Proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a multiannual Community programme on protecting children using the internet and other communication technologies{SEC(2008) 242} {SEC(2008) 243}
Date: 2008-02-27
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, Internet, child protection, information technology, public awareness campaign

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 27.2.2008 
COM(2008) 106 final 

2008/0047 (COD) 

Proposal for a 

DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 

establishing a multiannual Community programme on protecting children using the 
Internet and other communication technologies 

(presented by the Commission) 

{SEC(2008) 242} 
{SEC(2008) 243} 

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

From its beginnings as a communication tool mainly for experts and researchers, the Internet 
and  other  communication  technologies  (hereafter  referred  to  as  “online  technologies”)1  are 
now used in homes, schools, businesses and public administrations in most parts of the world. 
It has been the defining force of the late 20th century and early 21st century. 

In the period since the inception of the Safer Internet Action Plan2, both the technologies and 
related uses have changed considerably. There has been a strong increase in the accessibility 
of  the  technology,  development  of  the  tools  and  services  has  given  rise  to  a  variety  of  uses 
that are more extensive and diverse than what was foreseen at the time when the Action Plan 
was  established,  and  children  and  young  people  are  often  the  first  to  make  use  of  the  new 
opportunities.  The  emerging  technologies  and  applications  offer  great  opportunities  for 
participation, creativity and expression to all members of society. 

Children  are  active  users  of  online  technologies,  and  increasingly  so.  The  possibilities  for 
interactivity  and  participation  in  the  online  environment  can  improve  the  quality  of  life  for 
many young people. However, this also means that they may have to make choices that they 
would  not  normally  have  to  make,  in  many  cases  related  to  their  own  safety.  Protecting 
children  from  harmful  content  and  conduct  online  and  curbing  the  distribution  of  illegal 
content  is  a  continuing  concern  for  policy-  and  law-makers,  industry  and  end-users, 
particularly parents, carers and educators.  

Although children and young people are expert users of online technologies and aware of both 
risks  and  ways  of  dealing  with  them,  they  are  not  all  mature  in  the  sense  of  being  able  to 
evaluate the situations that they encounter and the possible consequences their decision might 
have.  At  the  same  time  they  will  seldom  share  their  online-related  experiences  with  their 
parents  or  carers  and  will  only  turn  to  them  for  help  as  a  last  resort.  These  factors  are  a 
challenge to the people responsible for keeping children safe. 

Among  the  most  serious  risks  to  children  related  to  online  technologies  are  cases  where 
children  are  harmed  directly,  as  victims  of  sexual  abuse,  which  is  documented  through 
photographs,  films  or  audio  files  and  then  transmitted  online  (child  abuse  material);  when 
contacted by people who will befriend them in order to commit sexual abuse (grooming); and 
when victims of bullying in the online environment (cyberbullying).  

The  European  Union  has  been  a  forerunner  in  the  protection  of  children  online  since  1996, 
and  the  successive  Safer  Internet  programmes3  have  been  a  major  feature  of  the 
Commission’s  activity  in  this  field.  They  constitute  the  only  pan-European  initiative 

1 

2 

3  

For  the  purposes  of  this  Explanatory  Memorandum,  “online  technologies”  refers  to  technologies  that 
are  used  for  accessing  the  Internet  and  to  other  communication  technologies.  In  addition,  in  certain 
cases such as video games, there are both “online” and “offline” uses of content and services and both 
may be relevant to child safety.  
Decision No 276/1999/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 January 1999: 
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/sip/docs/html/decision/276_1999_EC.htm. 
Safer Internet Action Plan 1999 – 2004, Safer Internet plus 2004 - 2008. 

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addressing issues relating to child protection in the online environment and comprise several 
actions that have proved their effectiveness.  

They have achieved the following: 

•  A European network of hotlines - reporting points where members of the public can 

report illegal content  

•  A European awareness-raising network and "Safer Internet Day" co-ordinated by the 
network.  Each  year,  an  increasing  number  of  countries  have  taken  part  in  this  in 
Europe and around the world 

• 

• 

Information  for  parents  through  independent  testing  of  the  effectiveness  of  filtering 
software 

Support for industry self-regulatory initiatives in the area of content rating and mobile 
phones 

According  to  the  final  evaluation  of  the  Safer  Internet  Action  Plan,  the  European  Union  is 
now  seen  as  a  “pioneer  which  identified  at  an  early  stage  the  issue  of  illegal  and  harmful 
content on the Internet as a serious and important political question of a global dimension”4.  

The Commission also adopted a Communication on the implementation of the Safer Internet 
plus  programme  in  the  period  2005-2006.5  In  preparation  for  this  proposal,  an  impact 
assessment  process  took  place  between  April  and  July  2007,  including  an  online  public 
consultation and targeted consultations6.  

They all confirmed that the actions carried out have been effective, while stressing the need to 
adapt them to new needs. In particular, child protection in the online environment continues to 
be  a  great  concern,  and  the  challenges  are  further  aggravated  by  the  emergence  of  new 
technologies and services, resulting in new uses and risks, notably for children.  

The new programme will facilitate cooperation and exchange of experiences and best practice 
at all levels on issues relating to child safety online, and could further enhance this role and 
thus ensure European added value. The proposal takes full account of these ideas.  

The new programme will not extend its scope to new subjects, such as health issues, network 
security  and  data  protection,  as  they  are    already  covered  by  other  EU  policy  and  funding 
initiatives. However, many of these ideas are included as part of the awareness message and 
by making appropriate references to the existing instruments. 

Above  all,  the  programme  is  designed  to  be  able  to  take  into  account  currently  unknown 
future  developments  in  the  online  environment  and  the  resulting  threats  will  become 
increasingly  important  in  the  years  ahead.  Being  able  to  design  appropriate  actions  for 
protecting children in the online environment will be essential during the period 2009-2013.  

4 

5  
6 

COM(2006) 663 and Final Evaluation Report of the Safer Internet Action Plan (2003-2004), IDATE, May 2006, 
p. 4: 
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/sip/docs/prog_evaluation/final_evaluation_report_en_
siap_06112006.pdf. 
COM(2006) 661. 
http://ec.europa.eu/saferinternet.  

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2. 

PROMOTING  SAFER  USE  OF  THE  INTERNET  AND  OTHER  COMMUNICATION 
TECHNOLOGIES 

2.1. 

The legislative context 

The issues relating to child protection online are global and complex: everybody can generate 
content  for  everybody  else  to  see  and  content  can  be  accessed  from  all  over  the  world;  the 
production  of  child  abuse  material  may  take  place  in  one  country,  the  distribution  may  be 
hosted in a second, and the material may be downloaded from all over the world; and abusers 
have  been  known  to  travel  over  country  borders  to  meet  up  with  children  for  abuse  after 
having met them online.  

From a legal point of view an essential distinction has to be made between what is illegal on 
the one hand and harmful on the other, since they require different methods, strategies and 
tools. 

What is considered to be illegal varies from country to country, is defined by the applicable 
national  law  and  is  dealt  with  by  law  enforcement  and  other  government  bodies.  Despite 
many  common  features,  there  are  significant  differences  of  detail  between  the  laws  of 
Member States and of third countries where content may be produced or hosted.  

Harmful content means content that parents, teachers and other adults consider to be harmful 
for  children.  Definitions  of  such  content  vary  across  countries  and  cultures,  and  can  range 
from  pornography  and  violence  to  racism,  xenophobia,  hate  speech  and  music,  self-
mutilation, anorexia and suicide sites. Exposure to harmful content can cause psychological 
trauma to children and lead to physical harm if a child is motivated to inflict harm on other 
children  or  on  him/herself.  Member  States  differ  in  sensitivity  (exposure  of  nudity,  sexual 
activity, violence, etc.) and in how seriously the exposure of children to potentially harmful 
content is viewed. In some countries legal provisions exist restricting distribution of harmful 
content to adults only, but there are also noticeable differences in detail between the laws of 
Member States and of third countries.  

A  variety  of  means  exist  to  deal  with  harmful  content,  all  of  which  need  to  be  used  in 
combination  in  order  to  increase  their  effectiveness:  enforcement  of  legal  provisions,  self-
regulation, parental control tools, awareness-raising and education, to name but a few. 

In both areas, the primary liability of content and service providers is still largely a matter of 
national law. However, certain Europe-wide standards have been established, clarifying legal 
issues  through  various  recommendations  and  directives.  The  most  relevant  for  the  proposed 
programme are: 

The  Recommendation  on  the  protection  of  minors  and  human  dignity  in  audiovisual  and 
information  services7  (1998)  makes  recommendations  and  gives  guidelines  on  protection  of 
minors.  This  was  followed  by  the Recommendation  on  the  protection  of  minors  and  human 
dignity  and  on  the  right  of  reply8  in  2006,  which  takes  into  account  recent  technological 
developments and the changing media landscape.  

