Strasbourg, 22/06/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission Communication on the protection of victims of organised crime shows its willingness to contribute towards improving the situation, but certain measures it is proposing are too dependent on the Member States good will: for this reason Patsy Sörensen (Greens, Belgium), rapporteur for the Citizen's Freedoms and Rights Committee, called for Commission to use the means available actions to be provided by the treaties. The rapporteur was also worried by the fact that the adoption of measures on aid to victims is only foreseen for 2004 and underlines that this aid cannot only be reduced to financial compensation.
The Parliament followed its rapporteur, in a resolution that formulates specific demands rel;ated to the measures to be take to come to the aid of victims, so that they are not doubly let down, first as victims of a crime and also as victims of the system. The EP calls on the Commission to grant particular attention to the need to train the police and judicial authorities with regard to crimes and sexual abuse and promote the social insertion of the condemned, notably minors. The Member States are also invited to establish a co-ordinated European system of service programmes to victims and to strengthen the existing protection measures, while waiting for the establishing of a harmonised provision for cross-border protection at a European level. The Parliament adopted an EPP amendment inviting the Commission to take into account the specific category for victims of terrorism.