THE SITUATION OF LONE PARENT FAMILIES IN THE EU

26/10/2006: The Intergroup on Family and Protection of Childhood met today in Strasbourg under the chairmanship of Mrs. Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou (EPP-ED, GR) to discuss the situation of lone parent families in the EU. The Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Mr Vladimir Spidla, was the keynote speaker of this event in which MEPs, NGO representatives and social partners participated.

The purpose of the meeting was to highlight the socio-economic difficulties faced by lone parent families, which represented in 2001 4.3 million families in the EU-15, as well as to address the potential impact of lone parenthood on the Commission's management of the demographic problem, the conciliation of family and professional life and the labour market.

During his intervention, the Commissioner indicated that the Commission would publish by the end of the year a study on lone parent families which would pay particular attention to the fact that 90% of lone parent families are headed by women. Mr Spidla explained that existing statistics on the extent of lone parenthood are not always a reflection of the reality since on the one hand, there are differing views as to the definition of lone parent families, and on the other hand, the data that has been collected does not cover all the aspects of this family situation. Although sometimes some lone parent families can take advantage of their situation to obtain fiscal, social and other types of advantages, the fact remains that these families are particularly vulnerable to social exclusion and poverty - it is estimated that one out of four lone parent families is poor according to EU criteria. The Commissioner underlined that support for lone parents could not exclusively rely on economic benefits but depended also on broader measures which would deal with the fact that lone parents' poverty is not only economic but also social, cultural and educational.

Mr Spidla pointed out that the Commission, while abiding by its neutral approach to family policies, would study closely the situation of lone parent families and present the Member States' best practices in this field with the purpose of proposing further measures relating both to the integration of these families within society and the labour market as well as to the well-being of children.

During the debate, MEPs and NGO representatives highlighted in particular the problems of exclusion and social integration of these families and their children. Most of them expressed their disappointment with the fact that the Commission does not indicate how to prevent and resolve the phenomenon of lone parent families but merely monitors its development.

FINANCIAL RELIEF FOR EUROPEAN FAMILIES

15/09/2006: EU legislation is currently under discussion for a reduced VAT rate on children's diapers. Marie Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou MEP and José Ribeiro e Castro MEP

Following the efforts of MEPs Mrs Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou and Mr Ribeiro e Castro for the inclusion of children's diapers in the list of products which could benefit from a reduced VAT rate, the European Commission announced on 19 July, that it would take the necessary steps in order to create a legal basis for the application of reduced VAT to these products.

With this initiative, the Commission could add products to annex H of the 6th VAT Directive or modify its interpretation of the existing ones.

The Commission announcement was preceded by meetings between the two MEPs and Commissioners for taxation and social affairs, Mr Kovacs and Spidla, as well as by several oral questions underlining the necessity to apply the same reduced VAT rate to children's diapers as to adults'. The MEPs had expressed their dismay regarding the unequal taxation treatment of these products which constitute products of first necessity for families.

In its declaration, the Commission indicated that it had sent letters of formal notice to the member states which apply a reduced VAT rate to children's diapers (Malta, Poland, Portugal, Hungary, Czech Republic) in order to obtain additional explanations and information on the basis of which the Commission will examine the possibility to revise annex H of the 6th VAT Directive.

With this decision the Commission clearly shows its commitment to support pro-family policies as a part of the EU's response to demographic challenges and the constant ageing of the population.

Mrs Panayotopoulos and Mr Ribeiro e Castro welcomed the Commission's decision and expressed the hope that the Commission will continue to address favourably the concerns of European families and particularly those facing financial difficulties.

PRESENTATION OF THE EU STRATEGY ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

07/09/2006: Meeting of the Intergroup on Family and Protection of Childhood: Presentation of the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child by the Vice-President of the Commission, Franco Frattini.

The Intergroup on "Family and Protection of Childhood" of the European Parliament convened yesterday under the Presidency of Greek MEP (EPP-ED), Mrs Marie Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou, to discuss the recent Communication of the Commission on "an EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child".