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8 

Council Recommendation 98/560/EC of 24 September 1998: 
http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/l24030b.htm. 
Recommendation 2006/952/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 
(OJ L 378, 27.12.2006). 

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The  Audiovisual  Media  Services  Directive,  adopted  in  December  2007.  The  Directive 
modernises  the  "Television  without  Frontiers"  Directive,  and  extends  beyond  television 
broadcasting to cover all "audiovisual media services", and includes rules for the protection of 
minors. 

The Council of Europe Convention on cyber crime9 (2001) refers to “offences related to child 
pornography”. It aims to facilitate international cooperation in the detection, investigation and 
prosecution of cyber crime and calls for a common basis for substantive and procedural law 
and for jurisdiction. It was followed by the Council of Europe Convention on the protection of 
children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse (July 2007), which establishes forms of 
sexual  abuse  of  children  as  criminal  offences:  sexual  abuse,  child  prostitution,  child  abuse 
material, “grooming” of children for sexual purposes and “sex tourism”10. 

The EU Framework Decision on child pornography11 (2004) sets out minimum requirements 
for  Member  States  in  the  definition  of  offences  and  appropriate  sanctions  concerning  the 
production, distribution, dissemination, transmission, making available as well as acquisition 
and possession of child abuse material.  

The  Commission’s  Communication  Towards  a  general  policy  on  the  fight  against  cyber 
crime12 (2007) is aimed at strengthening operational law enforcement cooperation in the field 
of online child sexual abuse material, improving international cooperation.  

The  Commission’s  Communication  Towards  an  EU  Strategy  on  the  Rights  of  the  Child13 
(2006)  addresses  internal  and  external  policies  on  children’s  rights  in  a  coherent  way,  fully 
consistent  with  the  already  existing  Community  action  plans  and  programmes.  The  EU 
"Guidelines for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Child"14 (2007) serve as a 
framework for protecting the rights and integrity of children in third countries. 

2.2. 

Links with other Community initiatives 

The implementation of the proposed programme will take into account actions launched under 
other  programmes  and  initiatives,  and  build  on  and  complement  them  so  as  to  avoid 
duplication and maximise impact. These include:  

– 

– 

– 

– 

9 
10 

11 

12 

13 
14 

Prevention of and Fight against Crime 

Daphne III Programme 

Media Literacy 

Seventh  Framework  Programme  for  research  and  technological  development  (2007 
to 2013). 

http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/en/Treaties/Html/185.htm. 
Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 12 July 2007 at the second meeting of Ministers’ Deputies. 
The Convention was opened for signature at the Conference of European Ministers of Justice on 25 and 
26 October 2007. 
Council Framework Decision of 20 January 2004 on combating the sexual exploitation of children and 
child pornography (2004/68/JHA). 
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council and the Committee of 
the Regions - COM(2007) 267, 22.5.2007. 
COM(2006) 367, 4.7.2006. 
Council Conclusions 16457/07, 12 December 2007. 

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2.3. 

Future developments 

The developments over the last few years have been difficult to anticipate, and it is equally 
difficult to predict future developments. However, some main trends emerge: 

2.3.1.  Evolving technological landscape 

Technologies,  communication  networks,  media,  content,  services  and  devices  will 
increasingly undergo digital convergence. Devices and platforms are already “talking to one 
another”,  content  is  becoming  available  in  new,  diverse  formats  and  can  increasingly  be 
delivered independent of location or time, and personalised to individual citizens’ preferences 
or  requirements.  Improvements  in  networks,  faster  broadband,  combined  with  new 
compression techniques, are creating new and faster distribution channels and triggering new 
content formats and services as well as new forms of communication.  

Emerging  new  technologies  encompass  ever-increasing  processing  power  and  storage 
capacity of computers, broadband networks allow distribution of rich content requiring high 
bandwidth,  such  as  video  transmission,  and  the  increased  capacity  of  the  latest  “3G” 
generation of mobile phones allows distribution of video content and access to the Internet, as 
do certain game consoles. 

Children  are  often  the  first  to  take  up  and  use  new  technologies.  The  changes  in  the  online 
environment will also mean new uses of the technologies, and as a consequence the risks to 
children and young people will change. The challenge is to understand these changes in time 
and to develop counterstrategies as new risks emerge.  

At the same time, risks in the online and offline environment are converging, and although 
most children and young people are aware of potential risks and of precautions, they do not 
necessarily take the necessary precautions or act in the safest way when they communicate in 
the  online  environment.  For  example,  the  possible  harm  to  children  playing  games  (for 
instance  concerning  games  of  a  violent  or  sexual  nature)  will  be  the  same  whether  they  are 
played online or on game consoles at home.  

2.3.2. 

Increase in amount and seriousness of illegal content  

The  amount  of  illegal  material  circulated  online  is  increasing  and  the  characteristics  of  the 
illegal material online are becoming more serious. In the UK, during the period 1997-2005, 
the  number  of  sites  with  child  abuse  material  increased  by  1 500  percent15  and  there  was  a 
four-fold rise in material depicting the most severe abuse16. Domestically produced material is 
also  replacing  material  for  commercial  use.  In  addition,  the  children  being  abused  for  the 
production of this material are getting younger, and the number of new children seen in this 
material is increasing.  

The consequences for the children abused and depicted in the material are severe. Interpol’s 
Child  Abuse  Image  Database  contains  550 000  images  of  20 000  individual  children.  Of 
these, only around 500 of these children have been identified and rescued in the time since the 
database was established in 200117.  

15 
16 
17 

Communication on cyber crime, p. 9. 
http://www.iwf.org.uk/media/news.196.htm. 
http://www.interpol.int/Public/News/2007/ChildConf20070606.asp. 

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2.3.3.  Remaining “generation gap” 

Children and young people are in the forefront of taking up new technological developments 
and  opportunities.  They  are  often  expert  users  —  they  can  be  far  more  advanced  than  their 
parents and teachers — and will not ask them for advice or turn to them for help other than in 
the most serious of cases18. The gap is thus widening between children and young people’s 
use of online technologies and perception of risks, on the one hand, and adults’ understanding 
of their use, on the other. This poses a challenge for law-makers, authorities and industry in 
contributing  to  creating  a  safe  online  environment  for  children,  as  well  as  for  raising 
awareness, in empowering children and young people to use the technologies in a safe way, 
and for empowering parents, teachers and carers to give appropriate guidance based on their 
own experiences. 

2.4. 

Conclusion 

There  is  a  continued  need  for  actions  dealing with  illegal  content  online,  promoting  a  safer 
online environment and ensuring public awareness of the risks and precautions to be taken in 
the online environment – all of which are part of the existing Safer Internet plus programme. 
There  is  also  a  need  for  the  scope  of  the  programme  to  be  extended  a)  so  as  to  focus 
particularly on protecting vulnerable children in the online environment, in particular against 
"grooming"  (where  a  person  befriends  a  child  for  sexual  abuse)  and  cyberbullying,  b)  to 
provide all concerned with more knowledge of the ways children use new technologies. 

3. 

A NEW PROGRAMME 

3.1. 

Objectives and approach 

The  objective  of  the  programme  will  be  to  promote  safer  use  of  the  Internet  and  other 
communication technologies, particularly for children, and to fight against illegal content and 
harmful conduct online.  

Compared  to  Safer  Internet  plus,  the  scope  of  the  programme  no  longer  includes  action 
against  unsolicited  commercial  electronic  mail  (spam),  which  raises  issues  for  users 
irrespective of their age and is dealt with by other Commission actions. 

To  achieve  this  objective,  the  programme  will  focus  on  practical  help  for  the  end-user, 
particularly children, parents, carers and educators.  

The  programme  will  seek  to  involve  and  bring  together  the  different  stakeholders  whose 
cooperation  is  essential,  but  who  do  not  necessarily  always  come  together  unless  the 
appropriate structures are put in place. 

This  includes  content  providers;  Internet  service  providers;  mobile  network  operators; 
regulators;  standards  bodies;  industry  self-regulatory  bodies;  national,  regional  and  local 
law 
authorities  responsible  for 

industry,  education,  consumer  protection,  families, 

18 

Eurobarometer study 2007: 
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/sip/docs/eurobarometer/qualitative_study_2007/summ
ary_report_en.pdf. 

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enforcement, children’s rights and child welfare; and non-governmental organisations active 
in consumer protection, families, children’s rights and child welfare. 

