatory basis (compared to Croatian nationals),
agricultural land and areas protected by the environmental protection act.

(2002/C 115 E/027)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2023/01

by Elizabeth Lynne (ELDR) to the Commission

Subject: US study on solicitation of children on the Internet

(13 July 2001)

Will the Commission 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’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 Commission therefore intend to complete similar European research to build upon the American
results? Furthermore, does the Commission 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, ‘Risk
Factors for and Impact of Online Sexual Solicitation of Youth.’
the American Medical
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.

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(12 October 2001)

The Commission has taken a number of initiatives to protect minors from the risks linked to the Internet.
Information and studies,
like the one mentioned by the Honourable Member, confirm that initiatives
developed at Community level and at a technical level should be complemented by actions taken by other
authorities and bodies, including those at local level.

16.5.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 115 E/29

At Community level, the Safer Internet Action Plan (1) provides € 25 million in co-funding over four years
for projects under three main action lines:

H hotlines to report illegal content and contacts,

H filtering to enhance parental control,

H raising awareness of safer use of the Internet.

Following open calls for proposals:

H hotlines are being financed in 11 countries,

H a total of 13 projects are being financed to improve filtering and rating of content,

H nine projects for awareness-raising have been financed covering a wide geographical area (all Member

States except Luxembourg, Norway and Iceland).

A further call for proposals on awareness actions is being planned for publication at the end of October
2001.

These actions taken together offers effective ways of providing support to the activities of law-enforcement
in dealing with illegal activities and for parents when dealing with content which is not illegal but which
they consider harmful for their children.

The Commission will,
furthermore, create a web site http://www.saferinternet.org with a monthly
newsletter for all those interested in raising awareness about safer use of the Internet. The newsletter
includes news items and gives further details of the activities of Community-funded projects. The sixth
issue of the newsletter appeared in September 2001.

The Commission recently organised a workshop on the safer use of new interactive technologies. This
included discussion of difficulties raised by new uses such as chat and peer-to-peer file transfer. The final
report, which includes recommendations, is available at http://www.saferinternet.org/resources/reports.asp.

As regards the STOP Programme, there have been projects related to the sollicitation of children on the
Internet, e.g. the CAIR Report prepared by Dublin City University. Projects addressing this issue are also
eligible for co-financing under the recently adopted STOP II Programme. The evaluation of the projects is
currently underway. Means have also been added this financial year to the Daphne Programme, so as to
support information campaigns and awareness raising, as well as prevention measures on paedophilia,
child sex abuse and exploitation. The evaluation of projects in these fields is currently underway.

Finally, the Commission’s proposal for a Framework Decision on combating sexual exploitation of children
and child pornography (2), including child pornography on the Internet, is currently under discussion in the
Council. This discussion will also take into account the opinion of the Parliament adopted on 11 June
2001. The aim of the draft Framework Decision is to provide common definitions and common sanctions
for the criminal offence of sexual exploitation of children and child pornography. The draft Framework
Decision would require Member States to transmit to the General Secretariat of the Council and to the
Commission the texts they adopted for the transposition of the Framework Decision into national law. The
Council would on the basis of this information assess whether the Member States had taken the necessary
measures in order to comply with the Framework Decision. Such an assessment would also provide the
information needed to assess whether further initiatives in the field of approximation of criminal law to
fight sexual exploitation of children and child pornography were necessary.

(1) OJ C 92, 1.4.1999.
(2) OJ C 62 E, 27.2.2001.