The Vice-President of the European Commission and competent Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, Mr Franco Frattini, was the keynote speaker at this event which gathered a large number of MEPs, representatives of the Council of Europe, the Economic and Social Committee, UNICEF and family NGOs. The Commissioner presented the latest developments generated by the Communication and the objectives of the Commission in the field of the rights of the child.

Presenting the Commission's Communication, the Commissioner pointed out that this was the first time that the Commission has adopted a horizontal approach and overall strategy for the protection and promotion of the rights of the child within the external and internal relations of the EU. Thus, it covers a large spectrum of policies, such as civil and penal law, employment, education and health as well as development cooperation and trade negotiations with third countries. Under this initiative, children acquire an entity and are considered as full citizens on an equal footing with adults. They are also given the opportunity to participate in the deliberations for the decisions which concern them.

Commenting on the text, the Commissioner stressed that the objective of the Commission is not to present new legislation, but rather use existing ones in order to achieve, as soon as possible, substantial results in the protection of the rights of the child which would be mainstreamed in all European policies. In this regard, transparency and consultation of children are working methods of great importance for the Commission. The role of the future European Coordinator for the Rights of the Child, whose duties will include the development of a close cooperation among the fourteen competent DGs of the European Commission and the creation of a permanent European Forum for the Rights of the Child, will also be of great importance. Mr Frattini emphasised that within the European Forum, public and private authorities of the Member States, international and European organisations, NGOs and children will exchange ideas and information on best practices. It will also have a catalyst role in the planning and implementation of the national policies based on the needs and interests of children.

Furthermore, the Commissioner informed the public of the implementation of specific measures for the protection of children such as the creation of European telephone lines for immediate help/aid which will be operational by the end of 2006, the creation of a website specifically designed for children, the support of banks in their fight against the use of credit cards for the acquisition of pornographic material, along with an adequate use of the activities funded by the DAPHNE programme and the promotion of the role of EUROPOL in the fight against criminal activities targeted at children. He underlined that during 2007 the Commission would present a new Communication on the fight against child poverty within the framework of development cooperation.

In response to questions of the assembly concerning the role of the family in the normal development of the child, the Commissioner stated that although family issues were of national competence, the Commission is planning to encourage family cohesion with adequate means. As far as the paedophilia party in the Netherlands is concerned, Mr Frattini indicated that the Commission could not intervene directly on this issue, but along with the Dutch Government it would closely follow any violation of the rights of children and take all appropriate dissuasive measures.

During the Press Conference that followed the meeting, Mrs Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou stated that " the new Strategy on the rights of the child should facilitate the adoption, at national level, of a dynamic policy for children which would consider the best interest of the child as a major criterion of any action and would encourage the active and responsible participation of children both in family and social life". In accordance with the Commissioner's intervention, she stressed the importance of the role of the coordinator for children and the need for this function to be created in all Member States.

WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND GENDER EQUALITY ON THE DAPHNE III PROGRAMME.

05/09/2006: Violence against Women: EP adopts a comprehensive programme (DAPHNE III). Marie Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou MEP

The European Parliament adopted today the report of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality on the DAPHNE III programme. The new Programme, which was developed within the framework of the general programme " Fundamental Rights and Justice", will run from 2007 until 2013. It aims, on the one hand, to prevent and combat violence against women, children and young people and on the other, to protect the victims through the establishment of effective trans-national networks, provision of support for the activities of NGOs and the exchange of best practices and experiences.

The DAPHNE III Programme, which the Commission agreed to separate from the Programme on Drugs, as a result of pressure from the Women's Rights Committee, continues the action undertaken under the DAPHNE I and DAPHNE II programmes which resumed respectively in 1997 and 2004, with great success. Since 1997, the Programme has financed 420 projects, a great percentage of which have contributed to a modification of national legislation, the strengthening of the role of NGOs and the establishment of a close collaboration between all interested parties (local authorities, civil society etc). The success of the Programme relies on its broad and integrated approach to violence, which includes physical, psychological and sexual dimensions at a European level.