This  Decision  respects  the  fundamental  rights  and  observes  the  principles  reflected  in  the 
Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, in particular Articles 7, 8 and 24. It is 
specifically  aimed  at  safeguarding  the  physical  and  mental  integrity  of  children  and  young 
persons in agreement with Article 3 of the Charter. 

3.2. 

Actions 

The programme will have four actions: reducing illegal content and tackling harmful conduct 
online; promoting a safer online environment; ensuring public awareness; and establishing a 
knowledge base.  

3.2.1.  Action 1: Reducing illegal content and tackling harmful conduct online 

This action was already the first action of Safer Internet plus. Its scope is extended to include 
grooming and cyber-bullying. 

The  activities  are  aimed  at  reducing  the  amount  of  illegal  content  circulated  online  and 
dealing adequately with harmful conduct online, with particular focus on online distribution 
of child sexual abuse material, grooming and bullying. It is proposed that funding be provided 
for contact points which facilitate the reporting of online illegal content and harmful conduct. 
These  contact  points  should  liaise  closely  with  other  actions  at  national  level,  such  as  self-
regulation or awareness-raising and cooperate at European level to address cross-border issues 
and exchange best practice.  

Further  activities  will  be  aimed  at  stimulating  the  development  and  application  of  technical 
solutions  for  dealing  with  illegal  content  and  harmful  content  online,  and  at  promoting 
cooperation and exchange of best practice among a wide range of stakeholders at European 
and international level. 

Different  mechanisms  and  different  expertise  may  be  required  to  deal  with  harmful  online 
conduct  such  as  bullying  and  grooming.  The  programme  will  aim  to  tackle  psychological, 
sociological and technical issues related to these issues, and will aim to stimulate cooperation 
between stakeholders. Actions relating to these issues might also be integrated into the other 
actions. 

3.2.2.  Action 2: Promoting a safer online environment 

This action combines two of the actions of Safer Internet plus, one aimed at providing parents 
with tools (user empowerment) and the other at encouraging self-regulation.  

The activities will aim to bring together stakeholders to find ways to promote a safer online 
environment and to protect children from content and conduct that may be harmful for them. 
It  will  encompass  stimulation  of  stakeholders  to  take  responsibility,  and  cooperation  and 
exchange of experience and best practice between stakeholders at European and international 
level; it will encourage the development and implementation of systems of self-regulation and 
will  aim  to  equip  users  with  instruments  and  applications  adequately  supporting  them  in 
dealing with harmful content. 

A new element is that a specific focus will be given to stimulating the involvement of children 
and young people, with the aim of better understanding their views on and experiences with 

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using online technologies and benefiting from their contributions when designing awareness 
actions, tools, materials and policies. 

3.2.3.  Action 3: Ensuring public awareness 

The activities will be aimed at increasing the awareness of the public, in particular children, 
parents,  carers  and  educators,  about  opportunities  and  risks  related  to  the  use  of  online 
technologies and means of staying safe online.  

Actions will be taken to promote public awareness by providing adequate information about 
possibilities,  risks  and  ways  to  deal  with  them  in  a  coordinated  way  across  Europe  and  by 
providing  contact  points  where  parents  and  children  can  receive  answers  to  questions  about 
how  to  stay  safe  online.  Activities  will  encourage  cost-effective  means  of  distributing 
awareness information to a large number of users. 

This  action  was  already  a  major  element  of  Safer  Internet  plus.  On  the  basis  of  lessons 
learned,  additional  efforts  will  be  made  to  encourage  delivery  of  the  awareness  message  to 
children through the channel of schools. 

Specific  attention  will  be  given  to  the  development  and/or  identification  of  effective 
awareness-raising  instruments,  methods  and  tools  which,  in  cost-efficient  way,  can  be 
replicated throughout the network. Actions will also aim to ensure exchange of best practices 
and cross-border cooperation at European level. 

3.2.4.  Action 4: Establishing a knowledge base 

This action is new, although some activities which were carried out under Safer Internet plus 
(Eurobarometer  survey,  EU  Kids  Online  thematic  network)  already  contributed  to  the 
knowledge base.  

Changes in the online environment and new trends in the use of the technologies happen fast. 
There  is  a  need  to  create  and  build  up  a  knowledge  base  for  adequately  addressing  both 
existing  and  emerging  uses,  risks  and  consequences,  and  mapping  both  quantitative  and 
qualitative aspects in this context. The acquired knowledge will feed into the implementation 
of the programme as well as into designing adequate actions for ensuring online safety for all 
users. 

Actions  will  be  aimed  at  coordinating  investigation  activities  in  relevant  fields  within  and 
outside the EU and developing knowledge concerning the (evolving) ways children use online 
technologies, associated risks and the possible harmful effects the use of online technologies 
can  have  on  them,  including  technical,  psychological  and  sociological  issues.  The  studies 
under this action can also concern awareness-raising methods and tools, assessment of co- and 
self-regulatory  schemes,  different  technical  and  non-technical  solutions,  as  well  as  other 
relevant emerging fields.  

The  above  actions  will  not  include  research  activities,  which  can  be  carried  out  under  the 
Seventh Framework Programme for research and technological development (2007 to 2013). 

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The latter provides an area on youth related changes in lifestyles and consumption; this would 
allow research to be carried out in the field of internet safety for children19. 

3.2.5. 

International cooperation 

International  cooperation  will  be  encouraged  as  an  integral  part  of  each  of  the  actions, 
according to the priorities to be laid down. 

4. 

LEGAL BASIS 

The legal basis will be Article 153 of the EC Treaty, on consumer protection, which was the 
legal basis agreed by the European Parliament and the Council for the original Safer Internet 
Action  Plan  in  199920,  for  the  two-year  extension  of  the  Action  Plan  in  200321  and  for  the 
Safer Internet plus programme22.  

19 

20 

21 

22 

Activity 3 ("Major trends in society and their implication") of theme 8 ("Socio-Economic Sciences and 
Humanities"). 
Decision No 276/1999/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 January 1999 (OJ L 33, 
6.2.1999, p. 1). 
Decision No 1151/2003/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 June 2003 (OJ L 162, 
1.7.2003, p. 1). 
Decision No 854/2005/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2005 establishing 
a  multiannual  Community  Programme  on  promoting  safer  use  of  the  Internet  and  new  online 
technologies (OJ L 149, 11.6.2005, p. 1). 

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2008/0047 (COD) 

Proposal for a 

DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 

establishing a multiannual Community programme on protecting children using the 
Internet and other communication technologies 

(Text with EEA relevance) 

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European  Community,  and  in  particular 
Article 153 thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission23, 

Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee24, 

After consulting the Committee of the Regions, 

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty25, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

Internet penetration and the use of communication technologies such as mobile phones 
is still growing considerably in the Community and offers great opportunities, such as 
participation,  interactivity  and  creativity,  to  all  citizens  alike.  Risks  to  children  and 
abuse of the technologies continue to exist and, because of changing technologies and 
societal  behaviours,  new  risks  and  abuses  continue  to  emerge.  In  order  to  encourage 
exploitation of the opportunities and to take advantage of the positive benefits offered 
by  the  Internet  and  other  online  technologies,  measures  are  also  needed  to  promote 
their safer use. 

The  “i2010  —  A  European  Information  Society  for  growth  and  employment” 
strategy26,  developing  the  Lisbon  strategy,  seeks  coherence  across  the  Commission’s 
information society and media policies in order to reinforce the major contribution of 
information and communication technologies to the performance of the Member State 
economies.  One  of  its  objectives  is  the  creation  of  a  Single  European  Information 
Space  offering  affordable  and  secure  high  bandwidth  communications,  rich  and 
diverse content and digital services. 

23 
24 
25 
26 

OJ C , , p. . 
OJ C , , p. . 
OJ C , , p. . 
COM(2005) 229. 

EN 

11 

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(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

27 

28 

29 

30 
31 
32 
33 

34 
35 

The Community legislative framework addressing the challenges of digital content in 
the  Information  Society  includes  provisions  on  the  protection  of  minors27,  on 
protection  of  privacy28  and  on  the  liability  of  intermediary  service  providers29.  The 
Council  Framework  Decision  2004/68/JHA  of  22  December  2003  on  combating  the 
sexual  exploitation  of  children  and  child  pornography30  sets  out  minimum 
requirements  for  Member  States  in  the  definition  of  offences  and  appropriate 
sanctions. Building on Council Recommendation 98/560/EC of 24 September 1998 on 
the development of the competitiveness of the European audiovisual and information 
services industry by promoting national frameworks aimed at achieving a comparable 
and effective level of protection of minors and human dignity31, the Recommendation 
of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on the protection 
of  minors  and  human  dignity  and  on  the  right  of  reply  in  relation  to  the 
competitiveness  of  the  European  audiovisual  and  on-line  information  services 
industry32, sets out guidelines for the development of national self-regulation, extends 
the  scope  to  include  media  literacy,  the  cooperation  and  sharing  of  experience  and 
good  practices  between  self-,  co-  and  regulatory  bodies  and  action  against 
discrimination in all media.  

