WRITTEN QUESTION E-0095/03 by Olivier Dupuis (NI) to the Commission. Child pornography.
Date: 2003-01-28
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: child pornography, child protection, database, feasibility study, fight against crime

C 33 E/34

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

6.2.2004

adopted by the Commission in May 2002. The Commission has allocated an indicative amount of
EUR 93 million to Guatemala for financial, technical and economic cooperation from 2001 to 2006.

In this context, investments in public infrastructure (rural roads, schools, water supply systems, etc.) are a
minor component of Community action in Guatemala, with the exception of the regional programme for
the reconstruction of Central America (RPRCA). Other donors, such as the EU Member States, the World
Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, are the main contributors of international cooperation
funding for major public infrastructure works in Guatemala.

Under the RPRCA, the Commission has provided funding of an overall value of EUR 18,5 million for
Guatemala for the period up to the end of 2006. It should be noted that RPRCA action in Guatemala has
concentrated on the parts of the country that suffered most damage from Hurricane Mitch (principally
Izabal and las Verapaces), and the Quetzaltenango region was not considered for the reconstruction
programme. The bulk of these resources (cid:1) a total of EUR 16 million (cid:1) was allocated to three major
projects currently underway:
two for the health and education sectors and the third, under the
management of the United Nations Development Programme, for water and sanitation.

In addition,
ten small-scale projects covering the sectors referred to above, have been planned in
collaboration with European and Guatemalan NGOs (non-governmental organisations). Four of them are
already underway and the Commission is in the process of signing contracts for the other six.

Apart from these operations, the Commission is not planning to provide other funding for new initiatives
under the RPRCA. As to expenditure, of the EUR 18,5 million provided for Guatemala, EUR 3,3 million
has already been disbursed (in December 2002).

At the beginning of 2003 total funding from all budget lines available for Guatemala amounts to
approximately EUR 100 million, including the funds for the RPRCA.

(2004/C 33 E/031)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0095/03

by Olivier Dupuis (NI) to the Commission

(28 January 2003)

Subject: Child pornography

In his answer of 25 June 2002 to question E-1450/02 (1), Commissioner Vitorino stated that
‘the
Commission (had) decided to support the project “International Child Exploitation Database Feasibility
Study”, under the STOP II Programme Committee’ and that ‘this project (aimed) to assess the feasibility of
an international database with images of child sexual exploitation, sourced from the Internet or any other
pictorial systems’.

In his reply Commissioner Vitorino also pointed out that ‘Europol, as well as the other Member States,
Interpol and the group of eight most industrialised countries (was) fully associated to the project’ and that
‘the final report (was) expected for December 2002’.

Can the Commission provide information on the final report of the ‘International Child Exploitation
Database Feasibility Study’? What is the Commission’s assessment of the feasibility study on the creation of
an ‘international database with images of child sexual exploitation, sourced from the Internet or any other
pictorial systems’? Does the Commission plan to move on to the operative phase of the creation of the
database, and if so, when does it plan to begin?

(1) OJ C 28 E, 6.2.2003, p. 107.

6.2.2004

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 33 E/35

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(14 February 2003)

Following the reply of 25 June 2002 to the Honourable Member’s Written Question E-1450/02, the
Commission is pleased to inform the Honourable Member that on 14 January 2003 the project group has
formally presented to the Commission the final version of the ‘International Child Exploitation Database’
feasibility study, which has been co-funded under the STOP II Programme. The executive summary of the
feasibility study will be shortly published on the web-site of Directorate General Justice and Home Affairs.

The project group has produced various recommendations,
including the key recommendation that a
sophisticated networked international child sexual exploitation image database, building on the fledgling
system at Interpol, is urgently required, and both technically and legally possible. The project group agreed
that the database would have to take into account the different national laws governing images of child
sexual exploitation and protection of personal data. Consideration should therefore be given to a model
that could be distributive and allowing participation at various levels and interoperability of different
existing systems.

As far as the creation of the database is concerned, the Commission is not responsible for the actual setting
up of such an international database, which is left to the appreciation of the Member States and other
willing countries. The project group has clearly pointed out that the work undertaken so far must be
further developed,
in the form of an implementation plan which could allow the confirmation and
resolution of the policy and legal issues that are not within the scope of this feasibility study. Whether the
decision of establishing such an international database is definitely taken by Interpol, the Commission
would consider how to ensure that all Member States could benefit from its creation.

(2004/C 33 E/032)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0169/03

by Wilhelm Piecyk (PSE) to the Commission

(29 January 2003)

Subject: Lack of democratisation in GATS negotiations

In 2000, a new round of negotiations on the liberalisation of trade in services (General Agreement on
Trade in Services) began. At the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha in 2001, clear deadlines were
set for initial requests for market access in other countries, and for the submission of offers to other
countries. In early July 2002, the EU submitted its initial requests for improved market access in services
sectors to 109 members of the WTO, and itself received numerous requests from third countries seeking
further access to the EU services market. Initial offers of service sector liberalisation by individual countries
are due to be published in late March 2003.

There has been widespread criticism that the negotiations, which are now at a decisive stage, continue to
be insufficiently democratic.
the negotiations are not conducted transparently or
monitored democratically. Neither national parliaments nor the European Parliament are in any position to
monitor the conduct of negotiations, let alone bring their influence to bear on them.

is claimed that

It

What action does the Commission intend to take to improve the democratic credentials of the GATS
negotiations and give the negotiations greater transparency?