Brussels, 11/12/2002 (Agence Europe) - Pasok member Myrsini Zorba MEP has written to her colleagues asking them to back his initiative of better protecting the 90 million children under 18, who will be the "future citizens" of the European Union. "the future of Europe is the future of children", Ms. Zorba tells the Convention.
Recalling that EU Member States have ratified the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but that the EU itself is not party to the text, the MEP calls on the European Convention to propose, while respecting the principle of subsidiarity, a "Children's Policy", comprising in particular; - the establishment of a "legal status" for children in the Treaty; - the promotion of the best interests of children in all EU legislation (including long-distance sales, toy advertising, the safety of toys, Internet content, and radio and television broadcasts); - ratification of the UN 1989 Convention; - account being taken by the EU of recommendations of the UN 2002 Special Session on Children, transferring the main responsibility of the realisation of the UN objectives to national and regional level; - the guarantee of protection to children seeking asylum, street children, institutionalised children, children in hospitals and children with disabilities; - the right of participation of children in the democratic debate on decisions affecting them; - the creation of a mechanism for the implementation of these policies.
Myrsini Zorba recalls that, in 2000, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe had recommended: - the adoption of a European strategy for children; - the creation of a post of Ombudsman, responsible for promoting children's rights in European society.