There  will  be  a  continued  need  for  action  both  in  the  area  of  content  potentially 
harmful to children and in the area of illegal content, particularly child abuse material. 
The same applies to children becoming victims of harmful and illegal conduct leading 
to  physical  and  psychological  harm  and  to  children  being  enticed  to  imitate  such 
conducts causing harm to themselves and others. 

Reaching international agreement on legally binding rules is desirable, but will not be 
achieved rapidly. Even if such agreement is reached, it will not be enough in itself to 
ensure implementation of the rules or to ensure protection of those at risk. 

Decision  No  276/1999/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  25 
January 1999 adopting a Multiannual Community Action Plan on promoting safer use 
of the Internet and new online technologies by combating illegal and harmful content 
primarily  in  the  area  of  the  protection  of  children  and  minors33  (the  Safer  Internet 
Action Plan 1998-2004)34 and Decision No 854/2005/EC of the European Parliament 
and of the Council of 11 May 2005 establishing a multiannual Community Programme 
on  promoting  safer  use  of  the  Internet  and  new  online  technologies35  (the  Safer 

COM(2007)  170.  Amended  proposal  for  a  Directive  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council 
amending  Council  Directive 89/552/EEC on  the  coordination of  certain  provisions  laid down by  law, 
regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the pursuit of television broadcasting 
activities. 
Directive 2002/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 2002 concerning the 
processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector (OJ L 
201, 31.7.2002, p. 37). 
Directive 2000/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2000 on certain legal 
aspects of information society services, in particular electronic commerce, in the Internal Market (OJ L 
178, 17.7.2000, p. 1). 
OJ L 13, 20.1.2004, p. 44 
OJ L 270 , 7.10.1998 p. 48. 
OJ L 378, 27.12.2006, p. 72. 
OJ  L  33,  6.2.1999,  p.1.  Decision  as  amended  by  Decision  No  1151/2003/EC  of  the  European 
Parliament and of the Council of 16 June 2003 
OJ L 162, 1.7.2003, p. 1. 
OJ L 149, 11.6.2005, p. 1 

EN 

12 

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(7) 

(8) 

(9) 

Internet  plus  programme  2005  to  2008)  have  provided  Community  financing  which 
has  successfully  encouraged  a  variety  of  initiatives  and  has  given  European  added 
value,  as  demonstrated  by  the  programme  evaluations  submitted  to  the  European 
Parliament, the Council and the Committee of the Regions36. 

In addition to the findings of the evaluations of the predecessor programmes, a series 
of Eurobarometer surveys and a public consultation have clearly identified the need to 
maintain  the  activities  for  reporting  illegal  content  and  for  awareness  raising  in  the 
Member States. 

Evolving  technologies,  changes  in  the  ways  the  Internet  and  other  communication 
technologies  are  used  by  adults  and  children  and  shifts  in  societal  behaviours  are 
leading to new risks for children. The knowledge base that can be used for designing 
efficient actions needs to be strengthened in order to better understand these changes. 
Several  measures  and  actions  will  have  to  be  combined  in  a  multi-faceted  and 
complementary  way;  this  will  include  for  example  the  further  development  of 
supporting  technologies  and  the  promotion  of  best  practice  for  codes  of  conduct 
embodying generally agreed canons of behaviour or cooperation with the industry on 
agreed objectives. 

International  cooperation  is  essential  given  the  global  nature  of  the  problem.  Illegal 
content  may  be  produced  in  one  country,  hosted  in  a  second,  but  accessed  and 
downloaded all over the world. International cooperation, which has been stimulated 
through the Community networking structures, will need to be reinforced in order to 
protect  children  better  against  cross-border  risks  involving  third  countries.  An 
exchange of best practice between European organisations and organisations in other 
parts of the world can be mutually advantageous. 

(10)  The  measures  that  the  Commission  is  empowered  to  adopt  under  the  implementing 
powers conferred on it by this Decision are essentially management measures relating 
to the implementation of a programme with substantial budgetary implications within 
the meaning of Article 2(a) of Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying 
down  the  procedures  for  the  exercise  of  implementing  powers  conferred  on  the 
Commission37.  Such  measures  should  therefore  be  adopted  in  accordance  with  the 
management procedures provided for in Article 4 of that Decision. 

(11)  The Commission should ensure complementarity and synergy with related Community 

initiatives and programmes. 

(12)  This Decision should lay down, for the entire duration of the programme, a financial 
framework  constituting  the  prime  reference  for  the  budgetary  authority,  within  the 
meaning of point 37 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the 
European  Parliament,  the  Council  and  the  Commission  on  budgetary  discipline  and 
sound financial management38. 

(13)  Since  the  objectives  of  the  proposed  actions  cannot  be  sufficiently  achieved  by  the 
Member States  given  the  transnational  character  of  the  issues  at  stake  and  can, 

36 
37 
38 

COM(2001) 690; COM(2003) 653; COM(2006) 663. 
OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23. 
OJ C 139, 14.6.2006, p. 1. 

EN 

13 

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therefore,  by  reason  of  the  European  scope  and  effects  of  the  actions  be  better 
achieved  at  Community  level,  the  Community  may  adopt  measures,  in  accordance 
with  the  principle  of  subsidiarity  as  set  out  in  Article 5  of  the  Treaty.  In  accordance 
with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Decision does not 
go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve those objectives. 

(14)  This Decision respects the fundamental rights and observes the principles reflected in 
the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, in particular Articles 7, 8 
and 24 thereof, 

HAVE DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 

Article 1 

Objective of the programme 

1. 

This  Decision  establishes  a  Community  programme  to  promote  safer  use  of  the 
Internet and other communication technologies, particularly for children, and to fight 
against illegal content and harmful conduct online.  

The programme shall be known as the “Safer Internet” programme (hereinafter “the 
Programme”). 

2. 

In  order  to  attain  the  overall  aim  of  the  Programme,  the  following  lines  of  action 
shall be addressed: 

(a) 

reducing illegal content and tackling harmful conduct online;  

(b)  promoting a safer online environment; 

(c) 

ensuring public awareness;  

(d) 

establishing a knowledge base. 

The activities to be carried out under these lines of action are set out in Annex I. 

The Programme shall be implemented in accordance with Annex III. 

Article 2 

Participation 

1. 

2. 

Participation  in  the  Programme  shall  be  open  to  legal  entities  established  in  the 
Member States. 

The Programme shall be further open to the participation of: 

(a) 

legal entities established in European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries 
which are members of the European Economic Area (EEA), in accordance with 
the conditions laid down in the EEA Agreement; 

EN 

14 

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(b) 

(c) 

(d) 

(e) 

legal  entities  established  in  accession  countries  and  candidate  countries 
benefiting  from  a  pre-accession  strategy,  in  accordance  with  the  general 
principles  and  general  terms  and  conditions  for  the  participation  of  those 
countries in Community programmes established in the respective Framework 
Agreements and Association Council Decisions; 

legal entities established in countries of the Western Balkans and the European 
neighbourhood, in accordance with the provisions to be determined with those 
countries  following  the  establishment  of  Framework  Agreements  concerning 
their participation in Community programmes; 

legal  entities  established  in  a  third  country  being  a  party  to  an  international 
agreement  with  the  Community,  under  the  terms  or  on  the  basis  of  which  it 
makes a financial contribution to the Programme; 

international organisations and legal entities established in third countries other 
than those mentioned in points (a), (b), (c) and (d) under the conditions set out 
in Annex III. 

Article 3  

Competences of the Commission 

1. 

2. 

3. 

The Commission shall be responsible for the implementation of the Programme. 

The Commission shall draw up a work programme on the basis of this Decision. 

The  Commission  shall  act  in  accordance  with  the  procedure  referred  to  in 
Article 4(2) for the purposes of the following: 

(a) 

adoption and modification of the work programme, including determination of 
the priority areas for international cooperation; 

(b) 

any departure from the rules set out in Annex III; 

(c) 

implementation of measures for evaluating the programme. 

4. 

The Commission shall inform the Committee referred to in Article 4 of progress in 
the implementation of the Programme. 