The new programme doesn't deliver any important innovations, apart from the great increase in the budget which amounts to 116.85 million euros instead of 50 million previously. The increased funding is aimed at tackling the challenges resulting from the enlargement of the EU, as far as trafficking and violence are concerned, and responding to the Commission's objective of creating a European area of freedom, security and justice. The EPP complies with the agreement on the financial perspectives.

During her intervention in plenary, Mrs Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou stressed that the success of the Programme depends on good management and transparency in the use of the funds, correct implementation of the general objectives and the respect of the principle of subsidiarity. She asked that the programme take a threefold approach: prevention through information campaigns, addressing the cause of violence, treatment and care for the victims and adequate treatment of perpetrators. Mrs Panayotopoulos indicated that although she was very much in favour of such an initiative, she believes that the proposed Europe-wide helpline (SOS Children) should take the form of a hotline and not of a helpline.

The EPP voted in favour of the report on the DAPHNE III Programme, although it did not agree with the reference to specific categories of victims and objected on the further increase of the budget to 125 million euros which does not comply with the agreement on the financial perspectives.
The Greek MEP, expressed her satisfaction with the almost unanimous approval of her amendment which provides for a specific functioning grant for the European Federation for Missing and Sexually Exploited Children (19 European Organizations), as well as the European Network of Ombudsmen for Children. This network aims at the protection of children's rights in Europe in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the exchange of information among European countries and the formulation of national policies for children.

INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN GREECE.

31/05/2006 Integration of immigrant women in Greece. Delegation of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality visits Athens. Rodi Kratsa - Tsagaropoulou MEP and Marie Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou MEP

On the occasion of the preparation of an own-initative report by Mrs Rodi Kratsa - Tsagaropoulou MEP on the immigration of women and the role and place of immigrant women in the European Union, a delegation of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality visited Greece on 29-30 May. The aim of the mission was to assess Greece’s actions regarding migration, integration of women migrants and trafficking leading to their sexual exploitation.

Anna Záborská MEP, Chairwoman of the Committee, Rodi Kratsa - Tsagaropoulou MEP and Marie Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou MEP and other MEPs met government representatives, Members of the Greek Parliament and NGOs. They exchanged opinions with the Minister of Public Order, Vyron Polydoras, Minister of Justice, Anastasios Papaligouras, and the Under Secretary for Public Administration and Decentralisation, Athanassios Nakos, on the EU's migration policy, the fight against illegal immigration and the sexual exploitation of women.

The members of the Delegation saw at first hand that Greece has had a late reaction to the situation caused by migration and organised crime in the early 90s. As a result, the country faced problems in managing migration, battling organised crime and protecting the victims. The members of the Parliamentary Committee were informed about the new institutional framework (legislation, ministerial Committees, the role of the Local Authorities) and pointed out the need for continuous evaluation and application.

Mrs Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou particularly stressed that migration policy in Greece and in other countries of the EU should take into consideration the dimension of the needs, discrimination problems and integration challenges of immigrant women at all levels: in inter-country agreements, the rights and obligations of the immigrants, the conditions of work, the education, the implementation of special EU programmes and initiatives for immigration. She also stressed the need for supporting organisations for immigrants so that they can use the best way to present their demands and contribute to the integration of new immigrants. Mrs Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou emphasised the need for multilateral collaboration in South East Europe, in Interpol and Europol.

Marie Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou pointed out that although Greece has implemented the acquis for fighting trafficking, it should intensify its efforts in fighting organised crime and protecting the victims by offering psychological and legal support and helping their integration into social life. She also spoke about the experiences of the Greek community in Germany and other countries in integration and underlined the importance of applying this experience at a national and European level.

SPOKES IN THE WHEELS OF FAMILIES ?

23/05/2006: Spokes in the wheels of families? José Ribeiro e Castro MEP and Marie Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou MEP "We clearly disagree with the European Commission's interpretation of what is comprised within category 3 of Annex H of the 6th VAT Directive", said José Ribeiro e Castro MEP, President of the Portuguese CDS-People's Party, and Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou MEP after the meeting with László Kovács, European Commissioner for Taxation and Customs Union. The subject of the meeting was the exclusion of baby nappies from the range of products to which a reduced VAT rate can be applied.

