WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1240/98 by Amedeo AMADEO , Salvatore TATARELLA to the Commission. Offences against children
22. 2. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 50/19 The NGO in question is subject to the usual monitoring and inspection procedures applied to other partners in cooperation projects. Payment in instalments is subject to the approval of activity reports and financial reports. When in doubt, the Commission conducts more in-depth financial checks. (1999/C 50/026) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1240/98 by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) and Salvatore Tatarella (NI) to the Commission Subject: Offences against children (29 April 1998) All children are especially vulnerable and have limited powers of resistance to all types of violence. Whenever loss of life has been caused, intentional harm has also been caused to human dignity. Children make up half of the population of the world. In view of these facts, can the Commission say whether: 1. Children should no longer be regarded as a minority in society but should also enjoy effective protection under criminal law, even though childhood is a transitional state; 2. This universal protection under criminal law could be applied to all children regardless of their nationality? Answer given by Mrs Gradin on behalf of the Commission (19 June 1998) The Commission shares the view of the Honourable Members that the rights of children as enshrined in the 1989 Convention on the rights of the child must at all times and in all places be respected and safeguarded. Children should enjoy effective protection under the criminal law of all countries regardless of their nationality. The Commission draws the attention of the Honourable Members to the Joint Action adopted by the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 24 February 1997 to combat trafficking in human beings and sexual exploitation of children. This requires the Member States to classify all forms of child sexual exploitation as criminal offences and to impose appropriate penalties. Furthermore, the Commission has recently presented a communication on the fight against violence against women and children. This Communication includes a proposal for a multiannual action programme supporting non governmental organisation projects in this field. As far as the educational aspects are concerned an initiative áviolence in schoolí was launched in 1997. Through this initiative the Commission is reinforcing cooperation on measures to counter violent behaviour in educational settings, through prevention or intervention programmes in schools. Special attention is paid to the needs of the children affected by these phenomena, including the needs of the victims. The initiative also focuses wherenever possible on whole-school approaches, drawing into action all involved in education inside and outside the school. More information is available on these initiatives on Internet at the following address: http://europa. eu/int/en/comm/dg22/violence/. (1999/C 50/027) WRITTEN QUESTION P-1242/98 by Rainer Wieland (PPE) to the Commission (9 April 1998) Subject: Establishment of doctors in Germany › German doctors and doctors from other European Union countries In Germany the ratio of population numbers to the number of specialist doctors within a given administrative district is used as the basis for deciding whether or not doctors can set up in practice there. For doctors who are citizens of the Union, do the same conditions for establishment in Germany apply as for German doctors?