Article 4 

Committee 

The Commission shall be assisted by a committee. 

Where 
to 
Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to Article 8 thereof. 

this  paragraph,  Articles  4  and  7  of 

is  made 

reference 

1. 

2. 

The period laid down in Article 4(3) of Decision 1999/468/EC shall be three months. 

EN 

15 

   EN 

 
3. 

The Committee shall set out its rules of procedure. 

Article 5 

Monitoring and evaluation 

1. 

2. 

3. 

1. 

2. 

In  order  to  ensure  that  Community  aid  is  used  efficiently,  the  Commission  shall 
ensure that actions under this Decision are subject to prior appraisal, follow-up and 
subsequent evaluation. 

The Commission shall monitor the implementation of projects under the Programme. 
The Commission shall evaluate the manner in which the projects have been carried 
out  and  the  impact  of  their  implementation  in  order  to  assess  whether  the  original 
objectives have been achieved. 

The Commission shall report on the implementation of the action lines referred to in 
Article 1(2)  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European  Economic  and 
Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, by [two and a half years from 
date of publication] at the latest. 

The Commission shall submit a final evaluation report at the end of the Programme. 

Article 6 

Financial provisions 

The Programme shall cover a period of five years from 1 January 2009. 

The  financial  reference  amount  for  the  implementation  of  the  Programme  for  the 
period from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2013 is hereby set at EUR 55 million. 

The  annual  appropriations  for  the  period  2009  to  2013  shall  be  authorised  by  the 
budgetary authority within the limits of the financial perspective. 

3. 

An indicative breakdown of expenditure is given in Annex II. 

Article 7 

This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its publication in the Official Journal of the 
European Union. 

Done at Brussels,  

For the European Parliament 
The President 

For the Council 
The President 

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16 

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ANNEX I 

ACTIONS 

Introduction 

The  objective  of  the  programme  is  to  promote  safer  use  of  the  Internet  and  other 
communication technologies, particularly for children, and to fight against illegal content and 
harmful conduct online.  

To  achieve  this  objective,  the  programme  will  focus  on  practical  help  for  the  end-user, 
particularly  children,  parents,  carers  and  educators,  by  encouraging  multi-stakeholder 
partnerships.  

The  programme  has  the  overall  aim  to  promote  safer  use  of  the  Internet  and  other 
communication  technologies  (hereafter  referred  to  as  “online  technologies”),  especially  by 
children, promote the development of a safe online environment, reduce the amount of illegal 
content  disseminated  online,  tackle  potentially  harmful  conduct  online  and  ensure  public 
awareness of online risks and precautions. 

In order to ensure a coherent approach to risks, where content and services may be accessed 
and  used  both  online  and  offline,  such  as  in  the  case  of  video  games,  the  programme  may 
address both types of access and use. 

The programme will be implemented through four general action lines: 

1. Reducing illegal content and tackling harmful conduct online 

The  activities  are  aimed  at  reducing  the  amount  of  illegal  content  circulated  online  and 
dealing adequately with harmful conduct online, with particular focus on online distribution 
of child sexual abuse material, grooming and bullying. The main overall actions planned to be 
taken are: 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

Providing  the  public  with  contact  points  for  reporting  online  illegal  content  and 
harmful conduct. Activities should ensure that these contact points are effective and 
visible for the public, liaise closely with other actions at national level, and cooperate 
at European level to deal with cross-border issues and to exchange best practice. 

Tackling  harmful  conduct  online,  in  particular  grooming  and  bullying.  Activities 
will aim to tackle online grooming, the process by which an adult befriends a child 
with the intention of committing sexual abuse, and bullying. Actions will deal with 
technical,  psychological  and  sociological  issues  related  to  these  issues  and  will 
promote cooperation and coordination between stakeholders. 

Stimulating  application  of  technical  solutions  for  dealing  adequately  with  illegal 
content and harmful conduct online. Activities should encourage the development or 
adaptation of effective technological tools to deal adequately with illegal content and 
tackle harmful conduct online, for general use by stakeholders. 

Promoting cooperation and exchange of information, experience and best practices 
between stakeholders at national and European level. Activities will aim to improve 

EN 

17 

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the  coordination  of  stakeholders  involved  in  countering  the  distribution  of  illegal 
content and harmful conduct online and encourage the participation and engagement 
of these stakeholders.  

5. 

Enhancing  cooperation,  exchange  of  information  and  experience  in  fighting  online 
illegal  content  and  harmful  conduct  at  international  level.  Activities  will  aim  to 
improve  cooperation  with  third  countries,  harmonise  approaches  in  dealing  with 
illegal  content  and  harmful  conduct  online  at  international  level  and  encourage 
development of common approaches and methods of work. 

2. Promoting a safer online environment 

The activities will aim to bring together stakeholders to find ways of promoting a safer online 
environment  and  protecting  children  from  content  that  may  be  harmful  for  them.  The  main 
overall actions planned to be taken are: 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

Enhancing  cooperation,  exchange  of  information,  experience  and  best  practice 
between  stakeholders.  Activities  will  aim  to  improve  cooperation,  harmonise 
approaches  in  creating  a  safer  online  environment  for  children  and  enable  best 
practices  and  methods  of  work  to  be  exchanged.  Actions  will  aim  to  equip 
stakeholders with an open platform for discussion of the issues linked to promoting a 
safer  online  environment  and  ways  of  protecting  children  from  potentially  harmful 
content across different platforms. 

Encouraging  stakeholders  to  develop  and  implement  adequate  systems  of  self-
regulation.  Actions  will  encourage  the  creation  and  implementation  of  self-
regulatory  initiatives  and  encourage  stakeholders  to  take  account  of  child  safety 
when developing new technologies and services. 

Stimulating the involvement of children and young people in creating a safer online 
environment. Actions will aim to involve children and young people with the aim of 
better  understanding  their  views  and  experiences  concerning  the  use  of  online 
technologies and on how to promote a safer online environment for children. 

Increasing information about adequate tools for dealing with harmful content online. 
Activities will aim to increase information about the performance and effectiveness 
of tools for dealing with potentially harmful content online and to equip users with 
information,  instruments  and  applications  adequately  supporting  them  in  dealing 
with harmful content across different platforms. 

Ensuring  compatibility  between  the  approach  taken  in  Europe  and  internationally. 
Activities  will  promote  cooperation  and  exchange  of  information,  experience  and 
best practices between stakeholders at European level and internationally. 

3. Ensuring public awareness 

The activities will be aimed at increasing the awareness of the public, in particular children, 
parents,  carers  and  educators,  about  opportunities  and  risks  related  to  the  use  of  online 
technologies and means of staying safe online. The main overall actions planned to be taken 
are: 

EN 

18 

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1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

Raising  public  awareness  and  disseminating  information  on  safer  use  of  online 
technologies.  The  activities  will  promote  public  awareness  by  providing  adequate 
information  about  possibilities,  risks  and  ways  to  deal  with  them  in  a  coordinated 
way  across  Europe.  Activities  will  encourage  cost-effective  means  of  distributing 
awareness information to a large number of users. 

Providing  contact  points  where  parents  and  children  can  receive  answers  to 
questions  about  how  to  stay  safe  online.  Activities  will  be  aimed  at  empowering 
users  to  make  informed  and  responsible  choices  by  providing  them  with  advice  on 
relevant information and precautions to be taken to remain safe online.  

Encouraging enhancement of efficient and cost-effective awareness-raising methods 
and  tools.  Actions  will  be  aimed  at  improving  relevant  awareness-raising  methods 
and  tools  with  a  view  to  making  them  more  efficient  and  cost-effective  in  a  long-
term perspective. 

Ensuring  exchange  of  best  practices  and  cross-border  cooperation  at  European 
level.  Actions  will  be  taken  to  ensure  effective  European  cross-border  cooperation 
and effective exchange of best practices, tools, methods, experience and information.  

Ensuring exchange of best practices and cooperation at international level. Actions 
will  aim  to  promote  cooperation  and  exchange  of  best  practices,  tools,  methods, 
experience  and  information  at  international  level  in  order  to  encourage  common 
approaches  and  methods  of  work  and  improve  and  enhance  the  effectiveness,  cost-
efficiency and the range of global initiatives.  

4. Establishing a knowledge base  

The activities will aim to establish a knowledge base for dealing adequately with existing and 
emerging uses of the online environment and relevant risks and consequences, with a view to 
designing  adequate  actions  aimed  at  ensuring  online  safety  for  all  users.  The  main  overall 
actions planned to be taken are: 

1. 

2. 

3. 