Both MEPs agreed that there is an unreasonable and unjustified different treatment between adult incontinence protection and baby nappies. If the Commission stands by its interpretation, this could be regarded as an age-based discrimination for the purpose of article 13 of EC Treaty.

"There are five Member States which have lowered their tax rates - Portugal, Malta, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary. We believe that the European institutions - the Council and the Commission in particular - should encourage the other states to follow their example instead of taking measures against them", said José Ribeiro e Castro MEP.

"Baby nappies and adult incontinence pads are made from the same materials, fulfil the same functions and carry equal health benefits. We brought Commissioner Kovács samples of both in order to try to establish the difference... Some legal experts might understand the legal arguments of the Commission services although, as usual, other legal experts disagree. But no-one, no citizen, nobody with common sense, can understand the difference between baby nappies and adult incontinence pads, why they are taxed differently and why baby nappies should have the higher VAT rate", concluded José Ribeiro e Castro MEP.

EUROPEAN TRAINING FOUNDATION IN TURIN

26/04/2006: Visit of Marie Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou MEP to the European Training Foundation in Turin On 24 and 25 April, Member of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, took part in the Delegation visit to the European Training Foundation (ETF) in Turin.

Hosted by the Director of the ETF, Muriel Dunbar, the MEPs had the opportunity to become familiar with the Foundation's work programme illustrated with country examples and the ETF Annual Activity Report 2005 and to enhance the good cooperation between the ETF, the European Parliament and the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs.

Based on the principle that education and training can make a fundamental contribution to increasing prosperity, creating sustainable growth and encouraging social inclusion, the Foundation has launched projects with particular reference to the modernisation of the vocational education and training systems in South Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia and the Mediterranean region. Working in close cooperation with partner organisations, it also promotes knowledge sharing and expertise development.

The detailed presentation of the activities of the Foundation aimed at including the gender mainstreaming perspective and of the projects analysing migration and the fight against poverty, gave the members of the delegation an invaluable insight on matters crucial to European integration.

Mrs Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou congratulated the personnel of the ETF for their excellent and hard work to develop people's skills and knowledge in order to promote better living conditions, active citizenship and democratic societies respecting human rights and cultural diversity.

OLDER PERSONS AND THE SOLIDARITY OF EUROPEAN SOCIETY.

07/04/2006: 'Older persons and the solidarity of European society: Meeting of the Intergroup on Family and Protection of Childhood.

Within the broader context of intergenerational relations and their impact on economic and social life, the meeting of the Intergroup on Family and Protection of Childhood on 5 April in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, chaired by Marie Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou MEP, focused on the topic of "Older persons and the solidarity of European society". The meeting was launched with an introduction by Mrs Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou who emphasised the importance of an exchange of ideas on this issue. More particularly, she indicated that "it was important to examine the measures that Europe should take to deal with demographic ageing and the improvement of the living and working conditions of older persons. In parallel, it is also necessary to ensure the long-term viability of pension systems and the provision of good quality health care for older persons."

Philip Bushill-Matthews MEP, Member of the Employment Committee and rapporteur of the report on demography which was adopted by a large majority by the Parliament, briefly presented the main points of his report. Among others, he underlined that intergenerational solidarity was the good approach since the question of demographic ageing concerns society as a whole and that it is necessary for Europe to adopt measures in order to ensure a greater flexibility in working conditions. Finally, Mr Bushill-Matthews insisted on the necessity of leaving older people to decide on whether they wish to contribute economically and socially by working longer.

Representing the Council and more particularly the Austrian Federal Ministry for Social Protection, Generations and Consumer Protection, Mrs Winkler presented the conclusions of a Conference entitled "Active Ageing in Europe" which was held in Vienna on 8 and 9 March and dealt with healthy ageing. She recalled that active ageing through volunteer work could constitute a means to strengthen social relations as well as the physical and mental health of older people. Finally, Mrs Winkler underlined that lifelong learning for older workers was essential to their quality of life. Participation of older workers in the labour market is very positive for growth and competitiveness.

