WRITTEN QUESTION E-0348/04 by Robert Sturdy (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Offensive material on websites in Member States.
Date: 2004-02-11
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU police cooperation, European Commission, Internet, area of freedom, security and justice, child pornography, child protection, computer crime, database, fight against crime, paedophilia, powers of the institutions (EU)

C 84 E/574

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.4.2004

It is too early to speculate on matters of eligibility for support under the Structural Funds. In the third
report on economic and social cohesion (adopted by the Commission on 18 February 2004),
the
Commission proposes to maintain the current Objective 1 eligibility criteria for the new ‘Convergence and
competitiveness’ priority.

(1) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.
(2) OJ C 78 E, 27.3.2004.

(2004/C 84 E/0651)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0348/04

by Robert Sturdy (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(11 February 2004)

Subject: Offensive material on websites in Member States

Can the Commission confirm whether it has any jurisdiction over offensive material on websites in
Member States? There is an active paedophile organisation in Denmark which suggests that some forms of
paedophiliac activity are not dangerous abuse.

Could it also confirm whether there is Community legislation that supersedes national legislation on this
type of organisation?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(17 March 2004)

The Commission fully shares the concerns expressed by the Honourable Member about the problem of
child pornography distributed through the Internet. There is a need for continuous efforts to combat
harmful and illegal content on the Internet based on international co-operation amongst governments,
particularly law enforcement and judicial authorities, but also between governments and the Internet
industry, dedicated hotlines and non-governmental organisations to effectively tackle this horrifying
phenomenon.

Primary responsibility for dealing with illegal content (including child pornography) is with the appropriate
law enforcement and judicial authorities of the Member States, which co-operate internationally in the
fight against child pornography on the Internet on the basis of the applicable cooperation mechanisms,
either directly, or through the appropriate channels of communications, such as Eurojust, Europol and
Interpol.

The European Union has been a forerunner in the fight against illegal and harmful content since 1996,
with an approach agreed unanimously by the Parliament and the Council. The Safer Internet Action Plan
adopted by the Council and the Parliament in 1999 (1) is a major element in the Commission’s activity in
this field. It provides funding for a European network of hotlines allowing users to report illegal content,
including child pornography.

The EU strategy to combat child pornography also consists of legal instruments and practical measures
against computer crime and child pornography. These include the Council Framework Decision on
approximation of laws and sanctions in the field of sexual exploitation of children, with particular
reference to child pornography on the Internet (2), and the Council Recommendation of September 1998 (3)
on the Protection of Minors and Human Dignity and the Council Decision of May 2000 to combat child
pornography on the Internet (4).

At the beginning of 2004, the ‘International Child Exploitation Database’ feasibility study was finalised. The
study was co-funded under the STOP II Programme and run by a project group composed by experts from
several Member States. The project group has issued various recommendations, especially recommending

3.4.2004

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/575

that a sophisticated networked international child sexual exploitation image database, building on the
fledgling system at Interpol, be urgently required. Such a database, being both technically and legally
possible, would have to take into account the different national laws governing images of child sexual
exploitation and protection of personal data.

The Commission is not responsible for the actual setting up of such an international database as this is left
to the appreciation of the Member States and other involved countries. The Commission is currently
supporting an effort made by several Member States, Europol and other third countries under the AGIS
programme for funding an implementation study as a concrete follow-up to the above mentioned
feasibility study.

It aims at preparing the establishment of a sophisticated networked international database of child-
pornography on-line images. The database will be an effective tool for law enforcement in identifying
victims and offenders of child sexual exploitation on-line around the world. It will reduce the international
duplication of effort and increase international co-operation in achieving these goals.

The Commission believes that the proposed database will have a major impact on the effective policing of
this horrendous crime by improving the exchange of information, reducing duplication and significantly
raising the analytical capacity.

(1) OJ L 33, 6.2.1999.
(2) Council Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA of 22 December 2003 on combating the sexual exploitation of children

and child pornography, OJ L 13, 20.1.2004.

(3) OJ L 270, 7.10.1998.
(4) OJ L 138, 9.6.2000.

(2004/C 84 E/0652)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0357/04

by Ewa Hedkvist Petersen (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: Sparsely populated areas in future regional policy

(12 February 2004)

Living and running a business in sparsely populated areas entail higher costs for day-to-day activities. Long
distances to work, goods and services, both within the region concerned and other regions, together with
inadequate infrastructure mean that the population of such areas have a very high cost of living.

In view of this situation, will the Commission give sparsely populated areas special treatment in its
proposal on the new structural funds by granting higher levels of support?

Will the Commission propose that sparsely populated areas receive favourable treatment in terms of the
scope for state aid?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(22 March 2004)

Under the present Commission Guidelines on national regional aid laying down the State aid rules for
regional development purposes for the period 2000-2006 (1), regions characterised with low population
i.e. regions with less than 12,5 inhabitants per square kilometre (km2), receive a favourable
density,
treatment and enjoy an investment aid ceiling of 30 % net, unless they fulfil the 75 % gross domestic
product (GDP)/capita test, and have then access to use higher aid intensities. Moreover,
in the low
population density areas, operating aid in the form of aid to offset additional transport cost is also allowed.