Encouraging  a  coordinated  approach  concerning  investigation  in  relevant  fields. 
Actions  will  ensure  a  concerted  effort  to  bring  together  scientists  and  experts 
engaged in the field of child safety online at European level, stimulate international 
cooperation  and  coordination,  and  establish  updated  overviews  of  existing  and 
emerging research.  

Providing  updated  information  concerning  children’s  use  of  online  technologies. 
Actions will be taken to generate updated information concerning children’s use of 
online  technologies  and  the  way  they  and  their  parents  and  carers  deal  with  both 
opportunities  and  risks.  The  actions  will  comprise  quantitative  and  qualitative 
aspects.  Actions  will  also  aim  to  increase  the  knowledge  of  children  and  young 
people’s own strategies for dealing with risks in the online environment, and assess 
the effectiveness of these strategies. 

Promoting  investigation  on  online  victimisation  of  children.  Actions  will  aim  to 
investigate 
the 
victimisation  of  children  in  the  online  environment,  including  bullying,  grooming, 

technical,  psychological  and  sociological 

issues  related 

to 

EN 

19 

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4. 

5. 

issues relating to online child sexual abuse material and emerging forms of conduct 
that can put children at risk of harm.  

Promoting investigation on efficient ways to improve safe use of online technologies. 
Actions  may  concern  investigations  and  trials  of  awareness-raising  methods  and 
tools,  successful  co-  and  self-regulatory  schemes,  the  effectiveness  of  different 
technical and non-technical solutions, as well as other relevant issues. 

Increasing knowledge of the effects of the use of current and emerging technologies 
on  children  and  young  people.  Actions  will  aim  to  better  understand  the 
psychological,  behavioural  and  sociological  effects  on  children  and  young  people 
using online technologies, ranging from the effect of exposure to harmful content and 
conduct  to  grooming  and  bullying  and  across  different  platforms,  from  computers 
and mobile phones to game consoles and other emerging technologies.  

EN 

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ANNEX II 

INDICATIVE BREAKDOWN OF EXPENDITURE 

(1)   Reducing illegal content and tackling harmful conduct online 

(2)   Promoting a safer online environment 

(3)   Ensuring public awareness 

(4)   Establishing a knowledge base  

30-35%

5-10%

45-50%

8-15%

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ANNEX III 

METHODS OF PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION 

(1) 

The  Commission  will  implement  the  programme  in  accordance  with  the  technical 
content specified in Annex I. 

(2) 

The programme will be implemented through actions comprising:  

A. Shared-cost actions 

1. 

2. 

3. 

Pilot  projects  and  best  practice  actions;  ad  hoc  projects  in  areas  relevant  to  the 
programme,  including  projects  demonstrating  best  practice  or  involving  innovative 
uses of existing technology. 

Networks and national actions bringing together a variety of stakeholders to ensure 
action  throughout  Europe  and  to  facilitate  coordination  activities  and  transfer  of 
knowledge.  

Europe-wide investigation carried out on a comparable basis into the way adults and 
children  use  online  technologies,  the  resulting  risks  for  children  and  the  effects  of 
harmful  practices  on  children,  and  behavioural  and  psychological  aspects  with 
emphasis  on  child  sexual  abuse  related  to  the  use  of  online  technologies, 
investigation  on  upcoming  risk  situations  due  to  transforming  behaviours  or 
technological developments, etc. 

4. 

Technology deployment projects.  

B. Accompanying measures 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

(3) 

Accompanying measures will contribute to the implementation of the programme or 
the preparation of future activities. 

Benchmarking  and  opinion  surveys  to  produce  reliable  data  on  safer  use  of  online 
technologies for all Member States collected through comparable methodologies. 

Technical assessment of technologies such as filtering designed to promote safer use 
of the Internet and new online technologies. 

Studies in support of the programme and its actions. 

Exchange  of  information  through  conferences,  seminars,  workshops  or  other 
meetings and the management of clustered activities. 

Dissemination, information and communication activities. 

In  pursuance  of  Article  2(2)(e),  international  organisations  and  legal  entities 
established  in  third  countries  may  take  part  in  shared-cost  actions,  with  or  without 
Community funding, under the following conditions: 

EN 

22 

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(i) the action must fall under a priority for international cooperation as defined in the 
work  programme.  These  priorities  may  be  defined  by  thematic  area  of  activity,  by 
geographic criteria or both; 

(ii)  the  work  programme  may  define  further  criteria  and  conditions  which  must  be 
satisfied  by  international  organisations  and  legal  entities  established  in  third 
countries in order to receive Community funding. 

(4) 

(5) 

The selection of shared-cost actions will be based on calls for proposals published on 
the Commission’s website in accordance with the financial provisions in force. 

Applications for Community support should provide, where appropriate, a financial 
plan listing all the components of the funding of the projects, including the financial 
support  requested  from  the  Community,  and  any  other  requests  for  or  grants  of 
support from other sources. 

(6) 

Accompanying  measures  will  be  implemented  through  calls  for  tenders  in 
accordance with the financial provisions in force.  

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LEGISLATIVE FINANCIAL STATEMENT 

1. 

NAME OF THE PROPOSAL: 

Proposal for a DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 
establishing  a  multiannual  Community  programme  on  protecting  children  using  the  Internet 
and other communication technologies 

2. 

ABM / ABB FRAMEWORK 

Policy Area: Information Society  

Activity/Activities: Electronic communications policy and network security 

3. 

BUDGET LINES 

3.1. 

Budget  lines  (operational  lines  and  related  technical  and  administrative 
assistance lines (ex- B.A lines)) including headings: 

09 02 02 

09 01 04 04 

3.2. 

Duration of the action and of the financial impact: 

2009 – 2013 

Budgetary characteristics (add rows if necessary) 

Budget 
line 

09 02 02 

09 010 404 

Type of expenditure 

New 

EFTA 
contribution 

Contributions 
from applicant 
countries 

Heading in 
financial 
perspective 

Non-
comp 

Non-
comp 

Diff39 

YES 

YES 

YES 

No 1A  

Non-
Diff40 

YES 

YES 

YES 

No 1A 

39 
40 

Differentiated appropriations. 
Non-differentiated appropriations. 

EN 

24 

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4. 

SUMMARY OF RESOURCES 

4.1. 

Financial Resources 

4.1.1. 

Summary of commitment appropriations (CA) and payment appropriations (PA) 

Expenditure type 

Section 
No 

Year 
n 

n + 1 

n + 2 

n + 3 

n + 4 

Total 

n + 5 
and 
later 

EUR million (to 3 decimal places) 

Operational expenditure41 

Commitment 
Appropriations (CA) 

8.1 

Payment  Appropriations 
(PA) 

a 

b 

10.7 

10.7 

10.7 

10.7 

10.7 

53.5 

5.08 

6.61 

9.55 

10.05 

22.21 

53.5 

Administrative expenditure within reference amount42 

Technical 
& 
administrative  assistance 
(NDA) 

8.2.4 

c 

TTOOTTAALL  RREEFFEERREENNCCEE  AAMMOOUUNNTT  

0.3 

0.3 

0.3 

0.3 

0.3 

1.5 

Commitment 
Appropriations 

Payment 
Appropriations 

a+c 

b+c 

11 

11 

11 

11 

11 

55.0 

0.3 

5.38 

6.91 

9.85 

10.35 

22.21  55.0 

Administrative expenditure not included in reference amount43 

Human 
associated 
(NDA) 

resources 

and 
expenditure 

Administrative  costs,  other 
than  human  resources  and 
not 
associated 
included in reference amount 
(NDA) 

costs, 

1.249  1.249 

1.249 

1.249 

1.249 

1.249 

7.494 

0.067  0.067 

0.067 

0.067 

0.067 

0.024 

0.359 

8.2.5 

d 

8.2.6 

e 

Total indicative financial cost of measure 
including 
Human 

TOTAL  CA 
cost 
Resources 

of 

a+c
+d+
e 

12.316 

12.316 

12.316 

12.316 

12.316 

1.273 

62.853 

TOTAL  PA 
cost 
Resources 

of 

including 
Human 

b+c
+d+
e 

Co-financing details 

1.616 

6.696 

8.226 

11.166 

11.666 

23.483 

62.853 

41 
42 
43 

Expenditure that does not fall under Chapter xx 01 of the Title xx concerned. 
Expenditure within Article xx 01 04 of Title xx. 
Expenditure within Chapter xx 01 other than Articles xx 01 04 or xx 01 05. 