Mr Kiviniemi from DG Employment and Social Affairs of the European Commission, presented the Commission's actions on demographic ageing but insisted on the fact that questions linked to this issue remain of national competence. He reminded, inter alia, the necessity to modernise social protection schemes and to make full use of the possibilities offered by the Open Method of Coordination in the fields of pensions, inclusion, and long-term health care. He finally indicated that the Commission's Communication on demographic change is under preparation.

Finally, as a representative of the AGE platform, Mrs Patel explained the activities of the platform which aims at promoting the recognition of the role of families as carers not only of children but also of older persons. In addition, she presented the conclusions of a study which was conducted in several Member States, entitled "European Family Carers (EUROFAMCARE)" which focused on the role of families in providing care for the elderly. The study showed that the best strategy is probably one that offers a diversity of care enabling the elderly to remain at home, and which recognises the work of carers and offers a possibility of remuneration, thus making this activity more attractive.

Closing the meeting, Mrs Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou thanked the speakers and commented: "Today's discussions reflect the complexity of the question of demographic ageing but one should not forget the need of Member State financing of adequate measures which enable us to deal with ageing and preserve intergenerational solidarity".

LARGE FAMILIES

09/02/2006: Meeting of the European Large Families Confederation with Commissioner Špidla and MEPs. Marie Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou MEP and José Ribeiro e Castro MEP Following the meeting of EPP-ED Members Marie Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou, Zuzana Roithová and José Ribeiro e Castro with the Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs Vladimir Špidla on October 19 2005, a meeting has been agreed between the Commissioner and the European Large Families Confederation (ELFAC) to take place on February 6 2006.

The Board Members of ELFAC - formally created in Lisbon on March 27 2004 - went to the European Parliament in Brussels on the invitation of Mrs Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou and Mr Ribeiro E Castro.

On this occasion, representatives of ELFAC - which is comprised of several European associations - presented MEPs with their objectives and activities - the promotion of equal treatment for all large families. Their goal is the exchange of ideas on the improvement of family situations in Europe. In addition, they presented the difficulties that large families experience in various Member States such as discrimination, difficulties in access to education, the unsuitable pensions systems, the absence of special measures for large families on housing, electricity and public transport, the lack of favourable fiscal measures (i.e. taxes), etc.

Although all speakers agreed that family policy was to remain a national policy, they insisted, however, on the need for carrying out exchanges of good practices and creating a framework action of support for family life at European level. In addition, they expressed the wish that discrimination which affects large families be abolished and that their specificity, and in particular their vulnerability, be recognised. Lastly, the ELFAC representatives indicated that they wished for better recognition by the Community Institutions of the family's key role in maintaining social cohesion.

FAMILIES AND POVERTY

15/02/2006 Joint meeting of the Intergroup on Family and Protection of Childhood and the Fourth World European Committee Intergroup.

The meeting of the Intergroup on Family and Protection of Childhood which focused on the topic of "families and poverty" took place in Strasbourg, on Wednesday the 15th of February under the chairmanship of Mrs Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou (EPP-ED) and Mr Mendez de Vigo (EPP-ED). The meeting fostered interventions by Mr Johannes Berchtold from the Austrian Ministry of Social Security, Generations and Consumer Protection, Mrs Maryse Huet from DG Employment and Social Affairs (European Commission) and Mrs Maria Teresa Lopez of the Foundation "Accion Familiar".

Mrs Lopez presented the major changes which have occurred in the social and demographical behaviours of families, which are characterized by more instable family compositions, reduced birth rates and a high number of children born outside marriage. In her intervention, she insisted on the policies that the Member States should develop to prevent poverty and stressed that by supporting families, one supports employment, social solidarity, the redistribution of wealth among generations, a sustainable economic development and greater social cohesion.

In his contribution, Mr Berchtold insisted on the necessity to preserve intergenerational solidarity and to reduce the poverty of families through the adoption of specific measures including, among others, the creation of synergies between the political, economic and social sectors, and a greater security and flexibility in employment and working hours. Mr Berchtold also reminded the essential role of families in terms of socialization and solidarity and insisted on the necessity to give a greater importance to fathers in the family environment. Finally, he informed the assembly of the activities of the new partnership " Alliance Family and Employment" which gathers the participation of Austria, France, Germany, Hungary and Italy and enables the exchange of good practices and the development of collaborations with NGOs.

