WRITTEN QUESTION E-3103/03 by Anna Karamanou (PSE) to the Commission. Child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Date: 2003-10-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Democratic Republic of the Congo, aid programme, child protection, children's rights, cooperation policy, human rights, social rehabilitation, war

20.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 70 E/217

(2004/C 70 E/233)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3097/03

by Jonas Sjöstedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Disclosure of resources for the EMU campaign

(20 October 2003)

It is highly likely that the ‘yes’ camp had greater resources at its disposal than the ‘no’ camp during the
recently concluded EMU campaign in Sweden.

Does the Commission consider it would have been an advantage if the resources available to the two
camps had been made public?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(21 November 2003)

Given that the referendum held in Sweden on 14 September 2003 was an entirely domestic matter, the
Commission does not have a view on whether any other resources made available to the respective
campaigns should be made public or not.

The Commission has not made any financial resources available for information or communication on the
euro in Sweden after the announcement of the referendum.

(2004/C 70 E/234)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3103/03

by Anna Karamanou (PSE) to the Commission

(20 October 2003)

Subject: Child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The recruitment of child soldiers in the course of the seven-year war in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo has had tragic consequences, resulting in the mistreatment and death of thousands of these
children, some of them less than 12 years of age.

According to the Amnesty International report published on 9 October 2003 in Brussels concerning the
Democratic Republic of the Congo and child soldiers, the forcible recruitment of children, who are then
put through punishing training sessions, assigned to arduous and highly dangerous duties and suffer sexual
abuse by fellow soldiers and their officers, is standard practice.

What measures will the Commission take to ensure respect for human rights, international agreements on
the protection of children’s rights and compliance with the 1999 Lusaka Agreement on the cessation of
hostilities and to oblige the transitional government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to end the
recruitment of child soldiers and take the necessary measures to ensure the full reintegration into society of
those who have undergone this traumatic experience?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(18 November 2003)

The Commission is concerned by the phenomenon of recruitment of child soldiers during the seven year
war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and its tragic consequences for the children.

the reasons why the Commission is participating in the regional

‘Multi-Country
This is one of
Demobilization and Reintegration Programme’
(MDRP) administered by the World Bank with a
contribution of EUR 20 million. The purpose of this programme is to demobilize and reintegrate ex-
combatants of the greater Great Lakes Region,
including the DRC. Child soldiers are included in the
programme. Special measures will be taken to ensure their proper reintegration into society.

C 70 E/218

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

20.3.2004

MDRP special projects have been developed which particularly relate to the needs of child ex-combatants.
It is also expected that the National Demobilisation and Reintegration Programme for the DRC will include
a specific focus on children.

More broadly, the Commission promotes respect of human rights and international agreements on the
protection of children’s rights through its on going project of support to the justice sector in the DRC for
EUR 28 million. This programme is being reoriented in the framework of the new Congolese Transitional
process to respond to the problem of impunity and non respect of human rights, especially in the East part
of the country.

(2004/C 70 E/235)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3105/03

by Marianne Eriksson (GUE/NGL), Piia-Noora Kauppi (PPE-DE)
and Joke Swiebel (PSE) to the Commission

(22 October 2003)

Subject: Funding EQUAL projects and sexual orientation discrimination

Article 13 of the EC Treaty, Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and Article 1 of Directive
2000/78/EC (1) establishing a general
framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation
prohibit discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation. At Community level there is an integrated
strategy to combat discrimination (in particular that based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief,
disability, age or sexual orientation) and social exclusion. Focusing on the labour market, EQUAL forms
part of that strategy. Member States shall formulate their strategy for EQUAL on the basis of thematic
fields in the four pillars of the European Employment Strategy. Within these fields Member States shall
ensure that their proposals principally benefit those subject to the main forms of discrimination (based on
sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation) and inequality.

We are informed that under the current EQUAL programme, only four partnerships out of 1 400 are
related to sexual orientation discrimination. Could the Commission inform us whether this information is
correct?

Could the Commission inform us whether all Member States have included sexual orientation
discrimination in the national call for proposals under the current EQUAL programme? If not, could the
Commission give us an explanation of what action the Commission took to increase the number of
partnerships with a focus on sexual orientation discrimination?

Will the Commission see to it that the discrimination ground of sexual orientation will be explicitly
mentioned in the EQUAL programme and in the call for proposals in the current Member States as well as
in the accession States for the next round of EQUAL in spring 2004?

(1) OJ L 303, 2.12.2000, p. 16.

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(25 November 2003)

The Community Initiative EQUAL aims at developing, testing and mainstreaming new ways of combating
all forms of discrimination and inequalities related to the labour market. Therefore, EQUAL constitutes an
experimental branch of the European strategy to combat discrimination (in particular that based on sex,
racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation)

In applying the principle of subsidiarity, the EQUAL Initiative is implemented by the Member States, on
the basis of a programme document agreed between the Member States and the Commission. These
documents specify the overall programme approach and priorities, and the basic administrative and
financial procedures for implementing them.