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25 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
If the proposal involves  co-financing by Member States, or other bodies,  an  estimate of the 
level of this co-financing should be indicated:  

EUR million (to 3 decimal places) 

n + 1 

n + 2 

n + 3 

n + 4 

Year 
n 

n  +  5 
and 
later 

Total 

Co-financing body 

…………………… 

TOTAL CA including co-
financing 

f 

a+c
+d+
e+f 

4.1.2.  Compatibility with Financial Programming 

(cid:59) 

Proposal is compatible with existing financial programming. 

Proposal  will  entail  reprogramming  of  the  relevant  heading  in  the  financial 

(cid:133) 
perspective. 

Proposal  may  require  application  of  the  provisions  of  the  Interinstitutional 

(cid:133) 
Agreement44 (i.e. flexibility instrument or revision of the financial perspective). 

4.1.3.  Financial impact on Revenue 

(cid:59) 

(cid:133) 

Proposal has no financial implications on revenue 

Proposal has financial impact — the effect on revenue is as follows: 

Budget line 

Revenue 

Prior to
action 
[Year 
n-1] 

EUR million (to one decimal place) 

Situation following action 

[Year 
n] 

[n+1]

[n+2]

[n+3]  [n+4]  [n+5]

45

a) Revenue in absolute terms 

b) Change in revenue 

 Δ 

4.2. 

Human Resources FTE (including officials, temporary and external staff) — see 
detail under point 8.2.1. 

Annual requirements 

Year n 

n + 1 

n + 2 

n + 3 

n + 4 

n + 5 
and 
later 

44 
45 

See points 19 and 24 of the Interinstitutional Agreement. 
Additional columns should be added if necessary i.e. if the duration of the action exceeds 6 years. 

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26 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
number 
Total 
human resources 

of 

12 

12 

12 

12 

12 

12 

5. 

CHARACTERISTICS AND OBJECTIVES 

5.1. 

Need to be met in the short or long term 

There is a continued need for actions dealing with illegal content and harmful conduct online, 
promoting  a  safer  online  environment  and  ensuring  public  awareness  of  the  risks  and 
precautions to be taken in a changing online environment. There is also a need for the scope 
of the programme to be extended so as to focus particularly on protecting vulnerable children 
in  the  online  environment,  in  particular  the  situation  where  a  person  befriends  a  child  for 
sexual abuse (“grooming”) and bullying, which can have severe and long-term consequences 
for the child. In order to address the challenges described above, more knowledge is needed. 

5.2. 

Value-added  of  Community  involvement  and  coherence  of  the  proposal  with 
other financial instruments and possible synergy 

The  Community  will  stimulate  best  practice  in  Member  States  by  providing  guidance  and 
giving  support  for  European-level  benchmarking,  networking  and  adding  to  the  knowledge 
base.  The  national  activities  will  contribute  to  a  “multiplier  effect”  with  a  view  to  a  better 
distribution of best practice. The re-use of tested tools, methods, strategies and technologies 
or access to updated data at European level will enhance the cost-efficiency and effectiveness 
of actors at Member State level. 

The  programme  aims  to  maximise  synergy  with  national  activities  through  networking  and 
EU initiatives. The proposed activities partly build upon results achieved in previous actions 
and  will  complement  actions  launched  under  other  EU  programmes  and  initiatives  (namely 
Prevention of and Fight against Crime, Youth in Action, Daphne III) to avoid duplication and 
maximise impact. 

5.3. 

Objectives, expected results and related indicators of the proposal in the context 
of the ABM framework 

The objectives will be: 

(1) 

Reducing illegal content and tackling harmful conduct online;  

(2) 

Promoting a safer online environment; 

(3) 

Ensuring public awareness; 

(4) 

Establishing a knowledge base.  

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27 

   EN 

 
Operational objectives specify targets which facilitate attainment of the above goals: 

Operational objectives 

Indicators 

Illegal content and harmful conduct/content 

Public reporting points  

Number  of  reporting  points  /  MS  coverage;  No 
of  reports  received,  of  police  actions,  of  web 
pages withdrawn; degree of public awareness  

Harmful conduct online 

Degree of public awareness  

Technical solutions  

No of projects  

Promoting a safer online environment 

Industry engagement  

Cooperation between stakeholders  

Awareness raising 

No  of  meetings  /  conferences  organised  / 
attended. Number of self-regulatory operations  

No  of  meetings  /  conferences  organised  / 
attended. No of projects and initiatives  

Empowering users to stay safe online 

Awareness levels of users  

Coordinated  effort  to  raise  awareness  and  to 
disseminate information about safety issues 

No  of  awareness  points  /  MS  coverage;  No  of 
involved,  of  awareness  actions,  of 
staff 
reached;  visibility;  awareness 
stakeholders 
levels  

Awareness-raising methods and tools  

No of replicable methods / tools  

Involvement  of  children  in  creating  a  safer 
online environment 

No  of  children  /  of  activities  with  children 
involved 

Establishing a knowledge base 

Coordinated investigation across the EU  

No of themes covered, of countries addressed 

Updated information base 

No of projects, of publications 

Broadening  knowledge  about  children’s  own 
strategies against online-related risks 

No of projects, of publications 

online-related 

child 

sexual 

No of projects, of publications 

Studies 
on 
exploitation  

All actions 

exchange 

Cooperation, 
information, 
experience,  best  practice  between  stakeholders 
at EU / international level.  

of 

No  of  meetings  /  conferences  organised  / 
attended.  

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28 

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5.4.  Method of Implementation (indicative) 

(cid:59)  Centralised Management 

(cid:59) 

directly by the Commission 

The delivery mechanisms follow the usual Community approach to grants and co-funding and 
actions that are fully financed by the Community on the basis of a detailed financial request. 
Funding will be granted through calls for proposals and tenders.  

6. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

6.1.  Monitoring system 

Implementation  and monitoring of the  programme will be  the responsibility  of Commission 
officials. Monitoring will be based on: 

•  information obtained from beneficiaries (activity and financial reports); 

•  visits to the projects; 

•  feedback on the activities of participants in the programme; 

•  built-in evaluation and performance indicators in all projects and actions. 

For  one-off  projects,  such  as  seminars  and  conferences,  on-site  monitoring  and  external 
evaluation will be carried out on the basis of random samples and/or risk factors. 

6.2. 

Evaluation 

6.2.1.  Ex-ante evaluation 

A  thorough  impact  assessment  and  an  ex-ante  evaluation  including  a  cost-benefit  analysis 
have been carried out, based on desk research, surveys, Community and external studies and 
public consultations. 

6.2.2.  Measures taken following an intermediate/ex-post evaluation 

The European Union has been a forerunner in this field since 1996. The preceding activities 
have  been  evaluated  several  times  by  independent  experts  underlining  their  significant 
contribution in dealing with the risks to children and recommending that the activities “should 
continue”.  

Recommendations have been formulated in these evaluation reports and in the Eurobarometer 
surveys. These lessons learnt have been taken into consideration when defining the objectives 
of the new programme and the range of its actions.  

EN 

29 

   EN 

 
 
6.2.3.  Terms and frequency of future evaluation 

An  interim  evaluation  of  the  programme  will  be  carried  out  at  mid-term.  It  will  assess  the 
programme’s  effectiveness  and  efficiency,  review  its  implementation  logic  and  —  if 
applicable — formulate recommendations to redirect the programme actions. 

An ex-post evaluation focused on the impact of the action will be carried out at the end of the 
programme. 

7. 

ANTI-FRAUD MEASURES  

Funding decisions and contracts between the Commission and the beneficiaries provide for in 
situ  checks  to  be  carried  out  on  the  premises  of  beneficiaries  of  a  Community  grant  by  the 
Commission  and  the  Court  of  Auditors,  and  bestow  the  power  to  require  evidence  of  any 
expenditure made under such contracts, agreements and legal undertakings within five years 
following  the  end  of  the  contractual  period.  On-the-spot  audits  will  be  carried  out  when 
deemed necessary. 

Beneficiaries are subject to reporting and financial accounting obligations. These are analysed 
from  the  point  of  view  of  content  and  eligibility  of  expenditure,  taking  account  of  the 
principles of economy and sound financial management. 

Appended to the financial agreements is information of an administrative and financial nature, 
designed to specify the kind of expenditure which is eligible under such agreements. Where 
appropriate, Community coverage of certain cost elements will be limited to items which are 
real,  identifiable  and  verifiable  in  the  beneficiary’s  book-keeping  arrangements,  so  as  to 
facilitate checking and auditing of projects in receipt of funding. 

As regards public procurement, and as provided in the Financial Regulation (Articles 93-96), 
administrative  or  financial  penalties  may  be  imposed  by  the  Commission  on  candidates  or 
tenderers who are in one of the cases of exclusion stipulated. 

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30 

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8. 

DETAILS OF RESOURCES 

8.1. 