Mrs Huet indicated that the action of the European Commission which supports the action of the Member States, aims in particular, at improving the situation of families and children with economic difficulties by increasing the participation in the labour market, specially for women, a better conciliation of family and professional life, the modernization of social security schemes, the improvement of education and access to decent housing and to quality social and health services. Mrs Huet also stressed that the European Commission is currently preparing a "Charter on the Rights of the Child" as well as a Communication based on the results of the consultations on the Green Book on Demography.

Mrs Zaborska, Chairwoman of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality, mentioned some elements of her report on the topic of "women and poverty", adopted by the EP. She referred to the importance of families as "teachers" of social values, to the role of women in the preservation of the economic and social cohesion of families as well as to the need to create partnerships with the least disadvantaged citizens. Finally, Mrs Bauer presented the situation of families in the new Member States with a particular focus on children whose level of poverty is higher that the EU average and who often live in disastrous conditions.

The meeting ended with interventions of NGO representatives who insisted on the importance to increase the participation of parents in the labour market, on the necessity to provide for a minimum income to help guarantee the standard of living of children and to improve the assistance for families by appropriate services.

UNIVERSAL CHILDREN’S DAY

21/11/2005: Let us protect our children from the dangers of the new information technologies – Written Declaration tabled by the Intergroup Family and Protection of Childhood in the EP.

The Universal Children’s Day, considered as a day of activities devoted to the promotion of the welfare of the children of the world, is organised every year on the 20th of November to mark the day of the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the UN General Assembly 16 years ago. This day gives the opportunity to sensitise public opinions to the cause, as mentioned in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, of the protection of children, respected in their individuality as human beings, by their families and society as a whole.

The Intergroup on "Family and Protection of Childhood" in the European Parliament, chaired by MEP Mrs Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou (EPP/ED), wishing to contribute to the celebrations of the Universal Children’s Day, tabled a written Declaration on "the new information technologies and their impact on children".

This Declaration aims, on the one hand, at alerting the Members of the European Parliament-representatives of European citizens-, the Member States of the EU, the European Commission and the Council on the dangers children are confronted with when using the media and more particularly the internet and to remind that " internet governance" as debated in the World Summit on Information Society in Tunis, implies a fight against cybercrimes, in which the violations of the rights of children should specifically be included.

On the other hand, the written Declaration suggests the adoption of security, surveillance, reporting and information measures enabling children to fully benefit from the educational, entertainment, socialization and other aspects of new technologies whilst avoiding their falling victims of abuses of any kind on the web. Indeed, no matter how comfortable and autonomous new generations are with the use of the media and mainly the internet, they can, because of a frequent lack of parental control, involuntarily be confronted with illegal images or content which can provoke deep and eventually irreversible trauma.

Considering this problem, the members of the Intergroup stress the fact that public authorities, media professionals, educators and parents, must have a shared responsibility in the field of media content and consumption.

Mrs Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou and the other signatory Members also demand that national and EU actors be encouraged to coordinate the establishment of specific media training programmes for parents, educators and children and to launch information campaigns on the dangers of new technologies. As for internet access providers, they should deliver free parental control software and internet site suppliers should proceed with the automatic filtering of their internet sites.

Finally, the European Commission is invited to adopt measures, among others through the SAFER INTERNET plus programme, aiming at stimulating the exchange of best practices among Member States on new technologies and the protection of children and to promote the creation of means for reporting and lodging complaints.

With this Written Declaration, the Intergroup on "Family and the Protection of Childhood" wishes to remind that children represent our future and that all should work in favour of a healthy information environment, allowing children to develop their aptitudes and competences without dangers in order to be prepared to address the challenges of tomorrow's society, and invites all the Members of the European Parliament to support the Declaration.

