CONCILIATION OF FAMILY LIFE AND A PERIOD OF STUDIES FOR YOUNG WOMEN IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

22/02/2007: On the initiative of rapporteur Marie Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou (MEP, EPP-ED, Greece), a public hearing will be held by the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality on Tuesday 27 February from 10.30 hrs to 12.30 hrs in room ASP 3G2. The public hearing is based on her own-initiative report on 'a regulatory framework for measures to reconcile family life and a period of studies for young women in the European Union'.

Studies, vocational training, postgraduate studies and job-seeking are important stages in young people's lives and are affected by accelerating developments of technology and labour market needs. However, the phenomenon of long-term extensions to studies contributes to the postponement of taking any decision on starting a family.

The increase in life expectancy of older people is often suggested as a factor that quite often obliges young men and women, at an early stage of their careers, to be overwhelmed with the care of older people and other dependants.

The results of demographic developments, occurring at crucial stages of young people's lives, as well as possible solutions to the ensuing problems, will be addressed by a large number of experts and researchers competent in the fields of demography. Representatives of the Council, the European Commission, the Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of Regions, social partners and non-governmental organisations will also participate in the hearing.

"The draft report aims to assist in planning measures which will help young people to reconcile their family lives at the early stages of their careers so that they feel they can actively participate in society", said Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou.

NOW ON TRACK: THE SINGLE EU HOTLINE NUMBER FOR MISSING CHILDREN

21/02/2007: Marie Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou MEP (EPP-ED, Greece), rapporteur of the "European Strategy on the Rights of the Child" which was launched on 4 July 2006, welcomes the Commission's draft Decision to reserve the use of the '116000' number specifically for missing children hotlines.

Providing a single number to report missing children represents a concrete example of how the EU, and in particular the European Commission, has made children's rights one of its priorities. As incidents of missing children have substantially increased (according to UK police estimates, approximately 70,000 missing children are reported missing annually), many European countries have already implemented different hotline telephone numbers for parents to report missing children.

Taking into consideration the trans-national character of cases for missing children, the 'same number - same service 116000' will greatly assist parents if they lose their child while travelling or on holiday in another European country, and will also ensure better cooperation among the police services so as to trace missing children and arrest perpetrators. Member States should adopt this initiative for the protection of children's rights by summer 2007.

The issue of the correct implementation of a single hotline number for missing children has already been addressed by a number of MEPs and members of the Intergroup on "Family and the Protection of Childhood" which Mrs Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou chairs. During the Intergroup meeting in September 2006, the Vice-President of the Commission, Franco Frattini, delivering his speech on the Strategy of the Rights of the Child, welcomed comments referring to the implementation of the "116 initiative". On 11 December 2006, Viviane Reding, Commissioner for Information Society and Media, at the Telecom Council, called upon all Ministers to support urgent progress on this Commission proposal. In the near future, a public call will be launched in order to identify other services that may benefit from 116 numbers.

"The implementation of the '116 initiative' for reporting missing children is only a first step illustrating pan-European awareness of the protection of children's rights. Close cooperation among the Member States is necessary in order to establish a safe living space for all families in Europe. Such an initiative gives us hope to defend against criminal actions that threaten the safety of our children", said Mrs Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou.

CHILDHOOD PROTECTION

12/12/2006: Childhood protection: Member States need to adopt dynamic policies.

The need for coordinated action to protect children against exploitation, ill-treatment or violence and to promote their rights in fundamental fields such as survival, health and education was underlined by Mrs Marie Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou, MEP (EPP-ED, GR) during her intervention in the plenary of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on the occasion of World Children's day.

According to a recent UNICEF study, more than half of the children living in developing countries do not have access to elementary goods and services essential for children. These goods include housing, hygienic infrastructures, basic healthcare, access to education and information, food and drinkable water. The study also indicates that a huge number of children live in low-income households and are obliged to work, many abandon their homes because of armed conflicts, and many are contaminated by various illnesses or die during conflicts. In addition, it is estimated that 15 million children in the world have become orphans because of AIDS.

World Children's day (11th December), aims to raise the issue of rights of children and instances of their violations. The United Nations and more particularly UNICEF, which celebrates its 60th year of existence, have transformed the protection of children into a social necessity and have worked towards it in a responsible manner. In 1959, the UN adopted the Declaration on the Rights of the Child and established a legal framework for protection against any type of exploitation or negligence. The Convention on the Rights of the Child which was adopted in 1989 and is yet to be signed by several States, includes rights of survival, development, protection and participation.

The Council of Europe recently (April 2006) launched a program entitled "Building a Europe for and with the Children" which aims at recognising rights for children in order to protect their moral and physical integrity in the same way as for adults. In addition, through its recent Communication on "A European Strategy on the rights of the child", the European Commission adopted a horizontal approach and a global strategy for the protection of children both in the internal and external policies of the EU.

Hoping for a coordination of the actions in the external and internal policies of the EU, Mrs Panayotopoulos - Cassiotou asked each Member State separately to adopt measures in favour of the protection of the rights of children. She underlined that "children are not only threatened by poverty, illiteracy and conflicts outside the EU, but also by violence, committed within our developed countries.