Objectives of the proposal in terms of their financial cost 

(Headings  of  Objectives,  actions  and  outputs 
should be provided) 

Type of 
output 

Av. 
cost 

Year n 

Year n+1 

Year n+2 

Year n+3 

Year n+4 

Year n+5 and 
later 

TOTAL 

of 

No 
outputs 

Total 
cost 

of 

No 
outputs 

Total 
cost 

of 

No 
outputs 

Total 
cost 

of 

No 
outputs 

Total 
cost 

of 

No 
outputs 

Total 
cost 

of 

No 
outputs 

Total 
cost 

of 

No 
outputs 

Total 
cost 

Commitment appropriations in EUR million (to 3 decimal places) 

OPERATIONAL  OBJECTIVE  No  1  Reducing 
illegal content and tackling harmful 
conduct online 46 

Action 1: Providing the public with contact points 
for reporting illegal content and harmful conduct* 

 No of contact points — Output 1* 

 Coverage in MS — Output 2* 

Action  2:  Promoting  development  and  use  of 
technical solutions for dealing with illegal/harmful 
content/conduct 

 No of projects — Output 1 

Sub-total Objective 1 

OPERATIONAL  OBJECTIVE  No  2 Promoting 
a safer online environment47 

Action 1: stimulating cooperation between relevant 
stakeholders  by  organising  fora  where  they  can 

46 
47 

As described under Section 5.3. 
As described under Section 5.3. 

14 

3.1 

12 

27 

2.55 

13 

27 

2.75 

14 

27 

1 

0.7 

3.8 

1 

0.7 

1 

0.7 

1 

3.25 

3.45 

13 

27 

1 

3.1 

0.7 

3.8 

2.75 

14.25 

27 

0.7 

3.45 

5 

3.5 

17.75 

EN 

31 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
meet 

No of projects — Output 1 

No of meetings — Output 2 

Sub-total Objective 2 

OPERATIONAL  OBJECTIVE  No  3  Ensuring 
public awareness 

Action  1:  providing  the  public  with  a  coordinated 
effort to raise awareness about safer use of online 
technologies* 

No  of  contact  points  carrying  out  awareness-raising 
activities — Output 1* 

Coverage in MS — Output 2* 

Sub-total Objective 3 

OPERATIONAL 
No 
Establishing a knowledge base 

OBJECTIVE 

4 

Action  1:  Ensuring  stable  knowledge  of  updated 
information  concerning  children’s  use  of  online 
technologies 

No of projects/publications — Output 1 

Sub-total Objective 4 

TOTAL COST 

1 

2 

1 

2 

0.65 

0.05 

0.7 

1 

2 

0.65 

0.05 

0.7 

1 

2 

0.65 

0.05 

0.7 

1 

2 

0.65 

0.05 

0.7 

0.65 

0.05 

0.7 

5 

10 

3.25 

0.25 

3.5 

15 

6.2 

12 

5 

13 

5.3 

14 

5.75 

13 

5.3 

27 

27 

27 

27 

27 

6.2 

5 

5.3 

5.75 

5.3 

0 

0 

2 

2 

0 

0 

10.7 

2 

2 

1.75 

1.75 

10.7 

1 

1 

1.25 

1.25 

10.7 

2 

2 

0.45 

0.45 

10.7 

1.25 

1.25 

10.7 

7 

7 

27.55 

27.55 

4.7 

4.7 

53.5 

*The programme will strive to provide financial support to contact points in all Member States. They will provide reporting facilities and a coordinated 
effort to raise awareness.

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32 

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8.2. 

Administrative Expenditure 

8.2.1.  Number and type of human resources  

Types of post 

Staff to be assigned to management of the action using existing and/or 
additional resources (number of posts/FTEs) 

Year n 

Year n+1 

Year n+2  Year n+3  Year n+4  Year n+5 

Officials or 
temporary 
staff48 (XX 
01 01) 

A*/AD 

B*, C*/AST 

4 

5 

Staff financed49 by Art XX 01 02 

3 

Other  staff50  financed  by  Art  XX 
01 04/05 

4 

5 

3 

4 

5 

3 

4 

5 

3 

4 

5 

3 

4 

5 

3 

TOTAL 

12 

12 

12 

12 

12 

12 

8.2.2.  Description of tasks deriving from the action 

•  Programme management: calls, work programme, Commission procedures 

•  Project management: supervision of implementation processes, monitoring of project costs, 

technical assistance  

•  Organisation  or  supervision  of  conferences,  workshops  and  seminars,  of  awareness 

campaigns, of Safer Internet Days and the Safer Internet Forum 

•  Implementation of non-funded activities 

•  Cooperation with relevant Commission departments 

8.2.3. 

Sources of human resources (statutory) 

(When more than one source is stated, please indicate the number of posts originating from 
each of the sources) 

Posts currently allocated to the management of the programme to be replaced 

(cid:59) 
or extended 

(cid:133) 

(cid:133) 

Posts pre-allocated within the APS/PDB exercise for year n 

Posts to be requested in the next APS/PDB procedure 

Posts  to  be  redeployed  using  existing  resources  within  the  managing  service 

(cid:133) 
(internal redeployment) 

48 
49 
50 

Cost of which is NOT covered by the reference amount. 
Cost of which is NOT covered by the reference amount. 
Cost of which is included within the reference amount. 

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33 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Posts required for year n although not foreseen in the APS/PDB exercise of the 

(cid:133) 
year in question 

8.2.4.  Other  administrative  expenditure  included  in  reference  amount  (XX  01  04/05  — 

Expenditure on administrative management) 

EUR million (to 3 decimal places) 

Budget line 

(number and heading) 

Year n 

Year 
n+1 

Year 
n+2 

Year 
n+3 

Year 
n+4 

Year n+5 

and later 

TOTAL 

Technical 

1 
and 
assistance (including related staff costs) 

administrative 

Executive agencies51 

Other 

technical 

and 

administrative 

assistance 

- intra muros  

- extra muros 

technical  and  administrative 

Total 
assistance 

0.3 

0.3 

0.3 

0.3 

0.3 

0.3 

0.3 

0.3 

0.3 

0.3 

1.5 

1.5 

8.2.5.  Financial cost of human resources and associated costs not included in the reference 

amount 

Type of human resources 

Year n  Year n+1  Year n+2  Year n+3  Year n+4  Year n+5 

EUR million (to 3 decimal places) 

and later 

Officials and temporary staff (XX 01 01) 

1.053 

1.053 

1.053 

1.053 

1.053 

1.053 

Staff financed by Art XX 01 02 (auxiliary, 
END, contract staff, etc.) 

(specify budget line) 

Total  cost  of  human  resources  and 
in  reference 
associated  costs 
amount) 

(NOT 

0.196 

0.196 

0.196 

0.196 

0.196 

0.196 

1.249 

1.249 

1.249 

1.249 

1.249 

1.249 

Calculation– Officials and temporary agents 

Reference should be made to Point 8.2.1, if applicable 
Officials and temporary staff: 9 officials*EUR 117 000 
Staff financed by Art XX 01 01:2 2 contract agents * EUR 63 000 and I END * EUR 70 000 

51 

Reference should be made to the specific legislative financial statement for the Executive Agency(ies) 
concerned. 

EN 

34 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Calculation– Staff financed under Art XX 01 02 

Reference should be made to Point 8.2.1, if applicable 

8.2.6.  Other administrative expenditure not included in reference amount 

EUR million (to 3 decimal places) 

Year n 

Year 
n+1 

Year 
n+2 

Year 
n+3 

Year 
n+4 

Year n+5 

and later 

TOTAL 

XX 01 02 11 01 — Missions 

0.024 

0.024 

0.024 

0.024 

0.024 

0.024 

0.144 

XX 01 02 11 02 — Meetings & conferences 

XX 01 02 11 03 — Committees52  

0.043 

0.043 

0.043 

0.043 

0.043 

0.215 

XX 01 02 11 04 — Studies & consultations 

XX 01 02 11 05 — Information systems 

2  Total other management 

expenditure (XX 01 02 11) 

3  Other expenditure of an 

administrative nature (specify 
including reference to budget line) 

Total administrative expenditure, other 
than human resources and associated 
costs (NOT included in reference 
amount) 

0.067 

0.067 

0.067 

0.067 

0.067 

0.024 

0.359 

Calculation — Other administrative expenditure not included in reference amount 

Missions — 30 missions per year x EUR 800 within EU 

Committees — 2 annual meetings x 1 participant x 27 MS x EUR 800 

52 

Specify the type of committee and the group to which it belongs. 

EN 

35 

   EN