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON FAMILY, EDUCATION AND GENDER

16/11/2005: The International Symposium on "Family, Education and Gender" which was organised by the Higher Institute for Family of the University of Cataluña took place in Barcelona on Saturday the 12th of November 2005. Mrs Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou, MEP and President of the Intergroup "on family and the protection of childhood" and Mr Ribeiro e Castro, MEP and Head of the CDS-partido popular in Portugal, both members of the EPP/ED participated in this international meeting.

In her opening speech, Mrs Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou reminded that the EU aims at becoming, by 2010, the world's most dynamic and competitive knowledge based economy respectful of the environment and of the European social model. However, in parallel with this ambition, one has to face the increasing danger of the decline of the European demography as underlined in the Green Book on Demography, and therefore, the significant reduction of the active population.

The difficulties which will appear, as a consequence of the increase of the structural imbalance of the age pyramid, in the fields of the renewal of the work force, the financing of pensions and intergenerational solidarity, call for the strengthening of existing community policies- such as the eradication of all forms of discrimination in the labour market, the respect of the principle of equality between men and women, the reconciliation of family and professional life, the promotion of young people and the protection of children, as well as the reform of the pension schemes.
Mr Ribeiro e Castro, who was invited to close the debate, expressed his concerns over the fact that the European social model could disappear because of the incapability for future generations to finance it.

He also indicated that he regretted the poor attention given to families by the public authorities and underlined the necessity to take coordinated actions at international and European level on the topic of "family, education and gender". Finally, he presented an initiative on this regard: the request which was addressed to the European Commission to promote the establishment of a Large Families Forum.

Both MEPs, Mrs Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou and Mr Ribeiro e Castro called for the integration of the family dimension into all community policies, the analysis and comparison of effective family policies and the exchange of good practices between Member States.

THE EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN

15/12/2005: The meeting of the Intergroup on Family and Protection of Childhood which focused on the "exploitation of children" took place in Strasbourg, on Wednesday the 14th of December under the chairmanship of Mrs Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou (EPP/ED). The meeting fostered interventions by Mrs Annachiara Cerri, Head of the Section "Children, Families and the Elderly" of the Council of Europe, Mrs Karin Johansson Administrator at the Department of Crime Problems of the Council of Europe and Mr. Eddy Laurijssen, Director of the Bureau of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Brussels.

During her intervention, Mrs Cerri reminded that 155 million children live in the 46 Members States of the Council of Europe, and that the Organization had taken therefore a strong commitment to promote their rights. Hence, she referred to the programme that was developed by the Council of Europe and which will be launched in Monaco in April 2006, entitled "Building a Europe for and with children" which aims at asserting children's status as rights holders who must be awarded the same respect for their human dignity and physical integrity as adults. In addition, she mentioned the recent recommendations and resolutions which were adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on the rights of the child, such as the Recommendation on the " protection and assistance for separated children seeking asylum" and the Resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly (AP(2005)1 on "safeguarding adults and children with disabilities against abuse". Finally, Mrs Cerri presented the programme "Children and violence" which is currently being developed and which is focused on 4 priorities (4P): Protection of the children, Prevention of violence, Prosecution of criminal and Participation of children.

As far as Mrs Johanssen is concerned, she developed the actions undertaken by the Council of Europe regarding some criminal activities such as the Convention on Cybercrime which contains an article on child pornography. She reminded the adoption by the Council of Europe on the 3rd of May 2005, of the Convention on Action against trafficking in Human beings which is open to the signature of States. Finally, Mrs Johanssen explained that the conclusions of the conferences which were organised by the Council of Europe in July 2005 in Ljubljana in Slovenia on violence against children and sexual exploitation, would serve as a basis for the future work of the Council of Europe in the fight against sexual exploitation and abuse of children.

The meeting helped highlight the various types of exploitation of children among which, the worst are bad treatment, negligence, domestic or agricultural work and prostitution. On this regard, Mr Laurijssen mentioned more particularly slavery, the use of children by drug smugglers, forced recruitment of children in armed conflicts and commercial sexual exploitation of children as the worst forms of child labour. However, according to him, there is no need to prohibit all forms of labour but it is necessary to establish criteria on acceptable and unacceptable labour. He also reminded that one should pay particular attention to the contamination of children by infectious diseases such as AIDS. Finally, he addressed the interactions between the ILO standards on child labour and the commitments of States within the UN Convention on the Rights of Children as well as the development of common actions with the UE.

