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Ludford quizzes Council over information sharing on paedophiles
October 30, 2006 9:52 AM
Sarah with police on the beat in London
Liberal Democrat European justice spokeswoman Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP has pressed the Finnish EU Presidency about the failure of the Council of Ministers to adopt laws which would boost Europe-wide exchange of information on criminal convictions and in particular of convicted paedophiles.
A specific proposal under debate would mean a paedophile banned from work with children in any EU Member State as a result of a conviction for sexual abuse or child pornography would be similarly banned in all other EU countries.
Baroness Ludford said after an oral question in the European Parliament:
"The European Parliament gave its full backing to this crucial piece of legislation in June. The Finnish minister has given no satisfactory explanation about why the final legislation has still not seen the light of day. The Council must now explain why it is stalling on a law which is so essential for the safety of children across Europe."
"This proposed law is an excellent example of the EU's potential to deliver the security that European citizens quite rightly demand. The Council has previously declared that the fight against the sexual exploitation of children is prioritised. If this remains the case, member states must urgently set aside their differences and get this legislation on the statute book."
Notes:
Full text of Sarah Ludford's question to the Council:
"What is the state of play in the Council regarding the proposed 'Framework Decision on the recognition and enforcement in the EU of prohibitions arising from convictions for sexual offences committed against children'? It would mean that where a paedophile or child molester was disqualified from working with children after conviction for a sex attack or involvement in child pornography in one Member State, the information would be shared so the name could go on other national sex offender registers and the ban be enforced EU-wide.
Why has the Council apparently been unable so far to agree on this important proposal which the European Parliament backed in June 2006 and which would give a practical example to Europe's citizens of the valuable role of the EU in combating crime and increasing security? Has the Council abandoned its declared goal of prioritising the fight against the sexual exploitation of children?"
The reply (only so far in Finnish) and Sarah's supplementary can be seen at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+CRE+20061025+ITEM-014+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=EN
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