Brussels, 30/04/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is to make €1 million available to finance a scheme to develop missing child alert mechanisms across the EU. “Currently European countries fail to cooperate effectively when recovering missing children. Experience of those countries that have alert systems in place, such as the USA, is extremely positive,” said UK Conservative Edward McMillan-Scott. “We sent a strong signal to the European Commission that we need action and to their credit the Commission has responded,” he added. In 2008, McMillan-Scott drafted a declaration calling for increased cooperation on missing children. This declaration, which was supported by the parents of Madeleine McCann, who disappeared in Portugal on 3 May 2007, was signed by 413 MEPs. A formal European Parliament resolution was then adopted. The deadline for responding to the call for projects is 17 June 2009. For further information, go to http: //ec.europa.eu/justice_home/funding/rights/funding_rights_en.htm (B.C./transl.rt)