BETTER FUTURE FOR LARGE FAMILIES.

19/10/05: A topic of discussion between Zuzana Roithova, Marie Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou, José Ribeiro e Castro and Commissionner Spidla.

Yesterday afternoon (19/10/05) Zuzana Roithova (Czech Republic), Marie Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou (Greece) and José Ribeiro e Castro (Portugal), EPP-ED Members of the European Parliament, met the Czech Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs Vladimir Spidla to discuss the difficulties encountered by large families in various fields and gave him an overview of their particular needs.

In this meeting, the MEPs called the attention of the Commissioner to the specific problems of large families in Europe such as social security, equal treatment, unfavourable tax policies, conciliation of family and professional life etc.

Mr José Ribeiro e Castro presented the European Large Families Associations Confederation (ELFAC) to the Commissioner and expressed the interest of the organization to discuss and establish a collaboration with the Commission, proposal to which Vladimir Spidla responded positively.

Recognizing the fact that Family Policies are competence of Member States and that it should remain so, all participants agreed with Mrs Marie Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou’s proposal that the Commission should contribute to divulge and promote good practices within the EU and help Member States to adapt their policies to large families.

Mrs Roithova stressed the need for co-operation and co-ordination of good practices at the European level and insisted on the necessity of supporting the actions of national family organizations on this regard.
All three MEPs insisted on the importance of family, not only in demographical terms, but also as a factor of social cohesion.

As a response to Mr Ribeiro e Castro’s proposal of holding a European Large Families Forum supported by the Commission, Commissioner Spidla informed the present MEPs that he found the idea interesting and would consider it within the framework of the monitoring and evaluation of the Green Book on Demography.

THE FUTURE OF EUROPE DEPENDS ON YOUNG PEOPLE

14/07/2005: The meeting of the intergroup on "Family and the protection of Childhood" which took place during the European Parliament's plenary session in Strasbourg, gathered the participation of the Commissioner for Education and Culture Mr Jan Figel, Mr Martin Toman, representative of the World Youth Alliance and Mr Bruno Lachesnaie, Vice Director of the Department on social development and public services of the French Agricultural scheme (CCMSA) and founding member of the European Network of Agricultural social protection schemes.

The meeting aimed at getting acquainted with the European Youth Pact which was adopted at the Spring European Council in March 2005.

The Commissioner, Mr Figel, while presenting the European Youth Pact, underlined that Europe's future increasingly depends on its ability to foster societies that are child and youth friendly. With the adoption of this Pact, as part of the revised Lisbon Strategy, the European Council recognised that integrating young people in society and working life, and making better use of their potential are essential for ensuring a return to sustained and sustainable growth in Europe. Consequently, this initiative seeks to pursue actions in the areas of education, training and mobility, social advancement and promotion of young people, employment and reconciliation of family and working life. The Commissioner underlined that the success of this initiative, depended mostly on the mobilisation of youth organisations, regional and local authorities and the social partners. Furthermore, the Commissioner announced with enthusiasm that the "General Youth Assembly" will be held in Brussels and other regions of Europe, making use of new technologies.

Mr Toman presented the activities of the World Youth Alliance, a global organisation for young people. The speaker insisted on the fight against poverty and social exclusion which affect especially young people because of the high rates of unemployment.

Finally, Mr Lachesnaie pointed out the difficulties that young people meet especially in rural areas, such as the lack of financial facilities, less opportunities for high level education and training, less jobs and limited access to vocational training and career advancement. Mr Lachesnaie strongly invited the European Commission and the Member States to present specific priorities and measures regarding young people in rural areas.

Concluding the meeting, Mrs Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou, President of the Intergroup on “Family and the Protection of Childhood”, congratulated the Commissioner and the other participants for their interventions. Considering the demographic changes Europe is facing, Mrs Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou pointed out the fact that nowadays, it is more than ever necessary to promote an active involvement of young people in the economic life. The freshness of their ideas and honesty could contribute to the creation of a dynamic, social and open Europe.